Fear and Loathing in Your Personal Resume The Summary

??????? It is a little hard to talk about a resume when the third thing I want to talk about is the last section you complete:?the summary section. ?Why? ?The summary is just that, a “value statement” or series of statements that meld all the things you accomplished, with the skill sets you have acquired, into a concise package.?The funniest thing about it is . . . wait for it . . . you can’t write it! ?Nope, it is virtually impossible for most people to summarize who they really are.??Do you know the real reason why anyone would want to hire you? ?It is hard to write down what you see in the mirror. ?And it is even harder to write down what your prospective employer might see.?If any resume writer is worth their salt, they can write your true summary if, and only if, they have the skills to see you from “YOUR” seat.?Too often, they view you from their own seat.

?????????????Let me break the summary down into a few pieces so you understand why this is the most important piece of your resume document.?I told you, a few posts back, that a prospective employer will only peek at your resume and at the maximum, your skill sets and a few bullet items.?If you get to that special “short” pile, only then will they read your summary, and it had better be a good one! ?Else, you just delayed entering the paper shredder.

?????????????The summary must be put into the view of the employer.?What value do you bring to the table? What are your most precious, unique and most executable skills??Are you persuasive without selling anything? ?Do I want to talk to you after I have read it? ?Ask yourself these questions and see if you can write the ticket to your next career.?Chances are you will not be able to do so. ?It is hard and it requires you to take a completely independent view of yourself and what you can uniquely accomplish. ?No torrent of key words will help you.

?????????????Another problem you will face is the structure of your bulleted accomplishments that follow each of your jobs.?These may not have included all the elements that will allow you to write such a glowing review of yourself. ?I’ll detail this dilemma a few posts from now.?The summary is also called the “Executive Summary” which is from a fully detailed, business or school report that allows the reader to read one, very short, page to grasp the enormity of what is contained within.?Your resume’s summary statement must do the same thing. ?If your work on accomplishments and skills is weak, no magic or creative writing can make that summary sing.

?????????????Hence, the summary must be written last and not written beforehand as a “target.”?Employers will know when you do this. ?They will measure you against that summary statement before they make that first phone call.?Think about how they feel and look at things.?In their minds they ask: Is this person selling me??Is that summary proven with the skills and statements that follow??Is it believable? ?Is it ringing true to what I need? ?Who are you really?(specialist, professional, executive, etc. but not just a “title”)? ?If you write this properly, you may get a call, even if you do not fit the job at hand!?They may need what you have presented and exhibited as value. ?This happens more than you believe. ?I see it about 10% of the time.

?????????????If you can write a good summary, make sure it is only 3 sentences in length or no more than 4 or 5 lines of text.?I say this because it forces you to be spot on, brief and powerful. ?If you can’t say it in this space, you can’t say it!?And, for those who say that this won’t work for higher level executive types, the $250+ K salary people whom I have helped and got jobs in a few weeks,?may disagree with you. ?Don’t be afraid to ask for help. ?It is worth every penny to get this right.??

?????????????And now you know the skill set you must employ so your summary is done correctly and in the employer’s view.?Not many people can do this accurately. ?Be one of them.

Thomas Fleury is a small business advisor, a resume re-positioner and a facilitator of peer to peer groups for Small Business USA.?He can be reached at [email protected].?Details on LinkedIn at ThomasRFleury?