How and When to Write a Professional Summary

This resource is part of the PhD Resume Book and Master’s Resume Book.

Professional summaries are short, tailored descriptions that lay out your qualifications for a specific job, typically located at the top of your resume between your header and your education. You may not need (or want) to write a professional summary — they are not a required element of a resume.

When do you want to include a professional summary? Consider these three occasions:

  1. The employer is not asking for a cover letter: If you will not be submitting a cover letter, a professional summary can act as a short cover letter that will allow you to frame experiences in a way that bullet points cannot.
  2. Your degree does not immediately suggest that you are a good fit for the role: If you are an architecturestudent applying for a position as an architect in an architecture firm, you do not need to write a professional summary. However, if your MFA in Film & Television does not automatically suggest that you have the skills to be a UX Researcher, you can use the professional summary to frame your relevant experience, skills, and qualifications in a way that makes sense to the employer.
  3. Professional summaries on a resume are the norm for the field that you’re targeting.

Tips for writing an effective professional summary

  • Length: 2-4 lines.
  • Do not write in full sentences. This will keep you from referring to yourself as “I” or “he/she/they.”
  • A professional summary is not a career objective—the employer will automatically understand your career objective because of the job to which you are applying.
  • Frame your experience using the language from the job posting—this will help the employer understand that you have the skills for the job.
  • When applicable, use the adjectives, adverbs, and other expressive phrasing from the job description to describe yourself.
  • Quantify your previous successes when possible.
  • Only include skills or traits that the employer is expressly looking for.

Consider this example from a Latin American Studies MA student applying for a job as a fundraiser in the development office of an art museum:

Creative communications strategist with exceptional client management skills. 2+ years experience in writing and events planning in academic environments. Experience facilitating 3 fundraisers for student organizations, exceeding fundraising goals. Proven team player who works well with clients, administrators, and other stakeholders.