The Importance of an Attention-Grabbing Resume Introduction and Professional Summary
You have seconds to grab the attention of the hiring manager with your resume. That’s why the introduction, also called your professional summary, is so critical. Ask any hiring manager: if your first few lines aren’t relevant and impressive, your resume will end up in the discard pile.
The area at the top is the most valuable real estate on your resume. Treat it with respect. That’s where the recruiter or manager looks first and you need to grab their attention.
Too often job hunters come up with a quick write-up they figure is good enough as an introduction and professional summary, something that just gets tacked on to the resume. What a waste! This section is actually the make-or-break lead-in that decides if you even get noticed. You might be competing against dozens or even hundreds of applicants. “Good enough” doesn’t cut it. You need to be at the top of the candidate pool to move on in the process.
What Is a Resume Introduction and Professional Summary?
Not sure what a professional summary is? It’s much like an elevator speech, that short sales pitch you give when you’re networking. The difference is that your introduction and summary are in written form.
The “elevator speech” got its name because it lasts just a minute or two – the time to ride a few floors in an office building. The idea is that you can network anywhere, even in an elevator. If you meet a hiring manager going from the office to the lobby, you should be prepared in that short time to tell him what makes you stand out professionally. You want to convey enough to get him interested.
Just like your elevator speech, your summary gets you noticed. That’s why it is so critical to spend ample time on it. Though short, it isn’t simple to create. It takes writing and rewriting to condense your introduction. It must be short enough for the hiring manager to quickly scan it, but long enough to showcase what makes you the ideal candidate.
Customize Your Introduction
Do it once and use it everywhere? Absolutely not! It would be nice, but the fact is that each summary should be tailored for the specific job and company where you are applying. This isn’t one-size-fits-all.
You need to customize it to the needs of the job description and present yourself as the type of candidate the company likes to hire. It needs to highlight your skills, and at the same time address the job requirements that the employer wants to meet. All of this must be done succinctly and in an interesting fashion.
What the Introduction Needs to Do
When you go for an interview, often the first question from the hiring manager is “Tell me a little about yourself.” This is your chance to make a good impression and make him want to know more about you.
That’s what your introduction and professional summary do. It grabs the attention of the employer quickly. If done right, it can lead to a real interview.
A well-written summary accomplishes five things:
- Gets you noticed right away
- Focuses on highlights in your career, your strengths, and your experience
- Has an easy format to scan. The person reading your resume probably has a stack of them in front of him. Make it easy for him to see your selling points at a glance.
- Gives the manager a quick but effective list of why the company should hire you. Indicates the position you want or career path you are on.
The Parts of an Effective Introduction
Place your summary and introduction below your contact information, right at the top of your resume. The most effective ones contain a descriptive title and several lines of copy about your skills and goals.
Attention spans are short, especially when the manager has 50 resumes to go through. Make it as easy as possible for her to take in the important information about your skills. That means keep it short and easy to scan.
Descriptive title.
What is your work identity? That’s what makes up the title. You don’t need to use your job title. In fact, the job you want may be a more effective short headline. It immediately conveys that you match the job they are trying to fill.
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The idea isn’t to inflate your skills, but it is to show them off. Just like a headline draws you into the story, your title engages the interest of the hiring manager enough to get him to read further.
Text.
The two things to remember for the text are: (1) keep it short and (2) format it for easy reading. The key elements are your experience,
The key elements you need to communicate are your experience, strengths, and accomplishments.
Figure on just three or four lines of content for your summary. You might be wondering how you can possibly convey your skills in such a short amount of text. It takes writing and rewriting, but short is the only way to go.
If it is longer, you are shooting yourself in the foot. The reader will only read a few lines and then move on to another section of your resume (most likely to the work experience section). You have a very short opportunity to get across the message you want.
Always write with the hiring manager in mind. Hiring Managers have so many resumes to go through, they will love the fact that your introduction is short and to the point. According to studies done by employment experts, most managers take seconds to make a decision, whether to read further and take the next step in the hiring process or to reject the candidate.
Make it simple for the manager’s eye to catch your top selling points. Readers automatically skip big blocks of copy. Break it up with space and by using bullet points, if appropriate. These make it easy to scan the essential strengths you want to convey and to present your career goal.
How to Write Your Introduction and Summary
Take time to think about the most important strengths you want the hiring manager to know about you. What are three or four strengths that make you stand out in your career? How do your accomplishments highlight these strengths? What are specific types of experience you have in these areas?
Here are three examples of strengths include:
- Web design and development abilities that convert visitors to buyers
- Strong customer service skills that solve problems and keep customers happy
- Competence in managing large projects that brings projects in time and on budget
Then look at what you have particularly enjoyed in your prior jobs. Emphasize skills in those areas. It makes no sense to focus on expertise with tasks you don’t like doing.
Finally, take a good look at the requirements listed for the job. Then match your strengths with these requirements. What are specific types of job experience you have that give you credibility and make you a good match? This quickly shows the manager how you would fit into the company and help them reach their goals.
It All Starts with an Effective Introduction
If your introduction doesn’t grab the attention of the hiring manager, your resume will get deleted. Use this small but critical space wisely by customizing it to the needs of each job. Keep it short and easy to scan.
Nothing else is as critical as your introduction and summary. Invest the time to make it interesting, succinct and effective.
Now, check out: How to Fix Your Resume Objective: 13 Easy Steps