What to Put in a Professional Summary

Laptop with resume on screen and notebook

A professional summary is a 3-5 sentence snapshot of your expertise, achievements, and career goals at the top of your resume. It replaces the outdated objective statement with a compelling pitch for your candidacy.

How It Works

The professional summary serves as an elevator pitch for your resume. Recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds reviewing each resume, so this section must quickly communicate your value. It should summarize your most relevant skills and experiences while aligning with the job description.

Main Components

A strong professional summary includes:

Professional title: Your current or most recent job title
Key skills: 3-5 hard and soft skills relevant to the role
Quantifiable achievements: Metrics demonstrating your impact
Years of experience: Relevant tenure in your field
Career goals: How you plan to contribute to the company

Types of Professional Summaries

Type	Best For	Example
General	Most professionals	Results-driven marketing manager with 7+ years of experience increasing brand awareness through digital campaigns. Proven track record of growing social media followings by 300% and boosting engagement rates by 150%. Seeking to use analytical skills and creative strategies to drive customer acquisition for new companies.
Career Change	Transitioning to a new industry	Detail-oriented project manager transitioning development. 5+ years managing complex projects on time and under budget. Strong problem-solving skills and ability to learn new technologies quickly. Looking to apply organizational talents to simplify software development processes.
Entry-Level	Recent graduates	Recent graduate with a degree in computer science seeking entry-level software developer position. Strong foundation in Java, Python, and C++. Completed internship developing mobile applications used by 5,000+ users. Passionate about creating efficient, user-friendly software solutions.

Common Mistakes

Many candidates confuse professional summaries with:

Objective statements: Outdated sections focusing on what you want rather than what you offer
Resume profiles: Long paragraphs that lack focus and specificity
Cover letters: Detailed explanations of career history and motivations

To avoid these mistakes, keep your summary concise, achievement-focused, and tailored to each job application.

Pro Tip

When crafting your professional summary, use keywords from the job description to pass applicant tracking systems (ATS). According to a study by The Ladders, 75% of resumes are rejected by ATS before a human sees them.

Example

Here's a professional summary for a senior financial analyst position:

Certified public accountant with 10+ years of experience analyzing financial data and identifying cost-saving opportunities. Successfully reduced operational costs by 20% for a Fortune 500 company through strategic budgeting and forecasting. Adept at using Excel, QuickBooks, and SAP to generate actionable insights. Seeking to use analytical skills to improve financial performance for growing organizations.