Summarize, summarize, summarize

One of the things that drives me crazy about resumes–and I look at a lot of them–is when people don’t put a Summary on the top of their resume.

A Summary accomplishes two things: It guides the reader so they fully understand a) what you know how to do, and b) what you would like to do with your unique blend of accomplishments.

This is not brain surgery, but it does require the author to do the work of reflecting and then articulating what those two items are. It is packaging, and it is your job to do it.

If you do not do this and you are looking for a position that is not a DIRECT link from the others on your resume, you will fail at attracting any attention (or at least the kind of attention you want).

So tell me who you are, give me a reason to hire you. Here are a couple of examples of summaries I’ve seen recently (and may have worked on!) that I feel capture the special blend of skills and attributes that makes this person stand out in the market.

Here are two examples from seasoned professionals:

Experienced non-profit manager with deep knowledge of urban community engagement. Politically astute and able to quickly grasp personal and professional relationships and organizational hierarchy. Trained in a collaborative leadership model to achieve results with staff and external partners.  Able to analyze, and apply pertinent data to articulately persuade, in both written and oral form. Experienced in strategic positioning, multi-media marketing and communications.  Able to galvanize large groups. Hard-working, committed, passionate, organized, patient, and efficient.

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Proven business leader with strong track record in providing outstanding interactive services for the pharmaceutical advertising and medical communications sectors. Exceptional negotiation and communication skills. Ability to win new business, manage client relationships and assemble top-notch teams.

I would love to hear your comments!