A well-written resume summary is one of the most effective ways to start your resume. A strong summary hooks hiring managers from the beginning by highlighting your most valuable skills and experience, pushing them to continue reading your resume.
Here’s how each sentence of a resume summary works together to make a convincing introduction:
In this article, we’ll provide examples that you can reference when writing your own resume summary. Additionally, we’ll explain how to write a professional resume summary step by step.
Our free-to-use resume builder can make you a resume in as little as 5 minutes. Just pick the template you want, and our software will format everything for you.
3 good general resume summary examples
The biggest difference between a resume summary and a resume objective or personal statement is that a summary provides a neutral, achievement-focused overview of your work history.
Here are three examples of what a good professional resume summary looks like for different types of candidates:
Entry level resume summary example
Why this resume summary works
Despite the candidate not having any work experience, this resume summary still makes an impact by highlighting achievements the student does have, such as their academic performance. Additionally, they showcase the skills they have that are relevant to a career in finance.
While this resume summary won’t land the candidate a full-time job just yet, it’s perfect for applying to internship programs.
Mid-level resume summary example
Why this resume summary works
The candidate in this example quickly features their work history and then focuses on the results they’ve achieved, giving two specific examples of their overall career success.
Experienced candidate resume summary example
Seasoned marketing professional with over 10 years of experience, including 5 years in management roles. Led and motivated teams to execute successful marketing strategies, resulting in a 30% increase in brand visibility through a targeted SEO and content marketing campaign, and generating $2.5 million in additional revenue through successful email marketing initiatives. Proven skills in market research, campaign management, and cross-functional collaboration, eager to apply leadership and strategic expertise in a dynamic marketing management role.
Why this resume summary works
This example concisely highlights the most impressive parts of this candidate’s career. It starts by focusing on relevant management experience and then provides a few examples of the results they’ve achieved in past roles. This immediately gives employers a glimpse at what they can expect this candidate to achieve for them.
How to make an effective resume summary fast
While you can always adjust the introduction of a resume template tailored to your industry or write your resume introduction yourself, the quickest way to make a well-written resume summary is by using a resume summary generator.
The free tool below will show you exactly how to make a great summary for your resume by guiding you through each step.
You can also click “Generate Random Summary” to see hundreds of unique resume summary examples instantly and get some extra inspiration.
Generate a professional resume summary instantly, or use our AI-powered summary generator to customize your own in 2 minutes.
40+ job-specific resume summary examples
Whether you’re an entry-level job seeker or applying for an executive role, we have resume summary examples that can help you as you write your resume.
10 good resume summary examples for entry-level job seekers
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a resume summary with no experience. If you have accomplishments related to the position you’re applying for, then writing a resume summary statement can help you land work.
Here are 10 resume summary examples written by candidates with little or no relevant work experience to give you an idea of how to write your own professional summary:
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20 mid-level resume summary statement examples
Have a few years of work experience already? Here are 20 resume summary examples for mid-level job seekers in a range of industries:
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10 professional summary examples for managers
Your manager resume summary needs to demonstrate your relevant experience and knack for management quickly, otherwise it may leave the hiring manager thinking you’re unqualified for the job.
Here are 10 manager resume summary samples to help you write a more compelling manager resume:
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Skills summary (2 examples)
If you have extra space on your resume and want to make your introduction stand out even more, you can try writing a skills-focused summary for your resume.
Using bullet points and bolded skills, this type of professional summary achieves the same effect as a good 3-sentence resume summary but adds a nice visual element with the bolding.
Nursing Skills-Based Resume Summary
Caregiving: Provide quality health care in a 20-patient ward, including daily monitoring, recording, and evaluation
Communication skills: Interface daily with 7 team members concerning patients’ treatments
Empathetic: Commended 3 times for ability to deliver bad news to patients and their family members
Knowledgeable: Graduated Sacramento State Nursing program with 3.9 GPA
Hair Stylist Skills-Based Resume Summary
- Product Recommendation: Exceeded monthly sales quota by an average of 47% each month
- Customer Service: Highest customer retention and rebooking rate (over 80% of clients)
- Adaptability: Perform 7+ hair services, including coloring, cutting, and straightening
- Product Knowledge: Expert in 17 product lines, including Obagi, Clinique, and Dermalogica
Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Our list of resume examples features hundreds of samples from different industries, with all different sorts of resume introductions.
How to write a good resume summary
No matter your professional background, we’ll show you exactly how to write a resume summary that showcases your ability to succeed in your field.
Tailor your summary to the position
The first step to writing a summary that helps your resume stand out from the competition is to make sure it directly addresses what the employer is looking for.
Hiring managers can always tell if you’re attaching the same generic resume to every application. Writing a tailored resume summary is a great way to instantly communicate to employers that you’re not just interested in any job – you’re interested in this specific job.
To write a tailored summary for your resume, take a look at the ad for the job you want and identify the skills and qualities they’re looking for in their ideal candidate. Here’s an example for a customer service position:
Based on the advertisement, this company is looking for a candidate with strong people skills who excels in fast-paced environments.
Here’s a resume summary tailored to the above position:
What makes this resume summary example work
This example is effective because it directly addresses many of the skills and qualities mentioned in the job ad – in other words, it’s tailored for that position.
For example, the resume summary includes specific details about working in fast-paced environments, performing customer relations, and multitasking. All of these skills are mentioned clearly in the job ad.
By tailoring your resume summary for the job you want, you appear perfectly qualified for that job and are more likely to grab the attention of the hiring manager.
Add achievements backed up with hard numbers
The most effective way to get the attention of employers is by showing them your most relevant professional accomplishments. These details help show them what you can accomplish for them if offered the job.
But how do you accurately communicate this information and ensure they see it on your resume?
The easiest way is by featuring a key accomplishment or two in your resume summary, and then quantifying your achievements with hard numbers.
For example, think about details like:
- How many sales you’ve made in a period of time
- Your customer satisfaction scores
- How much revenue you’ve generated through your actions
- How many customers you’ve helped
- The amount of time saved because of your efforts
- How many issues you’ve resolved
Any relevant achievement with quantifiable results is a great addition to your resume summary.
Here’s an example of a resume summary that uses hard numbers to show what the candidate is capable of achieving:
Results-oriented digital marketing professional with 6+ years of experience executing high-impact campaigns and building successful websites. Spearheaded SEO and SEM efforts for an e-commerce website, leading to over 1600% growth in impressions in 2 years. Excellent project management and leadership skills. Experienced with Semrush, WordPress, Google Analytics, and more.
FAQs about resume summaries
Still have some questions about writing a resume summary? Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about resume summaries:
What is an executive summary on a resume?
An executive summary on a resume is a brief 2-5 sentence statement at the top of your resume that summarizes your professional experience, skills, and accomplishments.
Simply put, an executive summary is a different name for a resume summary. It serves the same purpose of grabbing the attention of employers by providing a quick snapshot of your qualifications.
How long should a resume summary be?
A resume summary should be 2-5 sentences long, or 3 to 4 lines of text.
The goal of a resume summary is to grab the attention of employers quickly. To achieve this goal, your summary needs to be brief and highly impactful.
How do you write a resume summary with no experience?
You write a resume summary with no experience by focusing on the relevant experience and skills you do have.
For example, focus on qualifications such as:
- Relevant coursework
- Independent projects you’ve worked on that demonstrate transferable skills
- Educational achievements or awards
However, if you have no work experience at all, we recommend not adding a summary to your resume. Instead, write a resume objective, which is focused more on your career goals and interests rather than past accomplishments.