22 Feb Write an Impressive Professional Summary For a Resume And Get Your Dream Job in 2022

A resume without a professional summary is like a song without a hook. Who better than a millennial like yourself can understand this analogy? Just like a hook is the catchy part of a song and decides a song’s success, an attractive professional summary does the same thing for your resume. Whether you are making a cv for freshers or professionals, adding a professional summary for a resume can get you ahead of your competition.

What is a Professional Summary?

Think of your professional summary as an elevator pitch. You have to introduce yourself in the best light possible and tell a recruiter why you are perfect for a job in only 2-3 sentences!

“A professional summary for a resume is a brief introduction that highlights your work experience, achievement, and skills.”

The main purpose of a professional summary is to convey your strongest points at the start of a resume and entice a recruiter into reading the rest of your resume.

Also read about the best resume format in 2022.

Why is a Professional Summary Important?

Let’s face it. You may invest days perfecting your resume, but busy hiring managers and recruiters do not spend more than 6 seconds looking at it. And that is indeed a short time to impress them.

Thankfully, a well-written professional summary for a resume can crack this for you. As it goes on the top of the resume, it can hook the attention of the recruiter and encourage them to read on. It tells them why you are the perfect candidate for a job and why they should be exploring your resume further.

How to Write a Professional Summary for a Resume?

At VIPApplicant, we believe that resume-writing is a science. We have done years of research into identifying what goes into making each section of your resume impressive and appealing.

A professional summary for a resume is no different. Here are the components for writing a comprehensive and differentiated professional summary.

1. Choose one adjective that describes you the best. Make sure that it adds value to your candidature. (passionate, responsible, diligent).
2. Mention one key certification or qualification that sets you aside from the rest (six sigma, data science, etc.).
3. Include your job title in your current organisation (data scientist, developer).
4. Add years of experience (2+, 4+). You can mention you are a fresher if you are applying to your first job.
5. Highlight a task or a project that you delivered successfully in that position.
6. Mention one or two skills. It can get tricky as you will have more skills to talk. The easiest way is to identify the most important skills required for the job you are applying for, from the JD (collaboration, teamwork, critical thinking).
7. Mention 1-2 best achievements (exceeded the sales target by 30%).

Professional or Resume Summary Examples

Let us look at some examples of professional summaries for a deeper understanding.

Good Example for Sales Executive

A passionate executive with 3 years of experience as a sales manager. Well-versed with modern sales tools and possess a proven background in using them for sales effectiveness. Raised average profit margins by 20% in the last 8 months by introducing new customer loyalty programs. Grew new business by 30% by implementing new customer acquisition strategies.

Bad Example for Sales Executive

A sales manager with a passionate, hard-working, and go-getter attitude. Currently looking for a new position at a reputed MNC. Highly skilled in leadership, executive management, and training. Managed a team of 12 sales executives to achieve sales targets.

As we see here, the first example mentions the details in specifics and uses numbers to highlight the achievements. The second example talks about multiple skills without mentioning the current or previous roles or accomplishments of the candidate. In a way, it is all talk without any solid material.

Good Example for Freshers

Hard-working entry-level programmer with proven skills in Java and Python coding. Seeking to deliver programming excellence at your organisation. Worked on 4 freelance projects and 2 internships, including an eCommerce website. Participated in Techgig’s Code Gladiators and ranked in the Top 30.

Bad Example for Freshers

I am a fresher graduating in the IT field of engineering. Looking for a job with a reputed organisation to kickstart my career. I am dedicated, enthusiastic, and hard-working.

Good Example for Customer Service Executive

Results-oriented customer service executive with 2+ years of experience. Looking to raise customer retention at your organisation. Received 99% positive customer ratings at Tata Cliq Luxury, which is 25% above the company average. Received Associate of the Month twice in my two-year tenure.

Bad Example for Customer Service Executive

An energetic customer service executive who likes to resolve customer complaints. I have a wide experience in telesales and resolving multiple types of customer issues for ensuring a long-lasting relationship.

Good Example for Project Manager

Resourceful IT Project Management Professional with 7+ years of experience. Seeking to use strong strategic planning skills to raise the metrics for quality, cost, and time at your organisation. PMP certified and trained 20 employees in lean practices at TCS and cut costs by 32%.

Bad Example for Project Manager

Worked as a Project Manager with multiple organisations and have been instrumental in delivering their projects on time with minimal costs. Trained staff along the way to enhance client satisfaction.

By now you can look at the professional summary for a resume and judge for yourself if it communicates who you are, what you bring to the table, and here are a few tips for writing the best version of your professional summary.

1. Avoid using the pronoun, I in your summary.
2. Leave the task of writing your professional summary to the end of the resume. Once you are done writing your resume, you can pick the best from your resume for your professional summary.
3. Try to include a few achievements that will differentiate you for the job that you are applying.
4. Use keywords mentioned in the job description in your professional summary to capture the attention of recruiters.
5. If your achievements or skills do not match the job in the discussion, it is best to leave them out of the professional summary.

Final Word

While writing your resume, every section, and every word matters. By writing a strong professional summary in resume for freshers, you can differentiate yourself and outshine the competition. Moreover, you can give the recruiters a reason to take your resume seriously and go through it while evaluating you for a job.

VIP Applicant, an ai based resume builder, helps you write a strong summary with the text generator tool. Try it out today to make your resume.