How to craft a professional summary that showcases your value proposition?

Before writing your paragraph, capture the hiring manager's attention with your header. Resume "real estate" is important - do not waste any. Instead of "Summary" or "Professional Summary" as your header, use your brand. Align it to the role for which you are applying (e.g., Digital Media Specialist, Controller, Wiring Engineer). Be careful: you cannot use a position that you have not held. If you have trouble determining an appropriate header, work with your Career Coach.

Tools like Jobscan and Resume Worded can be helpful in determining appropriate key words for your job search. However, don't stress out on trying to get a perfect score. Use the tools to help you identify missing content but don't add anxiety to your search by trying to match every word and every case of a word.

In researching the position, identify the most important requirements of the position. These are usually stated under "Major Requirements" or "Basic Requirements" Your Summary should be short, yet impactful, so the top three or four requirements should be addressed. Some recruiters prefer your statements to be bulleted, while others are fine with a paragraph. What's most important is that they are easy to capture. As an example, the requirement is that you must possess strong written communication skills. Your statement might be, "Authors articles that are featured in top, industry publications." This will tell the reader that you meet one of the four most important requirements. Rinse and repeat.

When searching for new employment, the "humble brag" is important. The hiring manager likely does not know you, and therefore is dependent upon you to tell them exactly why you are the most valuable candidate. So don't be shy!

The critical question for me is "what business problems can you solve for this company?" Highlight your score strengths and transferrable skills that solve problems for the organization. Companies hire you because you solve problems for them, not because you need a job.

FYI: Your chosen summary format lends an opportunity to mention a key detail that appears on page two, which may be missed. If page one is not interesting enough, many reviewers won't make it there.

Regardless of the format you use, I suggest writing the accomplishments in bold print. You don't need to expound on the accomplishments with numbers, dollars, and percentages; you'll do this in the Experience section.

Unfortunately for the job seeker, a resume is not "one-size-fits-all". Since the summary sets the tone of the entire resume, quickly and clearly highlight your matching qualifications to the position. You must garner interest, demonstrating what is to come in the body of the resume.

Nothing kills a "detail-oriented" claim like typos. Do not depend solely on spellcheck - it does not reliably catch real words used incorrectly (ex. "Manger" vs. "Manager"). Ewe wheel bee sari!

Include something interesting, relevant, and memorable in your summary. Don't use a generic, boring summary; have at least two keywords from the job posting. Companies hire people, not resumes. Even if you had help writing your resume, let your personality be part of your resume by writing your summary. Showcase your unique skills, accomplishments, or experiences that make you stand out from other candidates.

Avoid the temptation to include every detail possible in the summary (and in the resume overall). This is not your full story; you will not be hired on the resume alone. Use your real estate wisely to target the buyer. They often have many options and little time to shop. Closing the sale will come once you are invited to the table (i.e., the interview).

Your Summary probably won't be the first section hiring authorities read, but it can add value to your resume by connecting the dots. Show the readers that you understand the requirements of the job, and don't be afraid to strengthen your value proposition with some accomplishments.

In crafting a compelling resume summary, avoid using personal pronouns (I/Me/My). For example, some job seekers begin their summaries with “I am an experienced Customer Success specialist...” Instead, opt for a consistent, implied first-person voice: “Experienced Customer Success Specialist...” Additionally, avoid presenting your resume summary as large blocks of text. Aim for brevity, with summaries spanning between 3 and 4 lines to enhance readability and ensure they’re tailored to the role in question. When customizing your resume summary, incorporate metrics and highlight two soft skills and two hard skills from the job advertisement to which you’re applying.