Common Resume Questions Answered: How Do I Write a Career Summary for My Resume?

A career summary shouldn’t actually be a summary in the traditional sense of the word at all. You want to get attention with quantifiable accomplishments and relevant hard skills — not bore a hiring manager with the exact same information about years of experience they’re about to see on your resume.

Hiring managers and recruiters want to immediately see your value. They want to see quantifiable information and actual accomplishments. Put the most impressive of this in your career summary! And, make sure that what is in your summary is relevant to the job you’re applying to.

Did you surpass sales expectations year after year? Did you win a prestigious industry award or recognition? Did you earn a certification or license directly related to the job you are applying to? Put that kind of information in your career summary — not the ‘excellent communicator with xx years of experience’ information that everyone else will have in their summary.

If you’re changing career tracks, the summary at the top of your resume can be an effective place to highlight the transferable skills you have. Look for the common link in the industries or job positions and focus your career summary around those.