The professional summary is your first opportunity to delve into the popular, “Tell me 
about yourself” interview question. Give the recruiter a sneak peek at the value that you bring; this will hopefully entice them to call you for an interview.
The purpose of your resume is to articulate the value that you bring. Your resume is your marketing brochure, you are the product. Imagine visiting a car dealership to look at buying a car, and the salesperson gives you some pamphlets. When you read the brochures, you see information about what the company wants. How does that make you want to buy the car? Think of your resume in the same light. You want the employer to hire you.
Your resume is about what YOU BRING, NOT what you want.
What is a professional summary? It’s a succinctly written paragraph highlighting your skills, as they relate to the position. With that being said, you must tailor your professional summary for each job posting. A generic summary simply will not be as effective.
Benefits of a professional summary
Uses keywords – The paragraph can include keywords, which will increase the probability of you standing out from the crowd is an applicant tracking system is used to scan resumes.
Catches the reader’s attention – Most hiring managers only have time to briefly scan resumes, so a professional summary can quickly show a hiring manager that you meet the job requirements and entice them to continue reading your resume and better yet, call you for an interview.
Links your skills and experiences to the position – If your work experience is not within the same industry as the job posting, but you can articulate a connection, this is the perfect time to highlight your applicable skills to show that you are qualified for the position.
How long should a professional summary be? Three to five well-crafted sentences that tie your skills and experiences with the job posting.
On a resume, where does the professional summary go? On the first page of your resume, underneath the name header.
