Writing a Professional Summary in Your CV or Resume

What is a Professional Summary?

A professional summary, sometimes called a career summary, personal summary or personal profile, is a snapshot of the skills and experience you can offer an employer for a specific job. It is placed at the beginning of your CV or resume so the employer or hiring manager can quickly read it before reviewing the rest of your information. Given that most employers only scan a CV or resume for a few minutes, this section is a fundamental part of your job application.

What Should a Professional Summary Include?

The aim of a professional summary is to highlight what is unique about your career in relation to the job you are applying for. It is essentially your sales pitch, describing your work history, skills and achievements, and should be no more than three to five sentences. Some people prefer a short paragraph, while others use bullet points. There are no strict rules.

Importantly, your professional summary should include keywords from the job advertisement or position description. This is particularly valuable if the employer uses an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which scans CVs for specific keywords. Applicants who include these keywords are more likely to be shortlisted.

Should Everyone Use a Professional Summary?

A professional summary works best for people with some career experience as it condenses and focuses their work history and expertise.

If you are starting your career or returning to the workforce after a break, you should still use this format to explain what you can offer an employer. In these cases, call the section a personal summary or personal profile instead.

Other Tips for Writing Your Professional Summary

As part of tailoring your CV or resume for each job, make sure you also customise the professional summary for the specific role. When writing it, consider:

• Skills and expertise you can offer
• The industry or sectors you have experience in
• Any qualifications or training relevant to the role
• Your years of experience
• Notable achievements

Many people find it easier to write the professional summary after completing the rest of their CV or resume. This way, you can identify the most important points to highlight based on the job requirements.

Your professional summary is the first impression an employer will have of you. A clear, tailored summary can help you stand out and increase your chances of progressing to the next stage of the recruitment process.

Ready to update your CV? Start by drafting a professional summary that reflects your skills and experience for the role you want.