A summary summary is a concise summary of who you are and the value you can bring to an organization. Today (2018), all strong resumes are expected to have resume summaries instead of the old-fashioned “Objective.” The summary is essentially your elevator pitch, which is a very brief “commercial” for who you are and how you can benefit an organization.
What to include
First, be sure to include a resume summary right after your contact information. Leaving out a summary or just listing a few bullet points about your qualifications (or worse, listing an objective) will almost guarantee that your resume will get approved unless you know the hiring manager personally. The condensed abstract is essentially a condensed version of the “Tell me about yourself question.” When writing a summary, you want to make sure that you include relevant and specific information that shows who you are without being too generic. A great summary will include who you are, what you have done, what value you bring to the table, and what your strengths are. Also, you should always include your resume title above the resume summary to make it clear who you are (ie sales professional, IT executive, project manager, etc.)
keep it short
You may have been in an industry for 20+ years and have done enough to fill 100+ pages of text; however, his summary should be no more than five or six sentences. TheLadders (2017) conducted a study and showed that the average recruiter spends 6 seconds reviewing a resume, so your resume summary should be concise and compelling. You need to quickly capture the attention of hiring managers and highlight your biggest selling points or unique value proposition. Avoid being redundant and including too many generic sentences that can apply to anyone.
Three excellent resume summary examples:
Example #1 – Global Vice President
Results-oriented global executive with a proven track record of building and leading successful communications businesses in North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America. Experience in corporate trust and reputation, operational leadership, business development, strategic planning and optimization of operations to significantly increase revenue and profitability. Highly regarded commentator on corporate confidence, crises and corporate reputation for CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC, the BBC and Channel News Asia, as well as providing information for print, commercial and other broadcast media on five continents. Presenter at the United Nations Global Compact Leaders Conference, Clinton Global Initiative, World Economic Forum Anti-Corruption Conference, FSG Shared Value Conference, and countless industry and client events.
Example #2 – Senior Sales Executive
Award-winning sales executive with extensive experience in global sales/marketing and financial management. Experience in obtaining and retaining new business as deal lead and providing the framework for completing KYC due diligence for specialty clients. Proven track record of generating over $100+ million in revenue and bookings. Successful customer relationship manager who understands customer needs, manages expectations, builds lasting relationships, instills trust, and ensures delivery of integrated solutions. Highly skilled working in the FinTech industry.
Example #3 – Technical Director
Highly talented IT executive with a proven track record of designing, creating and deploying multi-billion dollar strategic, tactical IT and operational solutions that significantly contribute to organizational performance. Oversaw the construction of 450+ retail stores from a technology perspective including hardware, software, LAN/WAN, and telephony along with managing the life cycles of 350+ projects from inception to launch. Experience in leading teams effectively, instilling passion and developing people to achieve excellence. Strong ability to communicate with technical and non-technical audiences.
These three examples clearly exemplify who the candidate is, what the candidate has done, what value the candidate brings, and what the candidates’ strengths are in a concise and compelling way without unnecessary fluff. Fluff is a resume summary that is full of generic sentences like the example below:
Example #4 – Generic Fluff Summary
Energetic and creative professional with cross-functional experience in operations. Track record of working well with all levels of leadership and developing effective relationships. Strong ability to make immediate and valuable contributions to an organization. Flexible and open-minded with an outstanding ability to adapt to any situation. Excellent research, strategic thinking, communication and presentation skills.
Conclusion
Think of your resume summary as the only thing a hiring manager will read, because in many cases it can be. Your summary is your pitch and should include who you are, what you have done, what value you bring to the table, and what your strengths are in a concise and compelling way. Remember to include your headline above your abstract to immediately identify who you are. You can use a generic “Professional Summary” or “Qualifications” if you come from a very diverse background and it is difficult to define who you are in a single title. Always remember to include a resume summary as candidates without one are sure to be approved.