Home » 5 Great Resume Summary Examples with Writing Tips

5 Great Resume Summary Examples with Writing Tips

The average resume is two pages long, and this may be a lot when the recruiter has to go through hundreds of other resumes to pick just a few for the interview or the job. The length of your resume might be why you have not been called for an interview, but this is not your fault. Your resume may have contained only the necessary information you need to land the job.

The problem is if recruiters do not read your resume, they won’t know what you can offer them. So what do you do? Reduce the length of your resume? Not really. As long as your resume is no longer than two pages, there’s no need to reduce its length. There is an even better way to make recruiters read your resume, and this is by writing a resume summary.

Resume summaries may not be so popular, but they are pretty important as they act as the stimulant that draws the recruiter into reading your resume even when they’re on a clock.

Before we go any further into what is included in a resume summary, how to write it, and examples of resume summaries. What exactly is a resume summary?

What is a Resume Summary?

What is a Resume Summary

As the name implies, this is a summary of your resume. Typically, this is a professionally written statement that describes the candidate’s skills, achievements, and related experience. These are the information you would find in a resume, but in a resume summary, it is short and to-the-point, typically about five sentences long. The aim is not to ultimately sell the candidate but make it as exciting and captivating as possible for the recruiter, so they go ahead and read your resume.

Why You Should Write a Resume Summary?

If you do not already know why a resume summary is essential, you’ll see some of the key reasons you should include this professional statement in your job application.

  • To compel the recruiter into reading your resume: Recruiters are mostly faced with going through tons of resumes to pick the ideal candidate for the job. This has made it harder for them to read every resume that is submitted. Attaching a resume summary will give the recruiter a snippet of what to expect from your resume and leave them eager to read the full details in your resume.
  • To save the recruiters time: A resume summary gives a rundown of your skills and experience. This will save the recruiter a lot of time as they can quickly go through your summary, especially during the pre-screening stage, and know what you can bring to the table.

What to Include in a Resume Summary?

A resume summary typically contains about 3 to 4 elements—this help to shape this professional statement and lead to the concise and compelling reading you want.

  • Skills: A resume summary contains the topmost abilities you have picked up over the years that make you a top candidate. By including your skills, recruiters know what you’re bringing to the table if given the job
  • Accomplishments: The things you have accomplished in your career or even during your learning stage can be the difference in your resume summary. Including this piece of information gets the recruiter excited about your prospects
  •  Education: Including your highest and most crucial education level in this professional statement will immediately show the recruiter you’re qualified or at least deserve a chance

As you can see, a resume summary talks about you as a candidate and not mainly about the job itself. This is why you can use a single summary across multiple job applications in the same industry.

How to Write a Resume Summary?

Even if you haven’t written a resume summary before, you can grasp the complete picture in a short while as resume summaries focus on you rather than the job. Resume summaries are also short (typically 3 to 5 sentences long), which helps you learn quickly.

Simply knowing why resume summaries are essential and what to include in a resume summary, you are already halfway through learning how to write a resume summary for your job applications.

Here is a straightforward process on how to write this professional statement the right way to increase your chances of being called in for an interview:

1. Ensure the Resume Summary is Relevant to the Job

I know I said resume summary is about you, and you can use the same summary for more than one job application; this is true, but you also need to ensure what you’re stating is relevant to the job. You do not want to be mentioning certifications you acquired in the hospitality industry when applying for a finance job.

Keeping the information in your resume summary relevant is just as important as anything you’ll say in this statement.

2. Start with the Strongest Point

Remember why you’re writing the resume summary in the first place – to compel the recruiter to read your resume. With this in mind, you should start your summary with the most potent point you have going for you concerning the job. This would immediately put the recruiters at the edge of their seats and make them take notice. You do not want to bore them in the first sentence and make them skim the remaining sentences.

3. Go Straight to the Point

A resume summary is a short statement and should remain that way. Always keep in mind the maximum number of sentences you want to write and stick to it. Go straight to the point with the information you’re providing and keep it simple. This way, it’ll be easier for the recruiter to take in.

4. Use a Single Theme

You want to use a single adjective describing your personality across this professional statement, whether by showing dependability, enthusiasm, or hard work. A single theme is an ideal way to go. This summary is too short to have more than one theme.

5. Go for the Most Important

With the sentences you can use in this statement limited to just a few, we cannot overemphasize why mentioning only the most essential details is critical. Focus on your most crucial certification, skills, achievements, and education to include in your summary. Remember, they have to be relevant to the job.

6. Mention Your Years of Experience if Any

If you have the necessary experience, ensure to mention your years of experience and the field of that experience. It helps your chances of getting an interview. Even if you’re a fresh school leaver without an official on-field experience, you can mention any related outside-the-classroom expertise you may have, including internship programs.

7. Show off Specific Achievements

When it comes to achievements, you want to be as specific as possible in at least one of them—providing a concise rundown of what you achieved. Specifics always trump vague words in this instance.

Resume Summary Examples

This section contains specific resume summary examples you can tweak and use for your job applications. The samples cover different industries and levels of experience.

1. For Entry-Level Positions

Entry-Level Positions summary example

Enthusiastic Entry-level graphics designer, proficient in the use of Adobe, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Canva. Seeking to provide Arc Marketing with high-level graphics design. Handled five freelance graphic design projects to date, including the design of marketing materials that brought in 6 figures within four weeks for a client.

2. For Experienced Managerial Positions

Experienced Managerial Positions resume example

Hard-working project manager with 12+ years of experience and skills in communication and project handling. Seeking to provide Julius Berger with the right project management skills that will lead to a sharp increase in its KPIs. Helped Bradle Constructions save 10% in project costs within one year while also ensuring an increase in standards.

3. For Mid-level Positions

Mid-level Positions resume example

Dedicated data Analyst with 3+ years experience in data mining, cleaning, and data sourcing that helped AGI improve its revenue by 12% in 6 months and reached a customer satisfaction level of 82. Seeking to help Provost Corporation surpass its KPIs. Proficient in Zoom, Google workspace, and R Programming.

4. For Sales Personnel

Sales Personnel resume summary

Enthusiastic sales executive with 5+ years of experience in practical human psychology and sales. Seeking to boost sales and revenue at Green Whale Marketing. Developed a sales funnel for Amotal that brought in over seven figures in sales within the first eight weeks of launch.

5.  For Customer Service Reps

Customer Service Reps resume summary

Enthusiastic customer service rep with 8+ years experience, skilled in cold calling and closing. Seeking to boost customer retention and closing at Aksa Com. Had 96% customer retention throughout time at Shroud. Closed 20 clients in 2 years at Meldown.

Summary

Resume summaries are short and to-the-point but immensely important as they provide a quick insight into your resume and compels the recruiter to go further into your resume. Writing this professional statement should no longer be a difficult task after going through this guide with relevant samples to tweak.