Effective Resume Summary Statements
A resume summary statement is a very important component of your profile.
It's an opportunity for you to bring your most important skills and experience to the fore and present them to a potential recruiter in a persuasive manner.
When writing resumes, many job hunters only think about themselves and what they need. After all, they are looking for a job! But you're missing out on a valuable technique if you don't target your resume to the needs of the employer. The summary statement is just the place to start to do that.
Before you set about writing your resume at all, think about the circumstances in which it may be read. For example, an interesting vacancy may attract hundreds of applications. The busy HR staffer who screens the letters and resumes may look at each one for only a few seconds before making a decision and moving on. That's why you must grab your reader's attention in the first few lines!
Write Your Resume To Fit The Needs Of The Job
Before you begin to write your resume, jot down some notes about what you imagine the ideal candidate for the job would be like. Then highlight those aspects of your qualifications, skills and experience that show how well you fit this profile.
Now you're in a position to summarize your strengths that match the employer's specific needs. Every phrase in your summary needs to be focussed to show the hirer that you have what it takes to fill that role.
Use positive and affirmative statements that describe how your unique abilities and talents would make you highly effective in the job. Here are some sample ideas to get you started. You probably don't need to use them all -- and it's important to tailor your statement to fit your unique skill-set.
- Give a concise description of your core professional expertise
- Briefly explain your broad or specialized experience
- Refer to the range and variety of your skills
- Highlight any diversity in your experience
- Give examples of relevant accomplishments
- Outline any of your personal characteristics essential to the position
- What makes you uniquely qualified to do this job?
Many resume writers use a skills summary to replace a job objective statement. Choose the format that works best for your chosen field and the strengths of your career experience and background.
Read the next article in this section on resume objectives: Tips To Make Your Resume Objective Stand Out
Did you find the information you wanted?
To get more information about resume formatting, type in the phrase "sample resume objectives" directly in the box below -- or just enter the phrase you prefer to see many other websites on this subject.
Get Free Resume Tips
Sign up for our informative newsletter and get loads of information and tips to help you in your job search ... plus the FREE bonus Special Report “Upgrading Your Resume”.