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Resume summary examples: how to write a professional summary
Write a resume summary that fits the job: a simple formula, fictional examples for experienced, entry-level and career-change resumes, and what to leave out.
By Resume Home · Updated . Illustrative examples are fictional: replace sample identities and experience with your own facts before applying.
In short
A resume summary is two to four lines at the top of your resume that say what you do, the strongest evidence you can offer and the kind of role you want next. Build it from facts already on the page, name the role in the employer's terms when that is true, and leave out adjectives a reader cannot check.
Key takeaways
- Say what you do, one or two facts that prove it, and the role you want next.
- Build the summary from facts the rest of the resume already supports.
- Swap adjectives such as “hardworking” for something a reader can check.
What a resume summary is for
A reader decides in a few lines whether to keep going. The summary gives them the short version: the work you do, the level you work at and the evidence that makes you a fit. It is not a list of personality traits, and it should not just restate your job titles.
A resume objective says what you want; a summary says what you offer. A summary is optional: use one when it helps connect your strongest qualifications to the role. An objective can help a first-job or career-change application, as long as it also says what you offer.
A simple formula for a professional summary
Use the summary to answer three questions in order. Keep it to two to four lines, and write it last, after the rest of the resume is finished, so it can only point at facts that are already there.
- Who you are at work: your role or field and your level, such as “customer support specialist” or “recent accounting graduate”.
- Your strongest evidence: one or two facts with scope or a result you can support, drawn from your experience section.
- Where you are going: the kind of role you want, in the posting's terms when they describe it accurately; this is also where the summary shows why you fit.
Resume summary examples: experienced, entry-level, career change and no experience
The summaries below are fictional and written for teaching. Each one uses only facts that a matching resume would show further down the page. Replace every detail with your own before you use the structure.
What to leave out of a resume summary
Cut anything a reader cannot verify or that would fit any applicant: “passionate”, “results-driven”, “excellent communication skills”. Leave out salary, reasons for leaving and personal details. Do not claim a skill or a number in the summary that the rest of the resume does not support.
Before
Hardworking, passionate team player with excellent communication skills.
After
Customer support specialist with four years of email and chat support for an online retailer, looking for a team lead role.
Why it works: The revision names the work, the scope and the next step, each of which the rest of the resume can back up.
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Further reading
Independent career resources for further reading. Listing a source does not imply an endorsement of Resume Home.