A profile summary, also known as a professional summary, is a short section on a resume or LinkedIn profile that highlights your skills, experience, and goals as they relate to a specific job opening or industry. The profile summary appears at the top of your resume, after your contact info but before your work experience section. It provides a brief overview of who you are and what you can offer an employer. An effective summary should be concise yet compelling – generally 3-4 sentences or 50-100 words. The goal is to catch the hiring manager’s attention and encourage them to continue reviewing your full resume.
What to Include in a Profile Summary
Here are some tips for what to include in an impactful profile summary:
- Your most relevant skills and qualifications for the target role
- Years of experience in your field or industry
- Notable achievements or career highlights
- Specialties or expertise that make you stand out
- Personality traits or soft skills that you want to highlight
- Any certifications, credentials or degrees of importance
- Your professional or career goals and how they align with the company/role
The key is to customize your profile summary for each application, emphasizing the qualifications that are most important for that particular job. Avoid simply repeating what is on your resume – use the summary to highlight your top relevant attributes in a compelling overview.
Profile Summary Examples
Here are some examples of effective profile summaries for different occupations:
Marketing
Innovative marketing professional with 5+ years experience leading digital marketing campaigns and developing branding strategies for B2C and B2B clients. Skilled in market research, social media marketing, SEO/SEM, and campaign tracking. Leaderships honors graduate with BA in Marketing.
Engineering
Mechanical engineer with over 8 years of experience in design and testing of industrial equipment. Expertise in CAD software, prototype development, machine assembly, quality control processes, and lean manufacturing principles. Seeking a senior engineering role with a leading manufacturing company.
Medical
Dedicated registered nurse with 6+ years experience in pediatrics and trauma care nursing. Excellent bedside manner and nursing judgement. Passionate about providing compassionate, high-quality care. Looking to join a level 1 trauma center as an RN.
Finance
CPA candidate with 5+ years experience in corporate accounting and financial reporting. Skilled in budget forecasting, variance analysis, financial modeling, and GAAP compliance. Looking to leverage technical accounting expertise and leadership abilities in a controller role.
Administrative
Proactive administrative professional with experience supporting executives in fast-paced corporate environments. Highly organized multi-tasker with strengths in event planning, travel coordination, phone answering, and database management. Excel at prioritizing tasks and streamlining office processes.
Tips for an Effective Profile Summary
Here are some additional tips for crafting a compelling profile summary:
- Keep it concise – 2-4 lines or 50-100 words max.
- Use active, high-impact verbs like developed, managed, spearheaded.
- Quantify achievements when possible to demonstrate value.
- Focus on skills and strengths that differentiate you.
- Align your professional goals and objectives with the company’s.
- Avoid repeating verbatim from your work history – summarize here.
- Tailor it specifically for each job application.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Here are some pitfalls to steer clear of when writing your profile summary:
- Making it too long or wordy
- Using vague, general claims rather than specific details
- Repeating the same resume bullet points verbatim
- Focusing too much on duties rather than accomplishments
- Using weak verbs like assisted, helped, worked with
- Listing irrelevant or outdated skills and experience
- Including personal details like hobbies
- Having typos or grammatical errors
Should You Include a Profile Summary?
Here are some instances when it may (or may not) make sense to include a profile summary:
- Include if: You are making a career change into a new field or industry. A summary allows you to highlight transferrable skills.
- Include if: You are applying for a specific job opening. The summary allows you to match your background directly to the role’s requirements.
- Include if: You have many years of experience and need a place to summarize career highlights.
- Omit if: You are a student or recent graduate with limited experience. Your education section is likely more important.
- Omit if: You have a very specialized technical resume where skills speak for themselves.
- Omit if: You already have a branding statement at the top of your resume.
How to Use a Profile Summary
Here are some best practices for utilizing a profile summary effectively:
- Place it at the top of your resume, after your contact info.
- Keep it brief – 2-4 concise lines for maximum impact.
- Use bulleted lists if helpful to organize multiple qualifications.
- Align it with the requirements listed in the job description.
- Tailor it for each application rather than using a generic summary.
- Update it regularly as your career progresses.
- Use keywords and phrases from the job posting when applicable.
- You can also add a summary section to your LinkedIn profile.
Profile Summary Templates
Here are a few profile summary statement examples that can help guide you in writing your own:
Marketing Professional
Results-driven marketing manager with 5+ years experience leading B2B and B2C marketing campaigns from ideation to execution. Skilled in digital strategy, brand positioning, market research, and integrated campaign management. Passionate about leveraging analytics and innovation to drive business growth.
Sales Manager
Dynamic and motivational sales manager adept at leading high-performing teams to exceed revenue goals. Over 10 years of experience coaching sales reps, analyzing metrics, and implementing process improvements. Thrives in fast-paced environments and excels at building relationships across the organization to drive results.
Project Manager
Certified Project Management Professional with over 7 years leading cross-functional teams on large-scale IT implementations and software development projects. Adept at full project lifecycle planning, budget management, risk mitigation, and fostering collaboration to deliver projects on time and under budget.
Customer Service
Compassionate customer service professional dedicated to delivering exceptional service and representing brand values. 5+ years experience resolving complex issues, upselling products, and going above and beyond to exceed customer satisfaction goals. Known for patience, empathy, and ability to adapt communication style to connect with diverse clients.
Use these examples as inspiration to help craft your own powerful profile summary that grabs a hiring manager’s attention!
FAQs
How long should a professional summary be?
Aim for 2-4 concise sentences or 50-100 words for your professional summary. You want it to be impactful yet succinct. More than 4 lines of text risks being too wordy or diluting the potency of your top qualifications.
What makes a good professional summary?
An effective professional summary quickly showcases your most relevant hard and soft skills, achievements, credentials, career goals and how they align with the company’s needs and the role’s requirements. It should demonstrate the value you can bring to the employer using powerful action verbs and quantification when possible.
How do you start a professional summary?
Good opening lines for a professional summary include a descriptive adjective like “Passionate marketing manager” or “Dynamic sales leader” followed by concise details about your top qualifications like years of experience, notable expertise, and specialized skills relevant to the role.
Should you customize your professional summary?
Yes, your professional summary should absolutely be customized and tailored for each job application rather than generic. The specificity shows you truly understand the company’s needs and can articulate how your background is a great match for the specific position.
What should you not include in a professional summary?
Avoid including vague claims, personal details like hobbies or marriage status, listing duties rather than achievements, repeating verbatim bullet points from your work history, or using weak verbs. Keep the focus on your most relevant qualifications and measurable impact.
Conclusion
A well-crafted professional summary is a vital tool for showcasing your fit for a job and standing out from other applicants. By following the steps here, you can learn to write a powerful intro that makes an impression and gets your foot in the door. Remember to keep it brief yet compelling, use dynamic language, customize it for each application, and highlight only your most relevant qualifications. With a compelling profile summary that captures a hiring manager’s attention, you’ll be on your way to landing more job interviews and opportunities.
