A career summary on your resume can either be an absolute game changer for the good or bad. It really depends on why you are putting it on your career resume. A perfect career summary contains powerful statements that convey a truth about the value you can offer a company with your personal skills.
This concise paragraph, if used appropriately on your resume, can persuade the hiring manager to read the remainder of your resume. However, if it is used inappropriately, it
might be a complete waste of time for you and the hiring managers.
In case you are not sure why it is important to have a career summary on your resume, take a look at the following reasons:
Optimize your resume: As you might already know that most of the employers are already using the Applicant Tracking System to sort out your resume from the many others, neglecting an opportunity to optimize your resume for the system would neglectful.
Yes, a career summary can increase ranking and visibility of your resume, if used with proper and relevant keywords. For instance, if you use the keyword ‘customer service’ for the position of ‘customer service representative’, you increase your chance of being found through the system by the recruiters who will be probably using the same keyword to find you.
Convey your message quickly: Well, the whole point of writing a resume is to convey what you can offer to the company. A short description of summary that is targeted to a specific position gives you an opportunity to convey that message in the quickest manner. A quick glance at your career summary (which lies at the beginning of your resume) is enough for the hiring managers to decide whether to proceed with your resume or not!
So take advantage of the summary section and precisely tell them what your core strengths are. And do remember to make it short with not more than three good and powerful sentences. Avoid exaggeration at all costs.
Align yourself with company goals: What more could make an employer happy than your precise alignment with their company goals? The more you are able to tailor your career summary according to their goals, the higher you’re going to be valued. As all the employers want candidates who have expertise in particular fields, you definitely want to sound extraordinarily competent for the position, don’t you?
The key idea to make this happen it to find out what the mission of the company is and create your career summary based on it.
Include extra terms: Sometimes, you might need to add some extra terms that cannot be included in the existing list of accomplishments or skills. For example: if you want to show off your entrepreneurial skills while applying to a startup company, a career summary is the best way to include them in a natural and visible way.
Use the summary space to display your other supporting skills that might help to win the job.
Your career summary can be an excellent stepping stone if used wisely. You should write the summary only in order to optimize your resume, to align yourself with company goals, to convey your core message precisely and/or to include any extra terms that support your competency. However, if you’re using the summary just for the sake of filling space, be aware that it most likely will be a turn off for the recruiter at the very first glance.
So, be purposeful as you create a career summary on your resume and see how the entire resume will work in your favor! For any further assistance, call one of the top resume experts now!