A resume summary or career profile is a brief statement at the top of your resume. If you are a career changer or have many years of experience, craft a powerful summary to highlight your accomplishments and skills. Show the employer, at a glance, why you’re qualified for the job!
Resume Profile Guidelines
General guidelines to keep in mind:
- Keep your profile short. Two to five phrases written in a bulleted form or brief paragraph will do. Think of the summary as a snapshot of your skills, accomplishments, and knowledge.
- Label your profile professionally: Summary of Qualifications, Career Profile, Career Highlights, Professional Summary, or just Summary or Profile.
- Place your profile section at the top of your resume page, above your work history, so that the employer can see it when they first review your resume.
How To Create Your Profile
To choose what to highlight in your summary, research positions of interest and write a list of the common requirements and qualifications.
Assess your skills and credentials. How does your background and experience align with the qualifications outlined in the job description? Select skills, experiences, special knowledge, and accomplishments that you want to highlight in your profile selection.
Next draft a few phrases that summarize your Skills/Experience/Accomplishments/Knowledge/Education
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now write a sentence describing your “professional role,” which you can use as the opening line in your profile. For example:
- Accomplished Marketing Executive with over 10 year experience in…
- Fully knowledgeable in…
- Experience managing professional staff including…
Finally, put all of the sentences together and edit for a clean, concise, and compelling profile statement.
Examples:
Career Profile
Successful professional with corporate marketing and training experience seeking position in nonprofit organization leveraging fundraising and program development skills. Recognized for ability to develop strong relationships and plan strategically. Strengths include:
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Training
- Time Management
- Relationship Building
- Public Speaking
Profile
Highly skilled and results-oriented professional with solid academic preparation holding a Juris Doctor degree and extensive experience in intelligence and special operations seeks position in risk management. Proven ability to assess and manage complex obstacles; viewed as a strong troubleshooter. Successful in intense and demanding environments, providing decisive team leadership and structure with a track record of motivating and developing soldiers. Willing to relocate.
Summary
Publishing executive with multi-faceted background encompassing international licensing and brand management. Developed specialties in editorial planning, global marketing strategy, and design. Managed multiple projects simultaneously and efficiently by overseeing the daily operations of 17 magazine titles worldwide. Proven ability to develop strong relationships across cultures and to provide decisive team leadership in a fast-paced environment.
Additional Resources
We have many resources available to help you navigate career change and showcase your transferable skills.
- For tips on resume structure and content read through Writing a Resume: Getting Started and Resumes with Impact: Creating Strong Bullet Points
- For detailed instruction, view the webinars on Writing a Results Focused and Targeted Resume and How to Perfect Your Professional Narrative
