09/27/2023

20+ Professional Resume Summary Examples & Guide

Make an irresistible first impression on recruiters with an outstanding resume summary. Here’s how.

Career Writer at ResumeLab

09/27/2023

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Your resume summary is that short paragraph right under your contact info that seems so tricky to write—and yet you know it should be perfect because it might be the only part of your resume that actually gets read.

So let’s take the guesswork out of writing a great resume summary.

Here’s what you’ll find in this article:

Reasons to choose a resume summary rather than a resume objective or a resume qualifications summary.
A simple blueprint for nailing your resume summary every time.
20+ resume summary examples for different professions.

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What Is a Resume Summary and When Should You Write One?

A resume summary (or resume summary statement) is a short, catchy paragraph of 3–5 sentences that highlights your key achievements, skills, and experience. Its purpose is to catch the recruiter’s eye and to get them to read the rest of your resume.

It's located close to the resume header, and is the first thing the recruiter will really look at. Here’s what a resume summary typically looks like:

Goal-driven, PMI-certified senior project manager with 5+ years of experience in the manufacturing field. Maintained a 90%+ project success rate despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Saved over $50,000 by optimizing project costs. Eager to leverage agile project and cost management skills at Decoramel to provide stakeholders and customers with excellent quality, fairly priced products.

But before we dive into the step-by-step process of writing a resume summary like the one above, let’s make sure that you really need to write a resume summary rather than a resume objective or a summary of qualifications.

Your resume needs a professional resume summary if:

You’ve got a few years of relevant resume work experience and some measurable professional achievements under your belt.
You want a classic reverse-chronological resume rather than a functional resume or a hybrid resume.

Writing a resume for a first job or a career change resume? Opt for a resume objective instead. It’s similar to a resume summary but focuses on your transferable skills rather than achievements.

Do you have decades of experience so that you just can’t pick out 2–3 achievements for a typical resume summary? Or are you experimenting with non-chronological resume formats? In these cases, consider a summary of qualifications. It’s a brief intro accompanied by several bullet points covering your key achievements and skills.

How to Write a Good Summary For a Resume (For Any Job)

Here’s what makes a resume summary appealing to recruiters:

A well-defined structure
Clearly targeted content

In this section, we’ll cover both of these aspects. Let’s start with the structure.

The Best Structure for a Resume Summary

No matter which job you’re applying for, you can use this formula to write your good-looking resume summary:

Adjective + Job Title + Years of Experience + Key Achievements and Skills + What You Want to Do for Your New Employer

Or you can mix it up a bit and arrange the elements of your resume summary like this:

Adjective + Job Title + Years of Experience + What You Want to Do for Your New Employer + Key Achievements

If you have an important certification (like PMP if you’re a project manager), include it in your resume summary after the adjective:

Goal-driven, PMP-certified project manager…

Note that it’s not customary to start resume summaries with “I.” Don’t do this:

I’m a hardworking junior software developer…

Why? The optimal length of a resume is one page, so every word counts. Make your resume summary as succinct as possible.

How to Find Out What Achievements and Skills Recruiters Want to See in Your Resume Summary

Now that you know how to structure your resume summary for maximal impact, you may be wondering how to fill the basic formula with the right content.

In other words: which achievements and skills should you highlight in your resume summary? And what exactly should you promise to do for your new employer?

Fortunately, you don’t need a crystal ball or a Tarot deck to find the answers. They’re all in the job ad—read it carefully, extract the key skills to list on a resume and well... list them!

Note that the previous sentence ends with “resume,” not “resume summary.” The job ad you’re responding to should be the basis of your entire resume—from the resume summary to the last of your resume sections.

So, here are the exact steps for writing a resume summary that fits the job ad like one jigsaw piece fits another:

Analyze the job ad carefully, highlighting important information like future responsibilities, desired skill set, qualities, qualifications, etc.
Write all the sections of your resume except for the summary, taking care to make them highly relevant to the job ad.
Pick 2–3 of your professional work achievements that are both highly impressive and relevant to the job.
Include those achievements in your summary and sprinkle in a relevant skill or two.
Make sure you mention the company name in your resume summary.

Here’s what this looks like in practice. Look at this job ad for a digital marketing manager:

We are seeking an experienced Digital Marketing Manager. You’ll be responsible for marketing activities aiming to increase brand awareness and drive conversions in line with the core business objectives. You’ll also manage a team of specialists designing and executing various campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

Develop a digital marketing strategy using social media, Google advertising, and email marketing.
Manage a team of digital marketing specialists, monitor their performance and professional development, set objectives, and conduct annual appraisals

Requirements

Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills
Agency experience is a plus

Here’s how to forge the employer’s description of key responsibilities and requirements into a highly relevant resume summary:

Strategically-minded Digital Marketing Manager with 7 years of agency and in-house experience. Developed and executed an email campaign that brought in 500 loyal customers with an average lifetime customer value of $4000. Planned Google Ads campaigns for a market leader in the healthcare niche (average ROI: 140%). Managed a team of social media specialists that created 3 viral Facebook campaigns. Eager to leverage writing, editing, proofreading, and management skills at Auseklis Inc. to boost brand awareness, drive conversions, and maximize revenue.

See how the resume summary uses the same wording as the job ad? This is a key strategy in creating an ATS-friendly resume—a resume that will pass all automatic checks and won’t get rejected as irrelevant.

Closely tailoring your resume summary to the job ad also implies that you genuinely care about this job offer. If you didn’t, you’d just paste a generic resume summary you found on the internet and send it to every company that advertises a vaguely relevant job opening.

And recruiters are only interested in candidates who care.

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Professional Resume Summary Examples to Inspire You

Congratulations, you’ve reached our hand-picked collection of resume summaries for different jobs. Feel free to scroll through all of them or jump straight to a specific summary.

Office and Administrative Jobs:

Sales and Customer Service Jobs:

Not found what you’re looking for? Check our 280+ resume examples, which include resume summaries.

Resume Summary Examples for Creative Jobs

Sprinkle your resume summary with measurable achievements that show how your creativity drives key business results.

Resume Summary Example for Graphic Designers

Detail-oriented graphic designer with 3+ years of freelance and agency experience. Developed brand identity and visual language for Big Bad Knives, Prospero Couture, Tigerade, and other brands. Designed over 300 infographics, 100 of which went viral. Eager to join Flying Dane Inc. to help shape its visual communication across all channels and drive brand awareness.

Get inspired here: Graphic Designer Resume + How-To Guide.

Resume Summary Example for Journalists

Passionate journalist with 6+ years of criminal news desk coverage. Covering state and national homicide cases. Published author, correspondent, and editor, having written and supervised the creation of 500+ print and online articles on cold cases. Eager to join the team at the Beardstown Herald and contribute to its reputation as a trustworthy and engaging source of information.

Write a journalist resume that will get you noticed: Journalist Resume Sample & Writing Guide.

Resume Summary Example for Marketing Managers

Self-motivated and analytically-minded senior marketing manager with 6+ years of experience. Eager to join Minas Morgul Inc. to help manage strategy development and lead cross-functional teams. In previous roles, increased website traffic by 300% and led the team behind a content marketing strategy that brought in ~10K monthly users and over 800 paying customers in 3 months.

Discover the full blueprint for a marketing resume that converts: The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Marketing Resume (Samples Included).

Resume Summary Examples for Education Jobs

For an A+ education resume, use the resume summary blueprint from this article and fill in the blanks with relevant achievements. Like this:

Resume Summary Example for Art Teachers

Innovative Art Teacher with 4+ years of tenure in public schools. At Little Wood High School, created a dynamic curriculum focused on independent thinking, self-expression, and creation in line with state teaching standards. Voted Teacher of the Year for 3 consecutive years. Eager to guide the White Stone High School students towards artistic expression and a deep understanding of art from various cultures.

Check out this guide to writing an art teacher resumefor more examples and inspiring tips.

Resume Summary Example for English Teachers

Methodical and inspired English teacher with 4+ years of experience delivering academic knowledge in the field of English language and literature to 7th and 8th-grade students. Created a supportive, rigorous high school preparatory program for over 100 teenagers. Prepared lesson plans for 15 classes a week to accommodate students with different learning styles. Managed to increase overall English SAT scores by 23%.

Ace this writing assignment with this step-by-step guide: English Teacher Resume Examples & Writing Tips.

Resume Summary Examples for Food Service Jobs

Serve a mouth-watering resume summary, and recruiters will be hungry for more.

Resume Summary Example for Baristas

Passionate barista with 2+ years of experience. In previous roles scored 95% in customer satisfaction surveys. Won the 3rd prize in the 2021 Milkflower Latte Art Contest. Eager to join Lettuce Entertain You and delight its patrons with Instagram-worthy coffee and excellent service.

Brew a barista resume that will make recruiters’ hearts beat faster with our step-by-step guide to writing a barista resume.

Resume Summary Example for Bartenders

Customer-oriented bartender and mixologist with 3+ years of experience, constantly on the lookout for beverage trends. At Millennium Bar, devised 30+ original cocktail recipes that boosted sales by 15% and led to 50+ five-star reviews on Yelp. Eager to join The Hyatt to offer an exceptional customer experience and create an outstanding seasonally-inspired beverage menu.

Mix your own bartender resume with this trusted recipe: How to Write a Bartender Resume (+Examples)

Resume Summary Example for Chef

Creative chef with 4+ years of experience. Seeking to leverage leadership and food presentation skills to produce creative and intriguing cuisine at The Respectable Ocelot Restaurant. At Geroux's BBQ, managed kitchen operations with a team of 11 staff. Performed menu redesign resulting in 30% more sales of 5 most expensive dishes. 5-Star rating in Philadelphia Magazine.

Check out our guide on writing a chef resume for the complete recipe for serving a stellar job application.

Professional Summary Examples for IT and Tech Jobs

Give recruiters a preview of your accomplishments and skills in your IT resume summary.

Resume Summary Example for IT Managers

Committed IT manager with 8+ years of experience. Seeking to use intensive leadership skills to improve efficiency at Jennings-Groves Medical. At Atalah-KQC Global, led a team that developed a corporate auditing system that saved $110,000 annually. Designed an employee intranet for information sharing that saved 140 labor hours per year.

Learn how to write a job-winning IT manager resume.

Resume Summary Example for Product Owners

Dynamic product owner with 5+ years’ experience working in a fast-paced, agile environment. Seeking to leverage proven backlog management skills in supporting SoftWorks’ development team. At BitTech Valley, helped to bring in over $11.5M in VC funding and met 87% of all product-feature deadlines over a two-year period.

Get the full guide on how to write a product owner resume.

Resume Summary Example for Software Engineers

Team-oriented software engineer with 5+ years of experience. Seeking to use proven development skills to provide optimal code solutions for Uber. At Glimmersoft Inc., led a team that received a DeveloperWeek award for IoT Development. Slashed costs by 28% with better adherence to Agile best practices. Supervised 5 junior software developers, 2 of whom went on to win industry awards.

Compile a bug-free software engineer resume with this guide: Software Engineer Resume Examples.

Resume Summary Example for Web Designers

Enthusiastic and self-motivated web designer with 3+ years of freelance and agency experience. Eager to join WebHouse to bring top-class front-end development, UX, and visual design skills. In a previous role, conducted a SaaS site redesign that improved conversion rates for mobile device users by 200%. Won 3rd prize in the Superscript JavaScript Contest.

Check out our guide on writing a web designer resume highlighting the exact skills and achievements employers want to see.

Summary Statement Examples for Medical Jobs

A top-notch medical resume summary proves that hiring you is just what the doctor ordered.

Resume Summary Example for Dentists

Licensed dentist with 5+ years of experience in general and cosmetics dentistry. At Swanson & Rasle Dentistry, improved patient retention by 30% and received 50+ five-star reviews. Eager to provide the patients of Risenhigh Dentistry with compassionate care and state-of-the-art treatment.

Writing a dentist resume shouldn’t be painful. Check out these dentist resume samples and writing tips.

Resume Summary Example for Paramedics

Professional emergency medical technician with 4+ years of accident response experience in urban settings. National Paramedic Certification (NRP), valid driver’s license, and Washington State EMT certification as an EMT-Paramedic for over 2 years. Eager to leverage experience with assessing multiple-victim accident scenes, prehospital life support, and advanced emergency medical care to provide excellent service to the residents of Beardstown and patients of Beardstown Hospital.

Write a paramedic resume quickly and efficiently with our step-by-step guide.

Resume Summary Example for Nurses

Passionate ER nurse (RN) with 5+ years of experience working in a fast-paced environment. At the Baptist Memorial Hospital, used triage and prioritization strategies to successfully cope with 137 critical patients after an industrial catastrophe and received 15+ written thank-you messages from patients and their families over two years. Seeking the opportunity to apply proven critical care and infection control skills at the Stephen Dedalus Hospital.

Discover a step-by-step procedure for writing a nurse resume.

Resume Summary Examples for Office and Administrative Jobs

Stand out among other candidates with a concise resume summary that focuses on key metrics.

Resume Summary Example for Administrative Assistants

Senior administrative assistant with 4+ years of experience. Managed busy schedules and travel plans of 5+ corporate executives while assisting with bookkeeping and managing internal and external communication. Eager to leverage organization and time management skills to support the senior management at Powersuit Inc.

Here’s how to write an administrative assistant resume that gets noticed.

Resume Summary Example for Office Managers

Detail-oriented office manager with 4+ years of experience. Enhanced file flow through an overhaul of documentation storage which led to a 15% increase in efficiency. Seeking to leverage administrative and time management skills to support the office team at Symbex Oasis Group.

Write an excellent office manager resume with our step-by-step guide.

Resume Summary Example for Business Administrators

Dynamic business administrator with 4+ years’ experience, skilled in using a wide range of business software. At EdgeComm InterSlice, saved up to 22 work hours a week by reducing redundancy by over 15% and increased efficiency by over 10% by implementing new business policies and practices. Seeking the opportunity to apply proven business acumen in helping McTaffy’s exceed its target KPIs.

Prove your worth with a business administration resume that stands out.

Resume Summary Examples for Sales and Customer Service Jobs

Your resume summary is your unique selling proposition—make sure it solves employers’ pain points.

Resume Summary Example for Customer Service

Results-oriented customer service representative with 6 years of experience. Improved average time to resolution by 20%, reduced cancellations by 10%, and leveraged communication skills to maintain a CSR of above 95%. Eager to take care of Eldorado’s customers and help them discover the full potential of the company’s products.

Learn how to write a customer service resume with an outstanding recruiter satisfaction rate.

Resume Summary Example for Sales

Goal-oriented sales representative with 2+ years of experience. Seeking to boost the exciting and evolving sales culture at XYZ Inc., and eager to contribute to product improvements. Regularly exceeded KPIs by 20% and identified 50+ new leads.

Close the deal quickly with a powerful sales rep resume.

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Key Points

Here’s what you need to know about writing a resume summary:

Write a resume summary if you have at least a few years of relevant experience (for an entry-level resume, opt for a resume objective instead).
A resume summary includes a powerful adjective, your job title and years of experience, 2–3 key accomplishments and skills, and a promise to bring value to your new employer.
Write your resume summary after you’ve finished the other sections—you’ll have a clearer career overview.
Tailor your resume summary to a specific job ad, and always mention the company’s name in the summary.

Need help writing your resume summary? Got a tip for writing resume summaries that sweep recruiters off their feet? Leave us a comment below!

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