I've been searching online for some good examples of professional summaries, and can't find much ("good" being the operative word). Couldn't find much on WSO either. Anyone want to post the professional summary section of your resume to help me out? I need to have a professional summary to define myself for a slight career change, so this is not intended to be a discussion on the usefulness or necessity of a professional summary section.
From my experience, professional summaries can be split into four categories:
Type 1 - The Career Objective. This is what the clueless career advisors teach you in college. Example:
"Objective: To excel as an intelligent, industrious investment banker."
Please don't do this to yourself.
Type 2 - The E-Harmony Profile. For people who have never accomplished anything and make a desperate attempt to sound valuable. The type that heads probably 90% of the total resume population. Example:
"Detail-oriented team player with strong interpersonal abilities. Excellent analytic and communication skills."
Type 3 - The Experience Highlighter. For when you have a unique skill set developed by specific experience you think they're looking for. Example:
"JD/CPA/SPHR with 15 years of experience in employment tax law."
Functionally useful for specific situations, but probably not very helpful as an example for those of us trying to settle on our own summary. The first type of summary that is actually worth putting on your resume.
Type 4 - The One-Hit Wonder. For when you did something so totally awesome, you can use it to define yourself. Alternatively, a career achievement that easily proves you are the perfect person for the job. Example:
"Nobel prize winning economist. Leveraged groundbreaking algorithms to generate >500% YOY returns for 5 years on portfolio starting with $100B AUM."
OR
"Fifteen years as CEO of hospital ranked 2nd in the nation by U.S. News & World Report."
Not a bad approach if you can do this, but most of us can't. I think my greatest achievement is surviving age 18, but that's a base qualification for most non-zombie jobs these days.
Type 5 - The Quarter-Life Crisis. For the 25-30 year olds with some legit experience and accomplishments, but not enough to warrant a Type 4. Being a Big 4 auditor, my general "provide to recruiters" summary (to be tailored for specific positions but generally targeted at boutique consulting/IB) looks something like this:
"Experienced engagement team leader skilled at understanding, interpreting, and communicating financial data and exceeding expectations in a deadline-oriented environment. Familiar with industry operations in the manufacturing, oil & gas, financial services, real estate, utilities, nonprofit, and government sectors."
Flirting with #2 above, but a little more substance.
The key to a good professional summary is tailoring it to the specific position you're applying for. I'm looking for some examples to borrow some language. Thanks guys.
You don't need a summary on your resume; it just takes up space.
No duh. Otherwise, why apply for the position?
Yeah, I can't fit one on my resume either.
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