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Having a good summary on your CV can get you a lot more job interviews. Our guide will show you how to write a CV summary with over 20 examples you can copy, adjust and use.
I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your CV.” Patrick
I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work! Dylan
My previous CV was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful! George
A summary for a CV is a brief statement placed at the top of your CV highlighting your work experience, achievements and skills. An effective CV summary entices the hiring manager to read the entire CV.
It's known by many names, but they all mean the same thing:
CV personal profile
CV professional summary
CV personal statement
CV summary statement
CV personal summary
Regardless of the name, your CV needs to have one.
Why? Because hiring managers only scan CVs they receive, as they get too many of them. They can spare only a few seconds for each CV.
In other words, if your CV summary won't grab the attention, they'll quickly move to the next application.
Now, let's learn how to write a perfect summary on a CV
2. How to write a professional summary for a CV
There's a simple formula you need to follow when writing a CV summary:
Pick one adjective (enthusiastic, dependable, hard-working).
Choose a key certification or licence or if you’ve got one (PMP, CPA).
Include your job title (sales manager, accountant).
Add years of experience (4+, 5+).
Highlight a goal specific for that position (deliver graphic design excellence at Google).
GOOD EXAMPLEPassionate executive with 9 years of experience. Seeking to use proven interpersonal skills to improve Mizner-Kirtley’s ROI. At XF SuperArc, raised average profit margin 28% in 10 months by slashing waste with an aggressive continuous improvement program. Grew new business 15%. Raised sales revenue by 18% with better training and use of modern sales tools.BAD EXAMPLEPassionate, hard-working, go-getting executive, looking for a new position. Highly skilled in leadership, executive management, and training. Have worked as C-Suite executive at two large firms in the last 9 years, in charge of large management teams and working with cross-functional teams.
What if You Have to Write a Summary of Qualifications Instead
A summary for a CV and a statement of qualifications are almost identical. But—
The statement of qualifications puts 3–5 accomplishments in bullet points.
See this example:GOOD EXAMPLE
Hard-working customer service agent with 7+ years of experience and solid telesales skills. Seeking improve customer retention at F.L.T. Maddox.
Consistently posted 98% positive customer scores at Trusted Antelope Inc.
Handled 15% more inbound calls per day than the department average.
Resolved customer complaints 10 hours faster than company targets.
Expert Hint: Your CV summary achievements should fit the job. Study up on the job requirements, then think: When did you ace those things?
3. What to Put in a CV Summary
Now you know the general formula for writing a summary on a CV.
But let's put it into practice.
1. Create the bulk of your CV first.
2. Pick the best 2–3 achievements for your CV summary statement.
3. Use them to write a summary on a CV that fits the job.
Look at the CV below.
We took the achievements in red and used them to create a summary on a CV. See it circled in green?
See how that works?
Even better if the most important job requirements are Java programming and debugging.
Expert Hint: Write your CV summary last. Go through your CV and cherry-pick the best achievements you’d really like to underline.
The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add a header, job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your CV in our CV builder now.
Nail it all with a splash of colour, choose a clean font and layout, highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You’re the perfect candidate and we’ll prove it. Pick a CV template and use the ResumeLab builder now.
Got lots of achievements for a great summary on a CV? Stick to your most impressive 3–5 that fit the job. Any more is clutter.
Expert Hint: Still stuck for achievements to put in your summary? Maybe you don’t know enough about the hiring manager. Research the company and its goals to learn more.
5. CV Summary Examples for different jobs
Here are 20+ solid CV summary examples and summary of qualifications examples.
You’ve seen how to write a CV summary.
But—
How do you write a summary for CVs for your career?
See CV summary examples for different jobs
CV Summary Example for an Entry-Level positions
Efficient entry-level programmer with proven skills in Java and Python coding. Seeking to deliver programming excellence at High Hat Solutions Inc. Developed 7 freelance projects, including 2 eCommerce sites and a mobile app. One of my web apps was cited in the Coding Alpha blog. Took 2nd place in the LeetCode competition, January 2019. Member, ACM.
Driven sales executive with 7+ years of experience and proven skills in communication and new business development. Seeking to dramatically increase Progressive’s KPIs. Raised revenue 24% at Interweave LD. Boosted ROI 20%. Slashed costs 25%. Grew business 40% at Summilco RG Inc.
Results-based customer service rep with 6+ years of experience, skilled in telesales. Looking to raise customer retention at Orange Monkey Worldwide. Received 99% positive customer ratings at Whitmore-Watanabe Electronics with customer retention for repeat clients 25% above company average. At Glowflower Communications, received Associate of the Month award 5x.
Expert Hint: You need numbers in a great CV summary. Why? Percents, dollars, hours, and numbers of employees make your summary larger than life.
CV Summary Example for Project Managers
Resourceful IT Project Management Professional PMP with 4+ years of experience. Seeking to use strong strategic planning skills to raise metrics for quality, cost, and time at Ashland-Lefebvre Inc. Trained 55 employees in Lean practises at LZXC and cut costs 28%.
Tireless sales representative with 7+ years of experience. Seeking to improve sales metrics at AstraZeneca with powerful relationship-building skills. At Amgen, built strong relationships with 150 new customers. Maintained 18% more in-person meets than the company average. Routinely exceeded sales goals by 20%+.
Efficient IT professional with 6+ years of experience and proven skills in hardware installation and maintenance. Seeking to raise tech effectiveness at Sheckley Medical. At Alehandru Inc., upgraded 150+ employees to Windows 10, 10% under budget with 100% HIPAA compliance.
Productive marketing manager with deep sales background. Looking to leverage 9 years of marketing experience to raise ROI for Kensington APT Global. At Hasida-Taylor, increased marketing ROI 28% through implementing a robust data collection and analytics program and a lean analytics cycle. Cut costs 22% through improved vendor management.
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 28% with better adherence to Agile best practises. Implemented automated testing program that saved £75,000 per year.
Creative graphic designer with 3+ years of experience and proven Photoshop skills. Looking to provide excellence in design for Kubico Designs. Created and produced 280+ graphic design projects at AFBK Marketing with 99.9% client satisfaction. Cut production costs 22% in 19 months through implementing a new Lean supplier program.
Organised administrative assistant with 3+ years of experience. Looking to use substantial logistics skills to save time and energy at Isbister-Greene. At TD&P Trucking, saved 150 employee hours per year by setting up an email triage system. Cut complaint resolution time by 35% and saved £35,000 a year with faster accounts collection.
Licenced RN with 5+ years of experience and proven patient care skills. Seeking to deliver robust care at Children’s Hospital of Omaha. Helped raise HCAHPS review grades 25% at CHI Health Lakeside by leading the charge to improve nurse-patient communication. Consistently scored 20%+ above ward average for patient education. Received CHIHL Compliance Award for adhering at all times to FDA, OSHA, and HIPAA regulations.
Fast-learning waiter with proven customer service skills. Looking to provide excellence in service at Mardibini’s on the Sea. At The Lobster Pound, received 5 management commendations for providing high-level service. Maintained 95% positive customer comment review scores.
A detail-oriented self-appetizer working towards an MA in Linguistics at University of Manchester. Eager to join TakeOff Media as Junior SEO Specialist to help execute data-driven campaigns, develop content, and optimise conversion rate. Strong background in statistics and language, internship experience with SEO and data-driven marketing.
Certified and passionate barista with 2+ years of experience. Eager to join Lettuce Entertain You to help ensure paramount quality and service by focusing on engaging with the customers. In previous roles scored 95% in customer satisfaction surveys.
Customer-oriented pharmacist with 2+ years of experience. Eager to join Walmart Pharmacy to provide comprehensive patient-care to customers, and support implementing business solutions. In previous roles grew sales by £20K, and consistently scored 95% in customer satisfaction surveys.
Certified Scrum Master with 3+ years of experience. Seeking to cut costs and raise efficiency at Sherwood-Brooks Tech. At Kolman Technology, managed 3 Scrum teams, raising revenue by £1.2M per year and increasing ROI by 25%. Beat delivery times by 15%. Cut supply costs 18%.
Energetic general manager with 6+ years of store management experience. Experienced in managing workforces of 90+ and generating sales exceeding £3.5m. Awarded “Manager of the Year” in 2018 and 2019, out of 120 national locations. Looking to leverage management experience to increase revenue and reign in the costs at Hilton.
Dedicated journalist with 6+ years of crime reporting experience. Have covered high profile violent crime and political corruption. Published author of true-crime stories, television correspondent and editor, having written and supervised the creation of a compendium of pieces about notable cold cases.
Detail-oriented office manager with 4+ years of experience handling administrative tasks, payroll, and filing systems for busy, mid-sized company. Enhanced file flow through overhaul of documentation storage which led to a 15% increase in efficiency. Seeking to leverage administrative skills and financial expertise to become the next office manager for Symbex Oasis Group.
Detail-oriented office manager with 4+ years of experience handling administrative tasks, payroll, and filing systems for busy, mid-sized company. Enhanced file flow through overhaul of documentation storage which led to a 15% increase in efficiency. Seeking to leverage administrative skills and financial expertise to become the next office manager for Symbex Oasis Group.
Physically fit, observant lifeguard with 1 year of experience in basic life support and water rescue. Eager to deliver safety excellence at Lee Lanes Pool. At London Municipal Pool, spotted and prevented 2 dry-drownings and treated 7 cases of hypothermia.
Licenced electrician with 6+ years of experience. Seeking to provide safe & efficient electrical design, installation, and maintenance at Alger Technical. At Pinecone Sage, installed and repaired key electrical systems. Identified a complex wiring issue that slashed fire risk 35%. Managed 10 apprentices with 15% efficiency increase.
Community-minded police officer with 4+ years of experience promoting public safety and preventing crime in an urban environment. Seeking to enforce laws as a peace officer at the Kelton Police Department. At SSPD, wrote request facilitating £60K in new vehicle funding and logged 15% more traffic citations than average.
Expert Hint: “How important are cover letters?” They’re quite important. We conducted a study which revealed that 83% of recruiters take cover letter into consideration when deciding who to hire.
Double your impact with a matching CV and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.
Include your job title, years of experience, and how you’ll help the company.
List one or two skills that fit the job offer in your summary for CVs.
Add a few job-matching achievements.
Use the CV summary for every career in this article to get started.
Got a question about how to format a CV summary? Wondering how to pick achievements for your summary statement? Leave a comment. We are happy to reply.
Tom Gerencer is a career advice writer and a resume expert at ResumeLab. Tom has been featured on BBC News, NBC, The Economist, Business Insider, Fast Company, and dozens of other outlets. His insights, commentary, and articles reach over a million readers every month. With inside knowledge of key industry players and in-depth research, Tom helps job seekers with advice across all professions and career stages. Tom holds a degree in English from Colby College.
A CV job description is a CV section where you list your professional experience, usually in reverse-chronological order. It means you start with your most recent position and proceed backwards. Each entry should contain 3-6 bullet points. It is recommended to include 10-15 years of work history on your CV.