Modern resumes aren’t just about your skills, accomplishments and experiences. Modern resumes are written to answer the recruiter and hiring manager’s main question: “What are you going to do for me?” Standard resume practice was to begin each resume with an objective statement listing, in three or four sentences, your goals and job interests with a tone that was decidedly “what’s in it for me”. Objective statements have evolved over time to highlight your top qualifications that are relevant for each job to which you are submitting your resume. The sentiment now is not “it’s all about me” but to showcase to recruiters and hiring managers what you can do for them and their organization. The objective statement is dead. Long live the Professional Summary, Summary of Qualifications, Executive Summary, Summary Statement etc.!
For resumes the top of the page is the most valuable real estate. Resumes get skimmed over for an average of 8 – 10 seconds by the hiring managers. You want to grab their attention immediately to keep them interested and to continue reading your resume. The professional summary should be a highlight reel of what you’ll be bringing to the table and how you will be a key component of driving their business forward. Therefore, every resume should be customized for each position. The professional summary needs to be distilled down to addressing how you will succeed at the key job functions. Remember a summary is a glimpse of the main idea and what is to come so keep it brief. And try to avoid including fluff but instead list demonstratable or quantifiable accomplishments.
