Resume Summary Examples

Resume Summary Examples 35+ Professional Resume Summary Examples A resume summary functions as a professional highlight reel, efficiently showcasing your greatest job-relevant skills and career accomplishments for the hiring manager. Learn how to write your own resume summary statement with our examples and tips. Build My Resume Now Hiring managers judge your resume in 6 seconds. In that time, they scan to see if your experience, skills, and qualifications match the job. With a resume full of information, how do you make sure they notice your strengths? The answer is to write a resume summary. Read on to discover what makes a good resume summary statement, learn how to write one, and check out our resume summary examples to get an idea of how to make the best first impression with your resume. Table of Contents What is a Resume Summary? How to Write a Resume Summary Statement Resume Summary Examples [For Different Jobs] Key Takeaways for a Professional Resume Summary 1. What is a Resume Summary? A resume summary is a short section at the top of your resume that highlights your professional strengths. It allows hiring managers to quickly see if you’re right for the job before they read your entire resume. Think of it as your elevator speech â€" the sales pitch that concisely explains why you’re the most qualified person for the job. Get it right, and your summary will make your application stand out. Here’s an example resume summary for customer service, taken from our list of resume summary samples  below. Customer Service Resume Summary Customer service representative with 5+ years of experience in a call center setting, including sales, tech support, and customer care. Received an average 85% customer satisfaction rating to date, while handling 90+ calls daily. 70 WPM typist. As you can see, it summarizes the candidate’s key selling points â€" their work history, impressive achievements, and most relevant skills. A resume summary is also called a resume summary statement, an executive summary, a personal summary, and a career summary â€" they’re just different words for the same thing. Resume Summary vs Resume Objective Resume summaries and resume objectives are both short resume introductions that explain why you’re the best candidate for the job. However, a resume objective focuses more on your goals than your skills and abilities. Here’s a customer service resume objective to compare with our resume summary above: Customer Service Resume Objective Customer service representative looking to leverage my sales and tech support experience to excel at a customer care role at your call center. My customer satisfaction rating and excellent typing skills will be an asset to your company. A resume summary shows the candidate’s overall achievements, but a resume objective emphasizes the candidate’s motivation. Deciding whether to use a resume objective or summary depends on your level of experience, and the impression you want to make. For example, objectives are better for enthusiastic entry-level candidates who want to get their foot in the door at a particular company. When to Use a Resume Summary You should use a resume summary if you already have experience in your industry. The more abilities you showcase, the more persuasive your summary will be. For most job seekers, writing a strong summary for their resume will increase their chances of getting hired. However, candidates with specific goals or experience should consider different resume introductions. For instance, you should use a qualifications summary instead of a general resume summary if you want a career change or have high-level experience in your industry. Likewise, a professional profile is a great choice if you want to upload your resume to LinkedIn (or other job sites), instead of targeting specific positions. Tip We have numerous career and life situation resume templates that are perfect for job seekers in unique stages of their careers. 2. How to Write a Resume Summary Statement Writing a professional resume summary can be achieved in three easy steps: 1. Write your job title, years of experience, and main responsibilities The first sentence states your current job title, how many total years of experience you have, and the main work-related duties you’re skilled at handling. If you want, you can use resume adjectives here to give more insight into your personality and working style. 2. Describe your professional accomplishments using numbers Use action verbs and numbers to describe one or two of the main achievements in your resume. Percentages, timeframes, and dollars are all ways to show you can improve your target company’s bottom line. 3. Include your most valuable skills or qualifications Add the resume skills that are most sought after in your industry. Either soft skills or hard skills work well here. Let’s see how these steps come together by looking at a good example of what to put in a resume summary for an administrative assistant. Resume Summary Example (Administrative Assistant) Conscientious administrative administrative with 4+ years of experience providing executive-level support. Introduced inventory supply software and saved 5% in costs. Highly proficient with QuickBooks. Writing a paragraph of up to four sentences creates an easily-readable summary for your resume that helps a hiring manager understand what you offer their company. Tip Here’s one of our favorite resume summary writing strategies: Wait until you’ve written the rest of your resume, then reread it and choose the best parts for your introduction. Writing a Skills-focused Resume Summary If you have the space available on your resume and really want to stand out, you can also create a skills-focused resume summary using bullet points. Here’s an example of a nursing resume summary in this format from our nursing resume example: Skills-focused Resume Summary Example (Nursing) Caregiving: Provide quality health care in a 20-patient ward, including daily monitoring, recording, and evaluation Communication skills: Interface daily with 7 team members concerning patients’ treatments Empathetic: Commended 3 times for ability to deliver bad news to patients and their family members Knowledgeable: Graduated Sacramento State Nursing program with 3.9 GPA As you can see, the candidate included their four key job skills as bolded subheadings, and then added a corresponding resume summary sentence to each one. A resume summary like this is less common, but in a skills-driven job market, it may give you the competitive edge you’re looking for. 3. Resume Summary Examples [For Different Jobs] To help you write your own resume summary, let’s look at some resume summary examples from various industries â€" from candidates with no work experience to those applying for executive roles. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, check out our list of resume examples. Entry Level Sales and Customer Service Food and Service Industry Office and Admin Business and Management Education and Teaching Medical Finance Technical and IT Other Entry Level Resume Summary Examples for Students College Student Resume Summary Committed English major with exceptional research and writing abilities. Awarded multiple honors based on merits and expected to graduate from UCLA in June of 2019. Tutored freshmen and improved writing scores by 40%. View our college student resume and college student cover letter. High School Resume Summary   Diligent high school graduate with a 3.9/4.0 GPA and 100% attendance record. Served a term as student council president with 70% support from council members and organized a charity drive for homeless veterans, raising $4,700. View our high school resume and high school student cover letter. Internship Resume Summary Energetic marketing student with knowledge of advertising, PR, product development, and consumer research strategies. Received 3rd place out of 30 teams in UGA’s business plan competition. Member of the American Marketing Association. View our internship resume and internship cover letter. Tip If you don’t have much work experience, you can still provide insight into your working style by including interests on your resume. Sales and Customer Service Resume Summary Examples Sales Resume Summary Fiercely competitive sales manager with 7+ years of experience driving profitability through strategic growth, leading teams, and quality control. Achieved $13,000,000 in sales monthly within the district while increasing customer satisfaction by 5% each year. View our sales resume and sales cover letter. Customer Service Resume Summary Customer service representative with 5+ years of experience in a call center setting, including sales, tech support, and customer care. Received an average 85% customer satisfaction rating to date, while handling 90+ calls daily. 70 WPM typist. View our customer service representative resume and customer service representative cover letter. Cashier Resume Summary Head cashier with 7+ years of experience providing excellent customer service, handling daily accounts, and maintaining inventory. Handled 92+ transactions daily and increased customer satisfaction by 9% in 6 months. View our cashier resume and cashier cover letter. Retail Resume Summary   Retail sales associate with 5+ years of experience communicating with and retaining clients. Achieved an average of 140% of sales goals for 3 consecutive months and provided recommendations that generated $8K in additional revenue. Bilingual in English and Spanish. View our retail sales associate resume and retail sales associate cover letter. Tip An effective introduction is just one piece of the resume puzzle. Everything from your resume headline to your resume font affects the hiring manager’s decision. Food and Service Industry Resume Summary Examples Bartender Resume Summary Lead bartender with 3+ years of experience in cocktail preparation and creation. Deep knowledge of local craft beers, wine, spirits, and cocktails, as well as their optimal food pairings. Bartending license certified by the District of Columbia. View our bartender resume and bartender cover letter. Server Resume Summary Courteous server with 7+ years of experience of food preparation and service in 150+ seat restaurants. Generated additional daily wine sales of $150. Certificate in Food Handling and Safety.   View our server resume and server cover letter. Restaurant Manager Resume Summary   Enterprising restaurant manager with 6+ years of experience managing a high-quality and fast-paced five-star restaurant. Coached 50+ staff members and maintained an employee retention rate 25% higher than industry standard by implementing training programs. View our restaurant manager resume and restaurant manager cover letter. Tip You can free up some extra space by not putting references on your resume. Employers will always ask for a reference if they need one. Office and Admin Resume Summary Examples Administrative Assistant Resume Summary Highly-organized administrative assistant with 5+ years of experience preparing presentations, assembling facility reports, and maintaining confidentiality. Saved $3,000 per year in contracted labor expenses. Microsoft Excel Expert certification. View our administrative assistant resume and administrative assistant cover letter. Human Resources (HR) Resume Summary   Human resources generalist with 6+ years of experience implementing effective HR policies. Increased employee retention above 90% and reduced recruitment costs by 10%. 90 WPM typing skills. View our human resources resume and human resources cover letter. Receptionist Resume Summary Receptionist with 9+ years of experience managing administrative functions for office personnel. Strong ability in analyzing information and providing solutions to problems. Saved the company $10K in undue payments from inaccurate billings. View our receptionist resume and receptionist cover letter. Business and Management Resume Summary Examples Project Manager Resume Summary Project manager with 8+ years of experience managing multi-million dollar construction projects, coordinating a team of 90+ subcontractors, and performing budget allocation and analysis. Managed a project budget of $325M+ while reducing costs by 15% annually. View our project manager resume and project manager cover letter. Marketing Manager Resume Summary Innovative marketing manager with 6+ years of experience in home appliances and cosmetics environments. Recruited, hired, and trained 30+ marketing and sales specialists, improving overall sales targets by 24%. Directed launch of 12 new product lines, with total annual revenue of $1.3 billion. View our marketing manager resume and marketing manager cover letter. Account Manager Resume Summary Account manager with 7+ years of experience monitoring client accounts, analyzing incomings and outgoings, and performing forecasts. Managed accounts worth $4.7 million in annual sales. Increased business volume by 150% by implementing new customer service initiatives. View our account manager resume and account manager cover letter. Business Analyst Resume Summary Methodical business analyst with 5+ years of experience supporting business solution software and analyzing operations. Evaluated risks related to requirements implementation, testing processes, project communications, and training which saved the company $5,000+ annually.   View our business analyst resume and business analyst cover letter. Marketing Resume Summary Creative marketing professional with 6+ years of experience working for a diverse group of organizations and clients. Increased monthly sales from $8,000 to $25,000 in 10 months, and increased followers on social media by 150% over the same timespan. View our marketing resume and marketing cover letter. Education and Teaching Resume Summary Examples Teacher Resume Summary Accomplished teacher with 10 years of experience instructing classes of different sizes and ability levels. Received 90%+ satisfaction rating from parents and students each of those years. Improved math and literacy grades by 17% and 24%, respectively. View our teacher resume and teacher cover letter. Social Worker Resume Summary Committed social worker with 5+ years of experience serving the community, resolving conflicts, and providing guidance for those in need. Served in 3 to 5 weekly therapy groups. Facilitated crisis intervention services and psychosocial assessments to address needs of young adolescents, who ranged from 10 to 18 years old. View our social worker resume and social worker cover letter. Tip Thinking about gaining some new qualifications? Returning to school as an adult can help you boost your resume. Medical Resume Summary Examples Medical Assistant Resume Summary Attentive and detail-oriented medical assistant with 5+ years of experience. Assisted family doctor to administer exams of more than 2,000 patients from over 600 families. AAMA Certified Medical Assistant and Phlebotomy Technician since 2011. View our medical assistant resume and medical assistant cover letter. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Resume Summary Reliable and caring certified nursing assistant with 6+ years of experience caring for elderly adults. Assisted 15 residents during each shift with everything from the basic activities of daily life to providing social and emotional support.   View our CNA resume and CNA cover letter. Dental Assistant Resume Summary Dental assistant with 4+ years of experience providing efficient and competent service in busy dental clinics. Prepared 15 patients daily to undergo dental procedures, and recorded treatment information in patient records with 100% accuracy. Possess Dental Assistant Associate Degree. View our dental assistant resume and dental assistant cover letter. Finance Resume Summary Examples Financial Analyst Resume Summary Detail-oriented financial analyst with 6+ years of experience developing and presenting informed analysis to guide executive-level decisions. Increased revenue by an average of 7% annually through an optimized investment strategy. Possess M.S. in Accounting and CFA certification. View our financial analyst resume and financial analyst cover letter. Accountant Resume Summary Certified public accountant with 5+ years of experience handling ledger processes and account reconciliations, as well as streamlining accounts. Supervised a $4.7 million budget and reduced costs by 17% over 3 years. Possess an MBA with a focus in accounting. View our accountant resume and accountant cover letter. Tip What if your resume was so effective that you received multiple offers? Learn how to decline a job offer professionally without burning bridges. Technical and IT Resume Summary Examples Information Technology (IT) Resume Summary IT specialist with 7+ years of professional experience in information security and digital forensics. Expert with a wide variety of security, engineering, networking, and operating system software. Possesses an Associate Degree in Information Security and Digital Forensics. View our information technology resume and information technology cover letter. Software Engineer Resume Summary Driven software engineer with 6+ years of experience executing cutting-edge engineering solutions with a wide range of e-commerce application and technology skills. Able to leverage full-stack expertise to build interactive and user-centered website designs to scale.   View our software engineer resume and software engineer cover letter. Web Developer Resume Summary Web developer with 8+ years of experience in designing and developing user interfaces, testing, debugging, and training staff in ecommerce technologies. Optimized check-out page that increased user clicks, and subsequently customer purchases by 20%. View our web developer resume and web developer cover letter. IT Product Manager Resume Summary Product manager with 8+ years of experience developing brand strategy, evaluating financial performance, and marketing. Managed an annual budget of $4.7 million and exceeded sales quota by 74%. View our product manager resume and product manager cover letter. Tip Sent your resume and cover letter but haven’t heard back? You still have a chance if you know how to follow up on a job application. Other Resume Summary Examples Warehouse Worker Resume Summary General warehouse laborer with 4+ years experience in warehouse operations. Fluent in both English and Spanish, and able to repeatedly lift packages of over 100 pounds. Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. View our warehouse worker resume. Housekeeping Resume Summary   Diligent hotel housekeeper with 6+ years of experience managing and training new employees. Deep familiarity with all cleaning material and tools, as well as OSHA safety guidelines. Fluent English and business-level Spanish. View our housekeeping resume and housekeeping cover letter. Property Manager Resume Summary California-licensed property manager with 15+ years of experience closing contracts with landlords and clients, selecting professional and cost-efficient contractors, and filing accurate taxes. Hold a certification from the National Association of Residential Property Managers and a California Real Estate Salesperson License. View our property manager resume and property manager cover letter. Camp Counselor Resume Summary Camp Counselor with 4+ years experience directing lively, interactive, and educational summer camps for youths from 5 to 15 years old. Energetic leadership style, extensive experience running summer camps. First Aid, CPR, and Lifeguarding certifications, plus Wilderness First Responder Training. View our camp counselor resume and camp counselor cover letter. Tip Ready for the next stage of your application? Start by customizing one of our professional cover letter templates or modern cover letter templates. 4. Key Takeaways for a Professional Resume Summary Let’s recap the main points so you can write the best possible summary for your resume: A resume summary is a short section at the top of your resume that showcases why you’re the right person for the job They’re a great resume introduction for all job seekers, especially those with work experience Resume summaries focus on achievements, resume objectives highlight your motivation to work for a specific company You can write a resume summary as a basic paragraph up to 4 sentences, or use bullet points and subheadings to stand out Ready to write your resume summary? Feel free to use one of the sample resume summaries above for inspiration, and customize one of our HR-approved resume templates. Or, if you want to nail your resume summary first time, let our free resume builder do the work for you. Good luck on your job hunt!