Why have potential employers read your entire resume to see if you are a good candidate? Better start with a summary that shows your achievements and qualifications right off the bat. To do this effectively, start with step 1 below.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Understand the Basics
Step 1. Understand what a resume summary is
A summary is an overview that highlights your experiences, which are applicable to the position you are applying for. It is written at the beginning of a resume and gives the reader the idea of who you are and why you are a good candidate without having to read additional information.
A summary is the perfect opportunity to highlight your skills, strengths, experiences, and important accomplishments. It can make the difference between having your resume thrown out and being read a second time
Step 2. Understand what a good resume is
A good summary effectively uses actions to highlight the qualities you have and what the hiring team is looking for. It should also describe the results of your previous work; being great is not enough, you need to try it. Writing effective sentences will do just that, give the reader (your potential boss) a good summary and persuade them to continue reading it.
An example of an effective sentence for a summary is: "Develop and manage operating procedures in the US and Latin America to increase performance by 15%." You'll want hard facts and figures if they can provide as realistic a picture as possible. It's something you did (the action), followed by the result (the number). Without a doubt, a winning combination
Step 3. Be aware that it is not a goal
Writing an "objective" at the beginning of your resume is outdated and does not provide much value to a recruiter or hiring manager. The phrase “to get a challenging position where I can…” does not indicate why you should be hired from among multiple applicants. They all seem to have the same goal, and yours may not be considered.
This summary should not indicate what you want to do, but what you have already done. Avoid writing down what you want to do and what you plan to do for the interview process. At this point you have to point out what you have done and what makes you most proud
Step 4. Make sure the summary is the appropriate length
The length of a good summary varies depending on your relevant experience and the job title you are seeking. The summary, on average, should contain between 3 and 5 sentences. Something more extensive would be too much lip service and would deviate from the idea of a short summary.
A relevant and simple summary is the key. The hiring committee has a lot of resumes to review; If your summary is very long, they will not take you into account and it will be a moment of frustration. Keep it short to attract the reader's attention
Part 2 of 3: Write an Effective Summary for Your Resume
Step 1. Write a compelling introduction
This can easily be accomplished by expressing your best personal qualities or "soft skills" that are relevant and essential to being successful at work. Read the job description: What required qualities can you prove that you possess?
Don't refrain from describing yourself as an "enterprising person" or a "well-organized and dedicated manager." Even if you don't believe yourself to be the best of the best, do it! Think of trendy adjectives that no one has used to describe you. What qualities do you plan to bring to each team?
Step 2. Specify your years of experience, major degrees, and what sectors and fields you specialize in
These should be included only if they are important and relevant. If you only have months of experience and don't have degrees, don't worry about this part. They will get the information from the body of your resume.
“Business Development Manager with over 10 years of experience selling B2B programs for the construction industry” is a perfect example of putting time, titles, industry and sector together in one sentence. A full role is worthy of admiration
Step 3. List your notable awards and honors
You don't have to write down all the awards, just limit yourself to one or two. It is a summary after all, it is not a quiz or a novel.
“Awarded as an Outstanding Pro from the Southeast Region for Two Years in a Row” would be a distinction you'll want to put at the top of the page. Choose the ones that bring out the best in you and the ones that are most admirable
Step 4. Include your studies and certifications that are essential or important to the employer
It is the best way to emphasize your most relevant main achievements and therefore they will know that you are more than an ideal candidate for the position.
"MBA and Six Sigma Black Belt certification" would be a great combination. For some jobs, contributing something a little out of the ordinary wouldn't hurt anyone, as long as it's just as admirable as the rest of your achievements
Part 3 of 3: Perfect Your Summary
Step 1. Use effective sentences with actions
As mentioned above, it is important that you write your summary and show your worth using effective sentences. Use them through a magic formula that consists of three parts:
- Write an action at the beginning of each sentence, such as "manage", "develop", "coordinate", and so on.
- Then explain what you did: "restructuring the entire company", "implementation of new procedures", "communication between subcontractors", etc.
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Finally, write the result: "to achieve cost savings of 10%", "increase overall performance", "reduce errors by 5%", and so on.
Put these three phrases together to ensure effective sentences that are concise, admirable, and most of all, engaging
Step 2. Avoid writing in the first or third person
This means that you should not use the pronouns "I", "my", "me", "we", "he", "she", "his", "us" or your name. Get straight to the point; start with verbs and omit unnecessary words.
If your sentence seems big, it probably is. All you need are verbs, nouns, adjectives, and some prepositions. Try to cut the sentence as long as you can
Step 3. Avoid blanket sentences about your character
For example, "trustworthy" and "loyal" are two qualities that, although you may have them, do not help you get a job. What's more, whose opinion do you want to overcome? Write down the qualities that you can demonstrate with your work experience and achievements.
Unfortunately, this is very common; everyone wants to appear trustworthy and loyal or simply believe they deserve these qualities
Step 4. Customize your summary to a specific job title
The first thing an applicant should do is carefully read the position or job description. Being familiar with the job and knowing what kind of person the employer is looking for will help you write an effective summary. If you apply for a dozen jobs, it seems like a lot of work. But if you don't, you will apply for more than a dozen.
For example, if a company is looking for a person with 5-10 years of project management experience and you have 10 years of experience as a project manager, you'd better write that down in your summary. Some things seem so simple that it is hard to believe they are overlooked
Step 5. Start and end your summary convincingly
Simply put, recruiters and hiring managers review a ton of resumes a day for every job title. They read them very quickly and leave the candidate with only one chance to impress. It is not enough just to say that you want the job, you must explain why they should call you for an interview, effectively indicating what you are worth. You have to be convincing at the beginning to get their attention and at the end so that they are left thinking: "We should call that person."