35+ Resume Summary Examples
[How-To Guide + Tips]
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A resume summary sits at the very top of your resume and is your first chance to make a great impression with a hiring manager. You’ve got to start strong when writing your resume. Don’t worry — we’re here to help!
In this guide, we’re laser-focused on the professional summary for a resume. We will cover:
- What a resume summary statement is
- How to write a summary for a resume
- When to use a summary on a resume
We’ll inspire you with several resume summary examples for top industries, job titles and experience levels, and provide writing tips.
Click one of the categories below to jump to a specific section of this guide:
Table of Contents ()
What is a resume summary?
A resume summary — also called a professional summary or resume summary statement — is a brief rundown of your experience and top skills that sits at the top of your resume template.
Use this valuable real estate to highlight your top achievements, including your years of experience and the valued skills from the job description that apply to you. For a good resume summary, it must be tailored to the job and no more than five concise sentences long.
Let’s use this job ad for a social media manager as an example:
A tailored summary for a resume might look like this:
- Good resume summary Strategic social media manager with four years of experience creating social content calendars. Skilled in managing and developing social media strategies, writing digital copy, and executing paid and organic digital campaigns. Experience working in collaborative environments and shooting video content.
The bolded words are keywords and phrases found in the job description. This is an exercise you should do for every job you apply to, so you must customize your resume summary each time. Then, your resume’s work history and skills sections should complement your summary on your resume.
- Poor resume summary Savvy social media manager with experience working in social media and creating content for brands. Skilled writer, photographer and multitasker.
This resume summary statement doesn’t work for several reasons: it’s not tailored to the job, it doesn’t give enough detail, and it doesn’t include keywords and phrases from the job description.
Pro tip You should use a professional summary for a resume only if you have several years of experience in the same industry. If you’re a first-time job seeker or changing your career, use a resume objective statement instead.
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How to write a summary for a resume
Now that you’ve seen some of our best resume summary examples, you’ve probably got a good idea what a resume professional summary looks like, and you’re ready to write your own. The following three tips will help you write a good summary for a resume that grabs attention.
Condense the details and be consistent.
When you begin writing your resume summary, remember: less is more. A professional summary for a resume only needs to be three to five sentences long. You should also write using the first-person point of view, but omit pronouns like “I,” “she” or “they” to help save some valuable writing space.
Highlight your top qualifications.
Make a strong first impression by writing your most valuable skills and highlighting your relevant work accomplishments, as the professional summary examples below do. You want to get the hiring manager’s attention and intrigue them to continue reading the rest of your resume.
Make adjustments based on your career level.
Students and job seekers who are just graduating from college or don’t have much work experience should include information on their resume summary statement about what type of job they’re seeking and what their goal is with this potential new job. If you have plenty of experience, however, there’s no need to include a career objective here.
Resume summary examples based on work experience
For some jobs, you might benefit from emphasizing how much work experience you have in your resume summary, especially if the job description has a minimum experience requirement or you are applying for a managerial position.
The following examples show how to best highlight your work experience level in your resume summary.
2 to 5 years of experience resume summary example
- Shows how many years of experience the job candidate has.
- Tells hiring managers what the candidate did for previous organizations.
- Creates impact with power words like “ambitiously” and “diligently” and action verbs like “excelled at collaborating.”
- Provides a thorough and relevant mix of soft and hard skills.
6+ years of experience resume summary example
- Tells how many years of experience the job candidate has.
- Shows hiring managers that the job applicant has a successful track record in the field.
- Highlights well-known companies as past employers.
- Emphasizes a breadth of soft skills.
Management experience resume summary example
- Opens by telling hiring managers the job applicant is highly experienced in IT project management.
- Emphasizes project and team management skills.
- Highlights an award won and the years the candidate received it.
Professional summary examples for top jobs
Accountant Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our accountant resume example for details.
Acute Care Nurse Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our acute care nurse resume example for details.
AutoCAD Drafter Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our AutoCad drafter resume example for details.
Caregiver Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our caregiver resume example for details.
Cashier Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our cashier resume example for details.
Catering Server Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our catering server resume example for details.
Civil Engineering Intern Resume Summary
Undated job title
Interested in more information? View our civil engineering intern resume example for details.
Construction Worker Resume Summary
Updated link.
Interested in more information? View our construction worker resume example for details.
Counselor Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our counselor resume example for details.
Dishwasher Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our dishwasher resume example for details.
Data Entry Clerk Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our data entry clerk resume example for details.
Doctor Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our doctor resume example for details.
Entertainment Director Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our entertainment director resume example for details.
Esthetician Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our esthetician resume example for details.
Massage Therapist Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our massage therapist resume example for details.
Nanny Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our nanny resume example for details.
Nursing Aide Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our nursing aide resume example for details.
Operations Manager Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our operations manager resume example for details.
Outside Sales Representative Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our outside sales representative resume example for details.
Payroll Specialist Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our payroll specialist resume example for details.
Personal Trainer Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our personal trainer resume example for details.
Receptionist Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our receptionist resume example for details.
Retail Sales Associate
Interested in more information? View our retail sales associate resume example for details.
Restaurant Server Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our restaurant server resume example for details.
Sales Representative Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our sales representative resume example for details.
Social Worker Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our social worker resume example for details.
Teacher Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our teacher resume example for details.
Translator Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our translator resume example for details.
Yoga Instructor Resume Summary
Interested in more information? View our yoga instructor resume example for details.
Write the perfect resume summary statement with our Resume builder
Let us do the work for you with our Resume Builder. All you have to do is choose a professionally designed resume template, plug it into our builder and use our expertly crafted phrases and content suggestions to highlight your qualifications. You’ll have a polished resume in minutes!
Our resume generator is easy to use and offers step-by-step guidance to help you write a professional and effective resume.
The builder features:
- Advanced customization: Easily change and tailor your professional summary for each job.
- Pre-written examples: Make your resume professional summary read even better by using our builder’s pre-written phrases crafted by career experts.
- Expert tips: We’ll guide you through every section so you can craft your resume with confidence.
- Easy editing tools: Make changes on the fly or go back and polish your resume after proofreading it.
- Chrome extension: With just one click, you can match your resume with the right jobs, update your resume easily and auto-fill job applications.
Pro tip A professional resume template can help get your resume past applicant tracking system (ATS) software because they ensure your resume is properly formatted and easy to scan.
Resume summary examples for top industries
Write a compelling resume summary with inspiration from our extensive library of resume examples. With more than 1,000 samples to choose from, you’re sure to find one that works for you!
Accounting resume examples
Administrative resume examples
Billing collections resume examples
Business operations resume examples
Customer service resume examples
Entertainment resume examples
Fitness & nutrition resume examples
Medical resume examples
Nursing resume examples
Social services resume examples
Teaching resume examples
Resume summary examples key takeaways
Let’s summarize what we’ve learned:
- A resume summary is your first chance to tell the recruiter why you’re the best fit for the job. It summarizes your top achievements and skills relevant to the target job.
- Use resume summary examples for inspiration and guidance when crafting your own.
- Keep your professional summary for a resume short. It should never be longer than five sentences.
- Tailor each resume summary statement to your target job by using keywords and phrases from the job description.
- Use a resume objective instead if you don’t have a lot of work experience and want to tell the recruiter your career goals.
- Don’t repeat information. A good summary for a resume complements the other sections of your resume rather than reiterates them.
- A professional resume template can help your resume pass through most ATS software and help your resume stand out with style.
Resume summary FAQ
What is a resume summary?
A resume summary is a short paragraph consisting of three to five sentences at the top of a resume. It tells employers at a glance what you offer in the form of your relevant experience, top skills and professional achievements.
Do you need a summary on a resume?
You should include a summary on a resume if you have work experience because when written well, they grab recruiters’ and hiring managers’ attention and make them want to learn more about your job qualifications.
What is a good summary for a resume?
A good resume summary highlights your most relevant job qualifications compellingly, so employers want to learn more about you.
It is:
- Concise
- Detailed
- Tailored to the job
- Error-free
What should a resume summary include?
A professional summary for a resume should summarize your experience and qualifications for the target job.
You might include:
- Your level of work experience.
- Soft, hard and transferable skills.
- Significant awards and honors.
How to write a resume summary for a career change?
If you’re changing careers, you probably don’t have much work experience in your new field, so it’s better to write an objective statement than a resume summary. A resume objective allows you to briefly describe your goals for the career change and emphasize transferable skills which fit your new career path.
For example:
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35+ Resume Summary Examples [How-To Guide + Tips]
Kellie is the content strategist for My Perfect Resume. She has more than 20 years of experience in digital media and is passionate about helping job seekers navigate their careers. She has a B.A. in English and writing from Temple University.
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