Cheat Your Way to a Better Professional Summary
August 12, 2009 (3:30PM) by Brianna Raymond, CPRW
The part about resume writing that I loathe most is the Professional Summary, or Summary of Qualifications. And wouldn't you know, it's the most important part. It's the first thing employers read, and it has to draw them in enough to want to read the rest of your resume. So it makes sense that it would be the most difficult chunk to write.
Here are two ways you can "cheat" and make it easier on yourself:
- Have a friend write it for you. Jot down your duties, responsibilities, qualities, and accomplishments, then hand that list over to a friend and ask him/her to put it all together in an interesting, impressive, and formal way. This especially helps if you know someone who knows how to write well! If you find it difficult to talk yourself up (I do!), having someone else do it for you could produce better results than attempting to do it on your own.
- Copy someone else's. Borrow or buy some resume sample books and find a summary that most relates to your career goals and what you do. Then you can edit, paraphrase, massage, and tweak it to make it yours. You could even combine parts of different summaries if you're really struggling. The most useful resume sample books exhibit industry-focused resumes. For instance, if you're a nurse, you can jump straight to the nursing section to see what others in your field have written. Same goes for auto mechanics, writers, accountants, etc.
Bottom line: Writing your resume is about as pleasant as, well, nothing. But there are ways to make it less painful. And no matter what you do, make sure the final product is honest, accurate, and something you're comfortable with. And if you use either of these two approaches, don't send out a single copy of your resume without studying it word-for-word first. There's nothing worse than not knowing what your own resume says when employers ask about it in an interview!
For more help on writing your summary, check out these posts:
Have you had any success with either of these writing methods? Or do you have one of your own that has helped? Let us know!
I would like to know what books you and the Pongo Team would recommend buying. Also, what books do YOU READERS use as reference guides?
Thanks!
Kathryn (and everyone else):
Here are a few books I'm a fan of, all by David F. Noble:
Gallery of Best Resumes Gallery of Best Resumes for People without a Four-Year Degree Gallery of Best Cover Letters
Each book is about 400 pages long and composed entirely of samples of resumes and cover letters written by Professional Resume Writers.
Those are just a few, but if you go to your local book store's career section, you'll find tons more. Some even focus specifically on industry (we have one on health care careers and another on federal jobs, for example).
-Brianna
I like:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume by Susan Ireland.
I have a question, my resume only includes employment for the past 10yrs, and yet in order to include my education and accomplishments I cannot seem to condense it. I have a 3-page resume, do you think it's appropriate to have such a long resume? How effective would this be if I were to condense it to 2-pages, knowing that I would have to exclude several important bullet points? In my field of expertise (H.R.) there is a pretty long list of requirements that, I in my opinion, should be included. Any suggestions/comments would be much appreciated...
Lucy: Regardless of your position, 3 pages for 10 years' worth of jobs seems excessive. They'll decide if you're interview worthy long before they get to the third page, so it really would be much more effective if you condensed it. Accomplishments are far more important than duties and responsibilities, so play those up. The latter are often understood or implied in the job title or the accomplishments themselves.
Your most recent or most relevant job should have several bullet points, but there should be fewer and fewer details as you go further back in time.
After 10+ years in the workforce, your education needs only be a brief line about where you got your degree, and any recent and relevant professional development courses you've taken. Again, think about what's implied -- if you're a senior HR person, you don't need to mention the introductory level HR courses you took. Your experience trumps old coursework at this point.
Take out any details that are unnecessary or irrelevant to the job at hand. Save them for the interview!
I just found a job and I was using email format for my resume. , I used the information from David F. Noble.
I recommend this book to anyone who needs help with their summary
I have been in the feild of nursing for 15 yrs and have been fired from 3 different facilities. How do I write a resume truthfully snd expect to be hired with that kind of work history?
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