Resume – Career Summary

Give the reader a relevant career summary

Remembering that we are still on the front page of the resume and focused on a compelling and interesting 30 second story. I like to have a summary of my career, front and centre on my resume. In a simple table format, this summary can create certain perceptions or reinforce certain beliefs about the individual, in a very short period of time. I want to make it easy for people to find the information that they need, without having to hunt around in the back pages.

The table might look like the following:

A number of messages can be gleaned from this simple example, these include:

• Your experience has been with professional organisations (brands) that are willing to invest in their people. It is likely that you have competencies that are going to be an asset to my business.
• You have stayed within the building industry, but you are willing to take on new challenges associated with working in a different product group and clientele.
• You have been regularly promoted, leading me to believe that you have talent that has been recognised within these businesses.
• You are a stable and loyal employee, who is prepared to put time and effort into the role and the business they work for. Equally, the business want’s you there, meaning that you are an asset to the culture. All of these messages can be gathered within a 5 second glance over this piece of communication. These are positive perceptions, inferences that are gathered quickly, helping to emphasise qualities about you that are considered favourable to a prospective employer.

Human beings like it when things are easy to do, and they put to one side stuff that is more difficult. Make it simple and they will appreciate it.

What’s Next?

Now that we have made it easy for the eye to scan over your relevant career summary, we will next explore your key achievements.