How to write a summary about yourself

A resume summary statement usually comes right after a job seeker’s contact info and before other resume sections such as skills and work experience. It provides employers with a brief overview of a candidate’s career accomplishments and qualifications before they read further.

Because of how early it appears on the document, your resume summary statement (or your CV “profile” in the UK) is one of the first places recruiters and employers look.

And without the right information, they’ll doubt that you’re qualified and may move to another resume.

So I got in touch with a select group of professional resume writers, coaches and career experts to get their best resume summary examples you can use and adapt to write a resume summary that stands out and gets interviews.

As a former recruiter myself, I’ll also share my best tips to write your resume summary effectively.

Why the Resume/CV Summary is Important

You may have heard that recruiters only spend 8-10 seconds looking at your resume. The truth is: they spend that long deciding whether to read more. They do glance that quickly at first and may move on if your background doesn’t look like a fit.

However, if you grab their attention, they’ll read far more. Recruiters aren’t deciding to interview you in 8-10 seconds, but they are ruling people out in 8-10 seconds.

 And this is why your resume summary is so crucial. It appears high up on your resume (usually right after your header/contact info) and is one of the first sections employers see. So it’s part of what they’ll see in the first 8-10 seconds.

Your resume summary statement is one of your first (and one of very few) chances to get the employer to stop skimming through their pile of resumes and focus on YOU.

10 Resume Summary Examples for Various Industries:

These career summary examples will help you at any experience level – whether you’re writing a professional summary after a long executive career, or writing your first resume summary without any experience!

After you finish this article you’re NEVER going to have to send out a limp, weak resume summary statement again (and you’ll get far more interviews because of it).

1. Healthcare Sales Executive Resume Summary Example:

Turnaround & Ground Up Leadership

• Concept-to-execution strategies for untapped products, markets + solutions that yield 110% revenue growth
• Negotiates partnerships with leading distributors + hospitals—Medline to Centara + Novant Health to Mayo Clinic
• Revitalizes underperforming sales organizations via scalable, sustainable infrastructures emulated as best practice
• C-Level networks of clinical + supply chain leadership acquired during tenures with XXX, XXX and XXX

Why this resume summary is good:

This resumes summary example’s strength lies in the detailed, unique information that has been included. By including revenue stats, names of past employers and partners, the reader right away sees that this person will bring to the role a strong networking ability with key players in his industry, and more importantly can build, grow and revitalize a sales organization, market or product.

By:  Virginia Franco, Founder of Virginia Franco Resumes and Forbes contributor.

2. 15+ Year Business Owner Resume Summary Statement:

Dynamic and motivated marketing professional with a proven record of generating and building relationships, managing projects from concept to completion, designing educational strategies, and coaching individuals to success. Skilled in building cross-functional teams, demonstrating exceptional communication skills, and making critical decisions during challenges. Adaptable and transformational leader with an ability to work independently, creating effective presentations, and developing opportunities that further establish organizational goals.

Why this is a good summary section:

This is a resume summary statement that was for  a candidate returning to work after having her own business for 15+ years. Because of this, we needed to emphasize her soft skills and what she can bring to this potential position. In addition, we highlighted the skills she has honed as a business owner so that she can utilize these qualifications as a sales professional, account manager, and someone knowledgeable about nutrition, medicine, and the overall sales process.

By: Dr. Heather Rothbauer-Wanish. MBA, Ph.D., CPRW, and Founder of Feather Communications

3. Human Resources Generalist Resume Summary Example:

Human Resources Generalist with progressive experience managing employee benefits & compliance, employee hiring & onboarding, performance management processes, licensure tracking and HR records. Dependable and organized team player with the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently. Skilled at building relationships with employees across all levels of an organization. Proficient with HRIS, applicant tracking and benefits management.

Why this is a good resume summary:

The applicant highlights their experience across a wide range of HR functions from the very first sentence, and continues this pattern throughout the rest of the summary. They then use easily digestible langue to showcase their hard skills (in the first & fourth sentences) and soft skills (in the second & third sentences). They also integrate a variety of keywords to get past automated job application systems, without sounding spammy or without overdoing it.

By: Kyle Elliott, MPA/CHES, Career Coach and Consultant

4. Social Media Marketing CV Profile Example (UK):

Social media expert with successes in the creation and management of social media strategies and campaigns for global retail organisations. Extensive experience in the commercial utilisation of multiple social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; I build successful social strategies that increase brand awareness, promote customer engagement and ultimately drive web traffic and conversions.

Why this summary is good:

This summary is well-written, short, sharp, and gives recruiters a high-level explanation of the candidate’s core offerings in a persuasive and punchy style. A quick scan of this profile tells you the exact type of social media platforms the candidate is an expert in, as well as the campaigns they have experience running and types of organizations they have worked for.

Most importantly, the summary is rounded off by showing the results that this person achieves for their employers, such as increased web traffic and conversions.

Editor’s note: This CV profile summary was written for the UK market… this is a great one to use/copy, but make sure you put it through a spell-checker if you’re applying for jobs in the US (utilisation vs. utilization, etc.)

By: Andrew Fennell, Director at StandOut CV, contributor for The Guardian and Business Insider

5. Marketing Manager Professional Summary Example:

Marketing Manager with over eight years of experience. Proven success in running email marketing campaigns and implementing marketing strategies that have pulled in a 20% increase in qualified leads. Proficient in content, social media and inbound marketing strategies. Skilled, creative and innovative.

Why this summary is good:

This resume summary stands out because it gets straight to the point. By immediately introducing the number of years of experience the candidate has, the HR manager doesn’t need to spend time adding up years. The candidate also jumps right into his or her strongest skill, provides a statistic, then gives additional skills.

By: Sarah Landrum, career expert and contributor at Entrepreneur.com and Forbes

6. Warehouse Supervisor Resume Summary Example:

Warehouse Supervisor with Management, Customer Service, & Forklift Experience

• Dependable manager with 15+ years of experience in warehouse management and employee supervision.
• Skilled at managing inventory control, shipping & receiving, customer relations and safety & compliance.
• Certified Power Equipment Trainer, Forklift Operator and Reach Operator skilled at coaching other staff.
• Promoted to positions of increased responsibility given strong people and project management skills.

Why this summary is good:

The applicant was applying for a warehouse supervisor position that required them to have demonstrated management, customer service and forklift experience. As such, the applicant showcased their experience in these areas with a few keywords in the title, followed by additional details in the accompanying bullet points. Their final bullet shows a record of promotions, while reinforcing the applicant’s customer service and project management skills.

By: Kyle Elliott, MPA/CHES, Career Coach and Consultant

7. IT Project Manager Resume Summary Example:

Experienced Project Manager with vast IT experience. Skills include computer networking, analytical thinking and creative problem solving. Able to apply customer service concepts to IT to improve user experience for clients, employees and administration.

Why this resume summary is good:

Because this candidate is switching career paths, it’s important he or she take skills used for previous positions and apply those skills to the new job listing. This is a great example because the candidate makes it clear that his or her experience is not in the new field, but that they are still able to bring relevant experience to the table.

When writing your resume summary, keep these tips in mind: Use writing that is straight to the point, clear and concise, you’ll have a higher chance of getting noticed by the hiring manager.

By: Sarah Landrum, career expert and contributor at Entrepreneur.com and Forbes

8. Career-Changer Resume Summary Example:

Earn trust, uncover key business drivers and find common ground as chief negotiator and identifier of revenue opportunities in sales, leadership and account management roles spanning e-Commerce, air travel and high-tech retail.

Navigate cultural challenges while jumping time zones, lead international airline crews and manage corporate accounts to deliver an exceptional customer experience. A self-taught techie sought after as a go-to for complex billing systems and SaaS platforms alike—bridging the divide between technology and plain-speak.

• Tenacious Quest for Success + Learning. Earned MBA and BS in just 3 years while working full-time – gaining hands-on experience in research- and data-driven product roadmap development, pricing and positioning.
• Results-Driven Leadership. Whether leading Baby Boomers, Gen X or Millennials—figures out what makes teams tick, trains and transforms individuals into top-performers.
• Challenger of Conventional Wisdom. Always ask the WHY. Improve the user experience through smart, strategic thinking that anticipates outcomes. Present cases that influence, and lead change that drives efficiency and profitability.

Why this summary is good:

This client was eager for a career change and had moved from role to role and industry to industry. After completing her Master’s degree, she was eager to tie her skills together to land a role – which she did – as a Senior Technology Account Strategist for a global travel company.

Although a bit longer than a traditional summary, its strength lies in the details. Without ever getting to the experience section, the reader gets a clear idea of the scope of responsibility, and hard and soft skills the candidate brings to the table.

By: Virginia Franco, Founder of Virginia Franco Resumes and Forbes contributor.

9. Project Management Executive Professional Summary Example:

15+ years of initiating and delivering sustained results and effective change for Fortune 500 firms across a wide range of industries including enterprise software, digital marketing, advertising technology, e-commerce and government. Major experience lies in strategizing and leading cross-functional teams to bring about fundamental change and improvement in strategy, process, and profitability – both as a leader and expert consultant.

Why this resume summary is good:

“Project Manager” is one of those job titles that’s REALLY broad. You can find project managers earning $50K, and others earning $250K. The client I wrote this for was at the Director level, and had worked for some of the biggest and best tech companies in her city. So this resume profile section shows her level and experience, and the wide array of areas she has responsibility for in her current work. You can borrow or use some of the phrasing here to show that you’ve been responsible for many important areas in your past work.

By: Biron Clark, Founder of CareerSidekick.com.

10. Startup And Finance Management Consultant Career Summary Example:

Experienced strategist, entrepreneur and startup enthusiast with a passion for building businesses and challenging the status quo. 8+ year track record of defining new business strategies, launching new ventures, and delivering operational impact, both as a co-founder and management consultant. 

Why this resume summary example is good:

This summary was for a highly-talented management consultant looking to break out of finance, and into trendier tech companies like Uber. His track record and educational background were great, so the goal of this summary section was to stand out and show he’s more than just the typical consultant with a finance background. So we emphasized his passion for startups, and his ability to think outside the box and challenge the status quo. That’s something that companies like Uber and other “disruptive” tech companies look for.

By: Biron Clark, Founder of CareerSidekick.com.

Now you have 10 professional resume summary statements and explanations of why they’re effective. Next, I’ll share tips for how to write your own in case you’re still unsure how to begin based on these examples above.

How to Write a Resume Summary: Steps and Hints

We’ve looked at 10 great resume summary examples above. As you begin writing a resume summary for yourself, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind: 

1. Read the employer’s job description. Your career summary shouldn’t be a long list of everything you’ve done; it should be a refined list of skills and experiences that demonstrate you’re a fit for their job.
2. Mention your current job title if relevant. One common way to begin your resume summary is to state your current job title.
3. Explain how you can help employers achieve their goals or solve their problems.
4. Consider using bold text to emphasize one or two key phrases.
5. Include any relevant metrics and data like dollar amounts, years of experience, size of teams led, etc. This helps your resume stand out.
6. Focus on making the employer want to read more. The goal of your resume summary isn’t to show everything you can do, but to grab their attention and show enough that they continue reading.

How Long Should a Resume Summary Be?

As you read the resume summaries above, you probably noticed there are some short single-paragraph resume summary examples and much longer career summaries that are two to three paragraphs plus bullet points.

So how long should YOUR professional summary be?

If you have relevant work experience, keep your summary to one or two paragraphs. The piece you really want the hiring manager to read is your most recent work experience (and you should make sure you tailored that info to fit the job description).

The resume summary is just a “bridge” to get the hiring manager into your experience.

If I were writing my own career summary right now, I’d likely use one single paragraph packed with skills, accomplishments, and exactly why I’m ready to step into the job I’ve applied for and be successful!

Even for a manager resume summary, I recommend a very short length.

However, if you’re changing careers, or you’re looking for jobs without any work experience, the summary section needs to stand on its own, and should be longer. That’s why some examples above are a bit longer.

Formatting Your Resume/CV Career Summary

You may have noticed a variety of different formats in the career summary examples above. There isn’t one “right” way to format this section on your resume or CV. However, I recommend either using one or two brief paragraphs, or combining a short sentence or paragraph with bullets.

Avoid writing three or four long paragraphs with no special formatting like bullet points. That’s simply too much text for your summary section and will cause recruiters and hiring managers to skip over it in some cases.

Should You Include a Resume Objective?

You do not need to include an objective on your resume, and doing so can make your resume appear outdated. Use a resume summary instead of an objective. Follow the resume summary examples above and focus on discussing your skills, qualifications, and achievements, rather than stating your objective.

Employers know that your objective is to obtain the position you’ve applied for, and the resume objective has no place on a modern resume/CV in today’s job market.

After You Start Getting Interviews, Make Sure to Take Advantage…

If you follow the advice above, you’ll have a great professional resume summary to make your qualifications stand out to employers.

But landing the interview is only half the battle… So make sure you go into every interview ready to convince employers that they should hire you, too!

If you write a great resume summary example that gets employers excited to interview you, they’re going to ask you questions like, “tell me about yourself” early in the interview to learn more about your background. So make sure you’re prepared with an answer.

I also recommend you review the top 20 interview questions and answers here.

Your resume caught their interest, so naturally, they’re going to follow up with a variety of questions to learn more about your professional background. 

The bottom line is: A strong professional resume summary, followed up by other well-written resume sections will get you the interview, but your interview performance is what determines whether you get the job offer!

What is a summary of yourself?

How can I write profile summary?