How To Write Your Resume Summary

The summary element of your resume needs to pack a punch to be most effective. It contains the best about how and why you qualify for the job.

You want the employer to focus quickly on this section because it will highlight your most important accomplishments, talents, and qualities.

After reading your summary, the employer should know, without any doubt, that you are the best man or woman for the job. This is where you will shine! This will be your moment to show your stuff. After reading this section, the employer will be compelled to read more.

When writing this section, you will use many colorful and descriptive words. If one of your best talents is sales, write that you are a gifted salesman and that you have a 75% close ratio, well above the standard 30% for other salesmen in the same industry.

If your talent is hairdressing, write that your creations have been featured at XYZ hair show and that your technique is now copied in Salons throughout the Mid-West. You get the idea.

This section will only contain information about you that is commendable and that will set you apart from the crowd. Using the right kind of descriptive, complimentary words, you can achieve this handsomely. Your summary will show your prospective employer that you alone will be the best fit for the position needed to be filled.

Tailor your summary to your prospective employer’s needs

Before writing your resume, you wrote notes on what makes you the best candidate for the intended position. You will have looked at the many characteristics and qualities that you believe your prospective employer will be looking for in an ideal candidate.

Now is the time to tailor your summary section to match those specific needs. Every statement made in your summary section will be targeted to show the employer that you have what it takes to fill that position.

Work on writing positive and affirming statements that exemplify your unique abilities and talents to be most affective in the intended position. Practice using descriptive words.

If you want to write that you are a good leader, write instead that you are “proven leader” with initiative and motivational skills that cause others to act! Describe why you are good at what you do and leave no room for interpretation.

Using words like “good” and “competent” speaks in general terms. Describe how you possess these attributes and you will have done your job well.

Below, you will find a variety of suggestions for composing your summary section. You can select those that best suit your skill-set. Experiment a bit, first, and then zero in on those that best reflect what you have to offer a perspective employer. Remember, your summary section is critical to your resume's success.

Few people will use all of the suggestions. Doing this might be seen as over-kill. You are encouraged to say the most, while writing the least.

• Start with a concise phrase that describes your profession.
• Next, another concise phrase showing your broad or specialized experience.
• Make a few more concise statements to show the following:
  - the full extent of your skill-set
  - the variety of your skills
  - diversity in your experience
  - an accomplishment worth noting
  - Anything remarkable about your accomplishments.
  
  Optional:
  
• Professional achievements
• Personal Characteristics worth noting
• Concise statement to highlight professional objective.

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