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Writing a resume summary that makes employers realize you’re the right candidate is quite a challenge. After all, you’re good at what you do, but you’ll need to boil your ROI (Return On Investment) down to concise statements in this section in order to stand out.
Here are some insider tips for creating a summary that exemplifies your personal brand in just a few words—making employers take notice.
1. Lose the Boilerplate Language
Today, every professional is self-motivated and results-driven (and if they aren’t, they’ll be spending the majority of their time job-hunting).
Copying generic summary phrases from other resumes is one of the worst sins you can commit because it’s a sure way to tell employers that you’re identical to everyone else.
Shake things up instead by making a list of your top value-added skills employers need.
- Do you complete projects faster or more accurately than your colleagues?
- Have you been promoted more quickly due to your business acumen or leadership skills?
- Did you implement a new procedure that improved performance or cut costs?
This list will give you ideas to use in writing your summary—concepts and skills unique to YOU that most likely won’t show up in the resumes of your competition.
2. Pull in Quantifiable Facts
Employers aren’t hiring just to have a potential source of help—they need the ROI you can deliver. So show them your value in figures gleaned from throughout your experience.
The following example of a Housekeeping Supervisor resume summary provides a quick snapshot of consistent value, backed up by metrics:
“Safety advocate and operational leader who influences productivity (up to 20 percent single-year increase) by fostering productive, engaged employees. Hands-on manager with a passion to create a collaborative environment to increase team-member satisfaction.”
As shown here, quantifiable achievements in your resume summary help to quickly distinguish you from other candidates—even in a crowded field with hundreds of applicants.
3. Drop Names
Marketing copywriters have known for years that name-dropping gets attention. Now, you can take a cue from these professionals to amp up the volume in your resume summary section.
If you’re in a cook role, you can mention names of major restaurants or chefs you worked in/with. If you’re applying for a marketing role, you could mention popular hospitality influencers you worked with, or if you created a successful social media campaign with another company or organization.
In conclusion, your resume summary isn’t the place to be modest and toned down in describing your brand value. Instead, consider boosting its effectiveness with well-placed, strategic information on your specific value-added skills to employers.