How can you write a winning career summary?

1 Know your audience

Before you start writing your career summary, you need to research your target employer and position. What are the main requirements, expectations, and challenges of the role? What are the keywords, skills, and qualifications that the employer is looking for? How can you match your background and experience to their needs and preferences? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your career summary to their specific interests and pain points.

2 Highlight your value

Your career summary should not be a laundry list of your duties and responsibilities. Instead, it should focus on your achievements, accomplishments, and impact. How have you contributed to your previous or current organizations? What are the measurable results and outcomes of your work? What are the skills and competencies that set you apart from other candidates? Highlight your value by using quantifiable examples, action verbs, and relevant keywords that demonstrate your skills and potential.

3 Showcase your personality

Your career summary should not only showcase your professional skills and achievements, but also your personal traits and attributes. What are the qualities that make you a good fit for the role and the company culture? What are your passions, motivations, and aspirations? Showcase your personality by using a confident and positive tone, adding some flair and creativity, and expressing your enthusiasm and interest in the role and the industry.

4 Keep it concise

Your career summary should not be longer than four to six sentences. It should be a concise and compelling overview of your qualifications and goals. It should not include irrelevant or outdated information, jargon or clichés, or personal details that are not related to the job. Keep it concise by using clear and concise language, avoiding repetition and filler words, and editing and proofreading your statement for errors and clarity.

5 Align it with your resume

Your career summary should not be a standalone statement that does not match the rest of your resume. It should be a summary of the main points and highlights of your resume. It should not contradict or omit any important information that is relevant to the job. Align it with your resume by using consistent formatting, style, and tone, linking your summary to your skills, work history, and education sections, and updating your summary as you customize your resume for different roles.

A winning career summary can make a great first impression and entice hiring managers to learn more about you. By following these tips, you can write a career summary that showcases your skills, achievements, personality, and value proposition for your target role and industry.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?