How To Write an Effective Resume Summary (With Examples)

In the modern world, vacancies in private corporations are limited, and competition to secure a job is limitless. One of the most important elements to get into a job is an impressive resume. A figurative official paper made by a job candidate to present a list of his/her qualifications and qualities is known as a resume. The resume mainly includes the introduction, experiences, subjects of expertise, and applicant eligibility.

A resume is submitted along with a cover letter that highlights the applicant's interest in a particular job or accentuates the important details mentioned in the resume. Writing a resume can be a hectic process as we need to filter out the important add-ons from the unnecessary ones and also follow the suitable resume format. We don't need to make a long list that the interviewer might skip. There are specific steps that the applicant should follow to write an effective and eye-catching resume.

A resume summary is a brief and professional description of the significant qualities and skills that the candidate has, which could be beneficial for the company in which they have applied for a job. When writing a resume summary, two to three sentences should be sufficient to explain your qualifications and background.

For instance- If a person has 10-15 years of experience in a particular sector, such as fashion design, and wants to apply for a job, there would be a long list of accomplishments and matters of expertise that he/ she can mention in the resume summary. However, a resume summary should only include relevant points of the resume that the reader or HR can focus on when selecting applicants for the interview process.

How is a resume summary different from a resume objective?

Basically, a resume summary includes past experiences and skills, as the candidate's qualifications and skills might be enough to consider him applicable for the job. On the other hand, objective in a resume consists of specific goals and achievements that the person expects from the job he/ she has applied for the employment. Both of them could be added to a resume. However, the resume objective could be helpful for applicants who have little experience and limited skills, such as graduate and postgraduate students. In most internship programs, candidates are accepted if the company finds their resume objectives effective.

For example- If a recently graduated student from a hotel management course wants to apply for a job, he might include a resume objective like the following:

Dedicated graduate from hotel management course. Highly skilled in communication, finance management, and teamwork. Ready to provide organized hospitality and make the guests feel welcome.

However, the resume summary of the candidate (for experienced candidates) may look like this:

Considerate hotel manager with experience of five years at Starlight Hotel, Delhi, in managing staff members and inspiring them towards betterment. Well appreciated for being organized and well-mannered.

In the above-mentioned passages, we can clearly distinguish the resume summary from the objective as the first passage focuses on the qualifications and skills while the latter focuses on the experience and feedback of others in favor of the person.

Use of Resume Summary

The resume summary should only be added to the resume if you have much experience in a particular field. There can be many benefits of a carefully crafted resume summary as it highly impacts the results of the selection of candidates for interviews. There are also some advantages of writing a resume that consists of a resume summary, such as:

1. By including your best qualities and talents at the top of the resume that can be beneficial for the company, the recruiter can quickly decide to select you for an interview. A resume summary can save a lot of work for the recruiter because after seeing the formatting of the resume, it is a summary of the entire document, which can be read by them in between 7 seconds to get a complete overview of the essential requirements.
2. Many corporate companies use the Applicant Tracking Service (ATS) to select applicants for the job. By using highly influencing keywords and ATS friendly template for a resume, it can get past the ATS scanner. It is better to choose well what qualifications and experiences you want to add to the resume summary.
   For example- the requirements stated by the employer are eight years of experience in hospitality and hotel management and team building qualities. If you acquire these qualities, you should add them to your resume summary like this:
   Considerate and hard-working, professionally trained in PMS and CRM systems. Masterly leadership skills and a team-building spirit. Experienced in collecting and maintaining records of expenditures and appropriate problem-solving skills. Committed to reviewing staff and fulfilling requests made by guests.
3. There are hundreds of resumes checked by the HRs per day. The selection of approved resumes is faster than one imagines. The recruiter only skims through the main contents of the resume and selects candidates on the basis of the main information provided. So it would be better if your skills and qualities were easy to locate in a resume. There is a high chance that the recruiter would more likely notice an interesting resume summary just below your name in a resume.

How to write an effective resume summary?

Once you know how to filter out your relevant skills and achievements, writing a resume summary gets easier. There are three simple steps through which you can start writing or practicing to write the resume summaries:

• Take your time to figure out your most refined and useful qualities and experiences.
• Make a list of the certifications, hard skills such as technical and analytical skills, and soft skills such as team building and creative thinking.
• Look carefully through the job description you want to apply for and see if your skills qualifications and skills match the requirements of the job.

A career summary of two to three sentences would be enough to grab the recruiter's attention and display your skills. The main purpose of the resume summary is to convey more information in fewer words. Find a key adjective that can describe you and use it at the beginning of the statement. Use active voice to address and key action words to highlight your experience from past jobs.

For example:

Innovative Graphic designer with three years of experience having worked with prominent brands such as Baskin Robbins, Microsoft, and Amazon. Highly skilled in using Adobe Photoshop, CorelDRAW, Sketch, AdobeInDesign, and other designing software to develop attractive logos and advertisements.

Examples of Resume Summaries for Different Professions

1. Author
   Ingenious and client-oriented author contributing a six-year background in the profitable development of the business, producing content for conglomerates such as Hershey's and TRESemme. Scrupulous commerce and advertising planner with the determination to provide an impressive and eccentric sample. Compliance with fixed budgets and submission before deadlines. Strictly organized, enterprising, and prompt with team-building intellect.
2. Intensive Care Nurse
   Devoted and compassionate acute care nurse with 15 years of firsthand experience in emergency situations. Supply complex medical diagnosis, symptomatic testing, and pharmaceutical therapy for the infirm with distinct acute illnesses. Comfortable while passing on unfortunate news and providing emotional comfort to families. Highly knowledgeable in progress management, prescription issuing, and patient care.
3. Cashier
   Diligent and meticulous cashier with prowess in drawer handling, cash desk management, refund operations, and record keeping. Multitasking and well-grounded expert in customer interest, upgrading sales, keeping the store clean and systematized, and processing transactions. Innovative and observant adviser dedicated to improving customers' experience.
4. Project Administrator
   Productive IT project leader and technician with almost ten years of experience in leading multifunctional teams, advanced processing, and administrating human resources for extensive projects consisting of futuristic technology software, programming development, and website organization. Verified performance history of congruous, punctual delivery, cooperative supervision style, and creative operations. Vigorous Leader of the Year 2019 and 2021.
5. Restaurant Manager
   Accomplished bar manager with a fervent interest in presenting the foremost standards of customer satisfaction. Proficient at reducing staff remuneration and promotion techniques. Improved bar profits by 25% through advertisements through various fusions and business strategies.

Why can the above statements be described as a captivating resume summary?

• The summary opens by expressing that the candidate is highly skilled in the field of respective streams.
• It highlights cooperative and administrative skills.
• The summary emphasizes achievements such as awards as well as years of experience gained.

Points to Keep in Mind

• A good resume summary always conveys the years of experience of the recruit.
• If the names of prominent companies that the candidate had worked at are highlighted in the summary, it should be easier to get shortlisted.
• Adding past credentials in the summary helps as well.
• Don't forget to mention your soft skills.