A resume summary is a short paragraph (3–5 sentences) right at the top of your resume. It describes your key skills and achievements from your professional experience and demonstrates to potential employers why hiring you would benefit them.
Often ignored and underutilized, this little excerpt can literally give hiring managers all the reasons they need to hire you. The rest of your resume just needs to prove the points you listed there 😉. Here’s what a good resume summary example looks like (we’ll break it down in a second):
⚠️ If you have little to no professional experience, it’s better to write a resume objective statement, which focuses on what you want to achieve in the new role. To learn how to write a resume objective, check out this article: 60+ Resume Objective Examples (with Writing Guide and Tips).
If you’ve got some work experience under your belt, keep reading and you’ll find:
- Picture-perfect resume summary examples for the most common professions (yours included).
- A bulletproof formula for writing resume summaries hiring managers want to read.
- Actionable tips to help you take your summary from generic to job-winning in a matter of minutes.
How to Write a Resume Summary
To write an informative resume summary, you’ll pretty much have to follow this formula (or its slight variations):
[Your position + years of experience + industry]. [General experience + key skills]. [Your biggest achievements (quantitative or qualitative)]. [How you can contribute to the company you’ve applied for].
For instance:
[Position + experience + industry]: A Senior Customer Happiness Officer with 8 years of experience in the B2B sector.
[General experience + key skills]: Highly developed communication and problem-solving skills; excels at ensuring high customer satisfaction rates.
[Biggest achievements (quantitative or qualitative)]: At Spinfluence, increased customer satisfaction rates by 27% in 2021 by developing and implementing a new operational policy.
[Potential contribution]: Excited about joining Omnilert and leading customer service initiatives to boost satisfaction rates and company reputation.
Let’s dissect this formula.
Here’s how to write a resume summary in 7 easy steps:
1. Open with a strong trait, job title, and years of experience
2. Highlight your key skills
3. List your most important achievements
4. Connect past experience with the prospective company
5. Tailor each resume summary to a specific job offer
6. Write your resume summary last
1. Open with a strong trait, job title, and years of experience
Carefully choose a trait that is important to your role but that’s also genuinely a part of your professional self. Follow with your current job title and years of experience to build some authority.
You can also add the industry you’re working in, for more context.
2. Highlight your key skills
Think of the skills you possess which are also needed for the position you’re applying for. If you’re new to the industry, try to find a set of transferable skills that could be relevant.
3. List your most important achievements
Don’t just say it, prove it! Mention your biggest achievements that are testaments to the key skills you listed.
Remember that recruiters and HR managers know what each position’s duties are. For example, if your position is Business Development Representative, they’ll know what you do. But in order to show them how well you do it, you need to include achievements. Stray away from listing duties, such as “Responsible for cold calling” and focus on achievements such as “Generated X% increase in yearly sales through renewed contracts”.
4. Connect past experience with the prospective company
Find a way to emphasize how your past experience and expertise will translate into success for the prospective company.
Don’t focus on what you need from a position/company; focus on what you’re bringing to the table and how you can contribute.
5. Tailor each resume summary to a specific job offer
This is one of the most important things to remember.
You need to update your entire resume (resume summary included) each time you apply for a new position.
This is because each job ad contains specific information and keywords relevant to the job opening. You need to make sure you include those keywords and make your resume summary relevant to the position.
6. Write your resume summary last
It will be easier for you to create your entire resume first, and write the resume summary once you’re done with all other sections.
Through this bird’s eye view, you’ll get a better understanding of your career so far; thus, it’ll be easier to extract the key skills and achievements that will make you relevant and desirable for the role.
Let’s check out one of the resume summary examples and see what’s good about it.
Here’s why it checks all the boxes:
✔️ Marked in red: The candidate opened with their position, years of experience, and industry (they’d get bonus points for mentioning a strong trait, for example, “A highly organized Operations Manager” — but this works too).
✔️ Marked in green: The candidate highlighted key specializations and hard skills which tell us more about their day-to-day duties in the role (operations manager is a broad term and listing key skills makes it easy for recruiters to find out what the role is focused on).
✔️ Marked in purple: The candidate listed some of his key achievements that tell us how good they are in their role. They were specific about what exactly was changed and what impact it had on the results. They also used quantitative achievements (49% revenue boost for over 20 clients) to paint a more precise picture.
✔️ Marked in orange: The candidate placed focus on a company they’re interviewing for, briefly mentioning how they can contribute to its success.
Take a look at a bad example now:
Let’s dissect it:
❌ Saying “hard-working” and “experienced” without providing additional information (years of experience and industry) certainly won’t leave a strong impression on a recruiter.
❌ The candidate did try to introduce their strong areas (“Skilled at writing appealing copy for clients”), but the statement fails to convey meaningful information: what does “appealing copy” mean? Is it long-form or short-form copy? Educational or promotional? How do they know it was appealing? What type of clients?
❌ The candidate placed useless information in the resume summary (an avid reader). While it may be connected to the role itself (you can’t be a good writer unless you read a lot), in this case, it makes no sense to include it because it’s general and meaningless.
❌ Finally, the candidate doesn’t focus on what they can do for the company. Instead, they focus on themselves and what they need. In addition, the candidate used personal pronouns (I), which is a big no-no.
If the candidate was a bit more specific and informative, and if they adjusted their resume summary to the requirements listed in the job ad, the summary would look something like this.
The candidate made sure to include all the relevant information (years of experience, industry, type of content, type of clients, achievements/awards, and how they can contribute to the company).
Looking for examples for your position and industry? Keep reading!
Resume Summary Examples for All Careers and Industries
Below, you’ll find resume summary examples for different industries and professions. Here’s a list of summaries so you can quickly find what you’re looking for.
Resume summary examples by industry:
Sales and customer support:
- Customer service
- Business development representative
- Call center representative
- Real estate agent
Healthcare:
- Medical assistant
- Nurse
- Dental assistant
- Pharmacy technician
- Esthetician
Retail:
- Retail professional
- Cashier
- Retail manager
- Security guard
Tech:
- QA tester
- Software engineer
Hospitality and service:
- Receptionist
- Bartender
- Hostess
- Food delivery driver
- Housekeeper
Business and finance:
- Operations manager
- Human resources professional
- Senior-level executive
- Accountant
- Financial analyst
Marketing:
- Project manager
- Account manager
- Product designer
- Copywriter
Administrative jobs:
- Administrative assistant
- Executive assistant
Other jobs:
- Teacher
- Social worker
- Truck driver
- Police officer
- Nanny
- Construction manager
- Warehouse worker
- Resume summary example for students
- Resume summary example for career change
Sales and customer support
Customer service
Adaptable Customer Service professional with 4 years of experience working in call centers. Proven ability to create positive interactions and find the right customer solutions at the right time. Successfully handled 20 client accounts and maintained a success rate of 98%. Looking to join Shopsterfy and create memorable customer experiences and increase customer loyalty.
Business development representative
Motivated business development representative with 7+ years of experience in the education industry. Secured a $2.1M contract in the previous role and boosted company revenue by 42%. Seeking to contribute to Skillful Communication’s revenue with extraordinary marketing and sales knowledge and skills.
Call center representative
Efficient customer service representative with 4+ years of experience in call centers. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with exceptional customer service, communication, and problem-solving skills. Handled 100+ calls on a daily basis with a consistent customer satisfaction rate of 94%. Excited to join Adecco and help with inbound call handling and helping customers solve issues quickly and efficiently.
Real estate agent
Ambitious real estate agent with 10+ years of experience in commercial and residential properties. Extensive experience with renting and selling properties, as well as handling administration and paperwork. At DetroHomes, helped increase annual sales by 37% through strategic negotiations and lucrative marketing strategies. Eager to join Century21 and expand streams of revenue through superb sales and marketing skills.
Healthcare
Medical assistant
Diligent medical assistant with over 15 years of experience in private and public hospitals in Europe. Skilled at assisting doctors with office management, setting up and nurturing patients, and record keeping. Supported the adoption of quality control procedures and increased customer satisfaction by 31%. Looking to join MedStar Hospital Center and contribute to service quality with excellent medical and people skills.
Nurse
People-oriented, registered ER nurse with over 18 years of experience. Skilled in burn unit, ICU, and ER. Treated over 50,000 patients during a long career, and helped manage hospital scheduling systems, increasing efficiency by 27%. Looking to join Clearwater Lake General Hospital and contribute with extraordinary medical and problem-solving skills.
Dental assistant
Meticulous dental assistant with 9 years of experience in public and private dental clinics. Assisted with different dental procedures and surgeries, skilled at endodontics, sterilization, and keeping medical records. Implemented a new organizational program and increased the weekly number of patients by 15%. Increased customer satisfaction by 51% through a patient-oriented approach and detailed procedure explanations. Excited to join Alpha Dental Care and help the new team set procedures in place and develop a reputation as a top dental expert in the county.
Pharmacy technician
ASHP-accredited pharmacy technician with 2+ years of experience. Skilled in pharmacy law and ethics, healthcare systems, and pharmaceutical calculations. Extensive experience with prescription and insurance-related issues, as well as purchasing/inventory control. Scored a 95% success rate in the 2021 Masters Pharmaceutical customer questionnaire. Looking to join McKesson Corp and increase sales and customer satisfaction with superb customer service and pharmaceutical knowledge.
Esthetician
A licensed esthetician and cosmetologist with 10+ years of experience working in wellness centers. Skilled in providing hair, nail, and skin treatments, with a special focus on microdermabrasion, chemical peelings, and microneedling. Consistently maintaining a 97% customer satisfaction score at Escape Wellness center and successfully onboarding and training new employees. Looking to contribute to the White Lotus studio with exceptional beauty service skills and knowledge.
Retail
Retail professional
Friendly retail professional with 5 years of experience. Thrives in a customer-focused, fast-paced environment. With exceptionable sales skills, increased BakerStreet’s sales by 25% in Q3 2022. Looking to join Zara’s retail team and contribute to customer satisfaction with excellent customer service and communication skills.
Cashier
Dedicated and energetic cashier with over 15 years of experience. Provides customers with prompt, courteous service and product assistance. Helps around 5,000 customers a day. Seeking to join Target and provide its customers with impeccable service with efficiency, punctuality, and professionalism.
Retail manager
Customer-oriented Retail manager with superb organizational skills and 9+ years of experience. Skilled in customer service, store management, and employee training. Increased monthly sales by 27% in Q3 2022 at WaiWai and decreased employee turnover by 14% by implementing a new reward and development program. Excited to join Sephora to analyze sales trends and increase profit, customer, and employee satisfaction.
Security guard
Dependable security officer with 9 years of experience creating a safe environment for employees and customers in retail properties. Skilled in non-violent crisis management and conflict resolution. Oversaw a 3-story facility with 100+ employees and zero safety incidents in the last 6 months. Looking to join Aventura Mall and contribute to property safety with impeccable security operations and surveillance skills.
Tech
QA tester
Experienced and detail-oriented QA Tester with a BA in Computer Science. 5+ years of experience in the SaaS industry, including software testing and managing a team of 3 people. Possess a holistic view of the development process. Looking for new ways to employ software testing and analytical skills and deliver value to Skillful Communications through a DevOps role.
Software engineer
Passionate software engineer with 7+ years of experience in software development and leading a team. Works with Java, JavaScript, SQL Server, and No SQL. Consistently ensured 99% on-time delivery and project completion. Eager to join Skillful Communications Inc. and build impressive interviewing solutions for users around the world.
Hospitality and service
Receptionist
Dependable and pleasant receptionist with more than 10 years of experience in the commercial sector. Offers friendly, professional, and effective assistance. Winner of the 2013 Commercial Receptionist of the Year Award. Helped revamp the Genevius hotel organization and scheduling system, increasing accuracy and efficiency by 29%. Seeking to contribute to Hilton’s guests’ exceptional experience with admirable hospitality and assistance skills.
Bartender
Professional and friendly bartender with 7+ years of experience in prestigious U.S. and European bars and nightclubs. Extensive knowledge of drink mixology, specialized in rum and gin-based cocktails. Winner of the 2019 U.S. Bartender of the Year award. Excited to join BuenaVistaBar’s team and build its reputation through quality service and customer-oriented approach to work.
Hostess
Dedicated hostess with an MA in Hospitality Management and 8 years of experience. Delivered outstanding customer service and managed reservations and schedules. Increased Moon’s customer base by 28% in 2021. Excited to join The Pearl and build its reputation and customer satisfaction through outstanding customer care and organization.
Food delivery driver
Responsible and punctual food delivery driver with 1+ years of experience. Thorough knowledge of DOT rules and regulations and experience with meeting deadlines in fast-paced organizations. Employee of the month three times in a row at Index Pizza. Looking to maintain high customer satisfaction and build Smash Pizza’s brand recognition through responsible work and customer focus.
Housekeeper
Trustworthy and hardworking housekeeper with 15+ years of experience working in hotels and private residences. Responsible for impeccable general sanitization and upkeep of residents’ bedrooms and common spaces, as well as for the hotel laundry operation. Excited to join Hilton’s team and maintain flawless cleaning standards and exemplary customer service.
Business and finance
Operations manager
Operations Manager with 6+ years of experience in the email marketing industry. Specialized in directing and coordinating production and implementation of email marketing campaigns and automation. Overhauled customer segmentation and sending strategies which resulted in an average of 49% revenue boost for over 20 clients. Looking to fine-tune EmailEra’s operations and increase efficiency and revenue through tried-and-tested, advanced email marketing strategies.
Human resources professional
Dependable, resourceful HR professional with 5 years of experience. Skilled at talent acquisition and retention, payroll, and tax data. Created a new Talent Development program that decreased employee churn by 38% in the past 3 years at Verticorn. Looking to join Adsite and expand and retain the team through remarkable people management skills.
Senior-level executive
Proven leader of U.S. and international sales organizations with over 15 years of experience. Expert in developing successful growth strategies and training both individual representatives and team leaders in product benefits and customer service techniques. Effectively manages P&L on multimillion-dollar, multi-product lines of business.
Accountant
Ethical and experienced accountant with 11 years of experience in public accounting and financial auditing. Skilled in data management and analysis, bookkeeping, tax accounting, and budgeting. Managed grants totaling over $15M annually and improved internal processes, resulting in a 42% efficiency increase in financial reporting. Enthusiastic about continuing great work at a financial consumer startup like MerchIX.
Financial analyst
Organized and reliable financial analyst with 3 years of experience. Skilled in financial analysis, reporting, and forecasting. At Essentix, increased company revenue by 38% through comprehensive cost analysis. Seeking to apply extraordinary analytical and data skills and help Skill Inc. increase revenue and market share.
Marketing
Project manager
Highly organized Project Manager with 7 years of experience. Excellent planning, time management, and problem-solving abilities. Through successful branding initiatives and outstanding organizational skills, helped increase Adler’s market share by 17%. Looking to join Sellesto’s Product team and help increase market share and company revenue.
Account manager
Responsible and data-driven account manager with 7 years of experience in marketing agencies. Superb email marketing and SEO skills. Excellent communicator, highly organized, and able to coordinate the team and accomplish targets on time. At Werilex, managed 5 key accounts with a 95% customer satisfaction rate and increased yearly sales by 37% through renewed contracts. Looking to join Agencylytical to ensure client satisfaction and build strong relationships that will result in new customer acquisition.
Product designer
Dedicated senior product designer with 8+ years of experience working in the education industry. Skilled in visual and user interface design, information architecture, and UX research. Leading a multidisciplinary team of 8 in charge of developing and testing layouts, interfaces, and functionalities. Created modeducate.com, a language learning website with over 70k monthly users. Looking to join Peoplio and help develop a superb applicant tracking system with strong integrative thinking and UI/UX skills.
Copywriter
Passionate copywriter with 5+ years of experience in the HR industry. Skilled at writing short-form, promotional copy for the U.S.’s top 10 largest HR firms. Winner of the 2020 Best Copywriting award by CopyCatNet. Looking to contribute to Big Interview’s content strategy with superb writing, editing, promotional, and SEO skills.
Administrative
Administrative assistant
Reliable and organized Administrative Assistant with strong organizational abilities and in-depth understanding of corporate policies and procedures. Highly developed interpersonal skills. Boosted team productivity by 48% through smart time and task management. Wants to join Skill and help support the team with outstanding organizational and operational abilities.
Executive assistant
Adaptable executive assistant with 3 years of experience working for a startup tech company. Highly developed organizational and time management skills. Assisted C-level executives, oversaw internal and external communications, and supported daily administrative and operational initiatives. Boosted office productivity by 28% by applying a new set of operative procedures and client protocols. Wants to join RoarEight’s team and apply superb organizational and business skills.
Other jobs
Teacher
Driven biology teacher with 9 years of experience in teaching middle schoolers. Skilled at and passionate about teaching and engaging students through different pedagogical methods, and improving their knowledge and social skills. A member of the school board and a winner of the Teacher of the Year Award 2021. Would love to expand duties and take on challenging responsibilities with vigor and superb pedagogical skills at Bloomington High School.
Social worker
Committed social worker with a BA in social work and 7+ years of experience working with teenagers with behavioral challenges. Proven ability to cooperate with and create high-quality programs for teenagers with Oppositional defiant disorder, Attention deficit hyperactivity, and conduct disorders. At Children’s Services Council of Sweetwater County, implemented 30+ treatment plans and coached 30+ teenagers. Enthusiastic about joining County-Santa Clara Social Services and helping with the Recovering Quality of Life (ReQoL) program.
Truck driver
Hard-working truck driver with 12 years of experience driving local, regional, and over-the-road routes. Highly experienced with several types of ELD devices, such as Samsara, Omnitracks, and Gorilla Safety. Proven track record of timely and accident-free deliveries with a 92% customer satisfaction rate. Winner of the TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award 2018. Excited to join LDL Freight and contribute to timely and safe deliveries throughout the U.S.
Police officer
Reliable law enforcement professional with 20 years of experience. Extensive expertise in ensuring public safety, enforcing the law, preventing crime, supporting citizens, and looking into accidents. Created and implemented a community policing program involving municipal resources and allied agencies, which resulted in a 15% decrease in the crime rate in Leavenworth. Wants to join Seattle Police Department and contribute to a peaceful and safe community with outstanding communication skills and a strong work ethic.
Nanny
Nurturing, trustworthy nanny with 5+ years of experience and expertise in creating a safe and supportive environment for children to grow. Especially focused on physical activity and music education. Provided daily nanny care and pedagogical efforts to 3 families, with a 100% satisfaction score and letter of recommendation from each.
Construction manager
Diligent construction manager with 9+ years of experience in commercial and residential construction companies. Excels at construction supervision and management, workflow and project scheduling, Critical Path Methods (CPMs), and project funding. Managed successful completion of 120+ commercial and residential properties with no cost overruns and no safety incidents.
Warehouse worker
Responsible warehouse associate with 11 years of experience with parcel packing and distribution, as well as record-keeping. At Walmart, consistently maintained speed and accuracy and kept records 95% organized. Looking to join RedBubble’s warehouse team and contribute with superb coordination, organizational, and reporting skills.
Resume summary example for students
Dedicated recent graduate with MA in English Language and Literature. 5+ years of writing experience for various types of content, including descriptive, analytical, persuasive, and critical content. Winner of the Alexander Rose Memorial Award for Excellence for Creative Writing in 2021. Looking to gain practical experience and contribute to Big Interview’s content team with superb research, writing, and editing skills.
Resume summary example for career change
Former English teacher with 10+ years of experience teaching elementary and middle school children. Strong command of the English language, including grammar, vocabulary, and writing. Shifting my professional focus to content writing in the advertising industry. Bringing along impeccable English skills, as well as research skills and basic SEO knowledge.
Key Takeaways
Finally, here are crucial things to have in mind if you’re wondering how to write a summary for a resume:
- Follow the formula: your position and years of experience, followed by key skills and biggest achievements. Close with how you will contribute to the company.
- Keep it short and focus on key skills and quantifiable achievements.
- Optimize your resume summary (but really your entire resume) for each new role you apply for; focus on key words and responsibilities from job ads and try to incorporate them throughout the resume.
- Consider writing the resume summary last, after you’re done creating and optimizing the rest of the resume. It’ll give you the big picture and you’ll know exactly what to include.
- Finally, good luck!
