Summary Statements
The summary section of your resume is possibly the most important part of your resume. It is also one of the few sections of your resume that is in paragraph form rather than bullet points or stand-alone sentences. As with other areas of your resume, try to keep it down to six or fewer lines of text. Though the summary is in paragraph form, it is often not written in syntactically complete sentences: see the examples below.
An Ideal Summary Includes
- Your profession, or the desired position
- Your unique qualifications: your expertise, your broad range of skills, the environments in which you have worked, your history of achievements (awards, promotions).
- Your characteristics that suit you to this job: attitude, organizational skills, interpersonal skills, motivational skills
- Your goal in your career and how this job will help you to achieve it.
Some Sample Summaries
Summary: Motivated automotive design expert with two years of experience and training using the latest technology. Recognized with a Doreen award for excellence in automotive design. Dedicated to creating ecologically sound, financially viable, and artistically attractive cars to meet the needs of today’s consumers. Anticipates being part of an energized team; great communication abilities allow designs to meet specified needs and wants of customers, employers, and the competitive market.
Summary: Health Care Professional dedicated to providing the best in patient care. Specializing in geriatrics, particularly assisting victims of elder abuse. Skilled in hospice, nursing home, and hospital environments. Organizational skills and experience intersect to make ideal hospice staff coordinator.
Summary: Experienced massage therapist with background in kinesiology. Expertise with shiatsu, reiki, warm stone, and other techniques. Major talent is calming clients to aid in relaxation and assist in release of muscular tension. Looks forward to bringing together aromatherapy and massage skills to create ideal customer-oriented atmosphere in an upscale spa.
Summary: Bright and talented actor with classical and modern experience. Triple threat with jazzy alto voice, dance background in various styles, and training from Stella Adler. Captivating leads with Carmen, Peter Pan, and Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Seeks challenging role with a director who will push the boundaries to achieve a captivating artistic unity.
