What are the best techniques for writing a summary that showcases your skills?

If you were at a networking event and someone said, "I have the perfect position for you, but I have 5 solid resumes sitting on my desk. Tell me right here and right now 'Why you', and I will throw those away." Whatever you will say to move that person to action, write it down in the implied first person, and you may have your summary.

Tailoring a summary goes beyond keywords. It includes demonstrating how you've done well at something relevant to your target position, as well as how you will benefit your potential employer in the future. A professional summary also injects a bit of personality into your resume by showing enthusiasm, empathy, and other relevant facets. For example, rather than just giving metrics and other cold facts about helping staff, include wording that appeals to emotion, such as we did on this client's resume: "Known as a trusted mentor and advisor to employees at all levels, fostering a sense of transparency and accountability leading to achievement of sales goals."

I had a client who was looking to hire a software engineer with experience in Python. The job description explicitly mentioned the need for Python programming skills and knowledge of machine learning. When reviewing applicants' summaries, I noticed one candidate had a general programming background but didn't specifically highlight their Python expertise. I advised the candidate to tailor their summary by emphasizing their Python proficiency and highlighting relevant projects or accomplishments involving machine learning. By making these adjustments, the candidate showcased their suitability for the role and greatly increased their chances of being considered for the position. Ultimately, he landed the job.

The summary makes a BIG difference in pharma resumes and CVs. Tailoring it to the position is key and just a reminder, it generally shouldn't be written in 1st person. For pharma and biotech resumes, 3-4 sentences is ideal unless you have such an extensive background that more is required. It's precious space so don't use it to repeat your degree from your heading or waste it with 'jargon' that everyone else will use.

Ditch the fluff and go straight for the jugular: tailor your summary to the job you're eyeing and sprinkle in keywords that resonate. Think of your summary as your elevator pitch in written form—make it compelling, make it count.

Headlines on resumes are a great way to immediately tell readers who you are and what you can do for them. These are not fluffy brag-tags; but simple statements about what you're known for as a professional. Furthermore, very experienced professionals and executives can take this one step further by using a title headline followed by a tagline, as we did with this client: Medical Project Management Leader Accomplished leader with 20+ years of combined success in healthcare project management and operational risk assessment/mitigation, while ensuring process and performance improvement. Choosing to use the latter strategy requires thought and strategy, as resume space is precious, and it should offer useful information to the reader.

The attention span of a person declines the further they read. Same can be said about a manager reading your resume. With this in mind, you want your resume to be as effective as possible. Headlines are a great tool for this as they are the first thing someone will read. When writing a headline for a resume keep it concise but let it have an impact, people need to know what you can do for them. So don't be afraid to give yourself a pat on the shoulder when writing a headline!

Incorporating a headline in your summary is an impactful technique for highlighting your skills. This succinct statement, positioned at the beginning of your resume, encapsulates your core expertise and value proposition. Drawing from practical recruitment practices, headlines grab attention, offering hiring managers an immediate snapshot of your capabilities. Academically, studies in information processing underscore the importance of the "primacy effect," suggesting that elements presented first tend to be remembered more readily. By crafting a compelling headline tailored to the job, you ensure that the most salient aspects of your qualifications leave a lasting impression, enhancing your profile's visibility and resonance.

"A captivating headline can significantly enhance your summary and make a lasting impression on potential employers. By crafting a concise and impactful headline, you can immediately grab attention and showcase your unique value proposition as a candidate." Example headline: "Versatile Software Engineer specializing in Full Stack Development and Agile Project Management." This headline effectively communicates the candidate's core skills, specialization, and relevant experience, conveying a strong professional identity. It quickly captures the attention of recruiters or hiring managers and positions the candidate as an ideal fit for positions requiring both technical expertise and project management skills.

Using a headline is a strategic approach for writing a resume summary that effectively showcases your skills. Create a concise, impactful headline at the beginning of your resume that encapsulates your key skills and experiences. This headline should quickly communicate your professional identity and the unique value you bring. Tailor it to the specific role, incorporating relevant keywords and aligning with the language used in the job description. This tactic immediately captures the attention of hiring managers, providing a clear and compelling introduction to your resume.

Professional summaries should always highlight one or two major achievements that are relevant to a target positions. Particularly if one is targeting a position that involves numbers, such as sales. Below is an example from a client's resume that offered immediate impact through his mention of negotiating abilities: "Director of procurement with proven success in implementation of contracts and high-impact results within Fortune 100 companies and government. Expert level negotiator of contractual agreements ranging from $20-$300 million." Actual dollar amount, percentages, and simple numbers immediately catch readers' eyes when they are featured in a summary. This encourages them to want to continue reading your resume.

I successfully led a team of sales representatives and consistently exceeded monthly targets for six consecutive quarters, resulting in a revenue increase of 30%. By implementing a comprehensive sales training program and refining our sales processes, we were able to streamline operations and outperform competitors in the market. As a result, our team received the "Best Sales Team of the Year" award from a leading industry association. This example demonstrates sales leadership skills combined with measurable results. It highlights achievements using specific numbers and industry recognition to showcase the candidate's strong track record in sales and tangible outcomes.

By sharing quantifiable metrics and real-world examples of how you've made a difference in previous roles, you're showing prospective employers what you can bring to the table. It's all about demonstrating your impact and results, which can be a compelling factor in securing that job and driving your career forward.

Highlighting your achievements is paramount in writing a summary that effectively showcases your skills. Specify your accomplishments in previous roles, using quantifiable metrics to demonstrate your impact. For example, mention sales growth, cost reductions, or improved customer satisfaction scores directly attributed to your efforts. By focusing on tangible achievements, you provide clear evidence of your capabilities, showing potential employers the measurable value you can bring to their organization, and thereby bolstering your professional appeal.

Highlighting your achievements in this section showcases your impact and value. I suggest to include 2-3 quantifiable achievements based on your level. Even for a graduate with no experience, you can identify a metric that you have improved during your university project or part-time roles.

It's important to be concise and clear in your summary and throughout the whole resume. In particular, a summary needs to be understandable to initial readers (recruiters/sourcers) who are not always familiar with positions they are trying to fill. This is highly likely to be the case in positions in the tech, medical, and legal industries. Part of being clear is avoiding ambiguous wording that is merely "fluff," that do not actually tell the reader anything. Worse, it leaves them to draw their own conclusions. words such as: Assisted... Participated in... Engaged in... Communicated with... Interacted with.. and so on. Clearly state what you accomplished, and offer proof. That's what readers want to see.

As someone experienced in recruiting, I recommend being clear and concise when summarizing your skills. Instead of using long summaries, focus on expressing your main capabilities in four or five sentences. For example, let's say you've led a team at work and achieved success. Instead of offering a long-winded explanation, you can simply say, "Once, I led a team comprising 15 members from different departments, leading to a 20% productivity boost and surpassing project objectives ahead of schedule." This brief summary effectively demonstrates your leadership skills and accomplishments without unnecessary elaboration.

Your summary should clearly articulate what your value proposition is, or what you can offer. It should also be concise and allow time for other parts of your resume to be reviewed or scanned.

Being concise and clear is a vital technique when crafting a summary that effectively highlights your skills. Your summary should be succinct, typically no longer than four or five sentences, and employ straightforward and direct language that is easily comprehensible. Steer clear of jargon, acronyms, or vague terminology that may befuddle or disinterest the reader. Employ active verbs, precise nouns, and vivid adjectives to communicate your skills and accomplishments. For instance, rather than stating "Responsible for managing multiple projects," opt for "Managed and successfully delivered 10+ projects on time and within budget." This clarity and brevity will make your summary more engaging and impactful.

Keeping your resume summary concise and clear is a must. In just a few sentences, you have the opportunity to make a strong impression, so every word counts. Using straightforward language, active verbs, and specific details helps your potential employer quickly grasp your skills and accomplishments. Avoiding jargon and vague terms ensures that your message is crystal clear and engaging.

My fail safe in proofreading and editing is the MS Word Read Aloud function. When reading in our mind, we tend to read what we think we wrote. From our memory of writing, we often substitute mentally and visualize it in the document thereby inadvertently overlooking sometimes obvious errors. When hearing our writing aloud and following along by visually, we are able to catch errors by leveraging multiple senses through sight and sound.

An error-free resume is crucial to it being successful. Some of the best, most talented professionals are not always the best writers. If that's the case for you, get help from a resume writer, or at the very least, have your resume proofed by someone you know who has is meticulous in grammar. There is literally no excuse for submitting a professional document with any errors with all the free or low-cost resources available to us today to create a perfect resume. Recruiters and hiring managers know this, so they won't give anyone a pass when they come across a resume with errors.

Typos and grammatical errors can detract from your professionalism and the credibility of your skills. Consistency is key as well - ensure that your summary aligns seamlessly with the rest of your resume and matches the job description.

I can’t stress this enough. I have probably went over 1000+ resumes over course of my career. Typos are big time turn off for any recruiter. Make sure you proof read your resume. Ask someone else to review it as well. REALLY IMPORTANT!

Print out your resume and proofread. Read it out loud. Also, ask a friend to proofread; better yet, ask a couple of friends. Review everything, not just your summary.

Don't consider the "Summary" as a summary. In other words, don't see it as a blurb of here's what I do. Instead, convert the writing to a value statement. Thing 3-4 lines that clearly and concisely showcase your talents and the value you bring to an organization. Answer the questions...Why should you be hired? What is the company's ROI with you on the team? For example... Leads and inspires cross-functional teams to optimize performance and productivity catapulting enterprise growth. In the example, we showcase our talents (lead teams, ability to inspire) and connect to the value gained by an organization (improve performance, productivity, and growth).

In my experience the summary isn't as important as it's often made out to be, and that's because most summaries come across as subjective, which means they don't make much of an impact. If you use a summary, I recommend truly summarizing your background - what industry, how many years, job function, job level, etc.

I would like to say that a resume summary should emphasize key skills and quantify achievements to enhance their impact and appeal to potential employers. ???? Examples: ???? ?For a Software Developer: Innovative Software Developer with 8+ years of experience specializing in full-stack development. Proficient in various languages and frameworks, demonstrated by leading the development of a web application resulting in a 30% increase in user engagement. ?For a Marketing Manager: Results-driven Marketing Manager with a proven track record of devising and executing successful marketing campaigns, boosting brand visibility, and achieving a 25% increase in lead conversion. Expertise in digital marketing, SEO, and team leadership.

A summary should provide a brief yet powerful insight into your professional identity. ??Open with a captivating statement showcasing your professional identity & key skills. ??Highlight specific accomplishments & skills pertinent to your field, and whenever feasible, provide quantifiable metrics for added impact. ??Pinpoint what distinguishes you in your industry. It might be a distinctive blend of skills, experiences, or a unique problem-solving approach. ??Incorporate industry-specific keywords for enhancing your visibility in online profiles and ensure your resume gets noticed by ATS. ??Rather than just listing your skills, showcase them with real-world examples of their application. This lends credibility to your proficiency.

Talking from experience, most recruiters read the summary and don’t even bother going further. Take summary really seriously. One example of a good summary can be as follows: "Seasoned Sales Manager with 10 years of experience, known for driving remarkable sales growth. Successfully led teams and contributed to a $X increase in revenue in my most recent role."