How to make your CV stand out: The importance of a summary profile

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How to make your CV stand out : The importance of a summary profile

So, what is a profile summary?

A profile summary is a written statement located at the top of your CV that briefly highlights your experience, qualification, skills and achievements. It is usually written in a short paragraph or a few sentences or phrases and can be put in bulleted form.

Keep your profile short and concise and think of the summary as a snapshot of your skills, accomplishments, and knowledge.

Why is a profile summary important?

A profile summary gives you the opportunity to summarise your experience, qualifications and achievements. Crucially, it serves to convince a Hiring Manager that your CV is worth reading further, and that you are a worthy candidate to consider.

Therefore, it is imperative that it contains information on how skilled you are, and the relevance your experience and skills are to the particular job you are applying for.
Making sure that your CV stands out is important if you want to get noticed by the Hiring Manager, and this is where a profile summary can help.

What you can do

If you are looking for a new job or a career change, craft a powerful summary to highlight your accomplishments and skills. Show the employer at a glance why you are qualified for the job. Remember most Hiring Managers just glance through your CV so make sure your CV stands out.

What should a profile summary include?

An effective profile summary should be no more than 150 words and include up to 4/5 sentences.
It should include the following;

  • Your experience summary (how many years, doing what, etc.)
  • Your general experience (more specific skills, what’s your focus?)
  • Your top achievements (career highlights, include quantifiable change and data)
  • Your IT/Computer skills
  • Think of highlighting your skills and use examples, leadership, sales techniques, marketing, training, time management and relationship building.
  • Provide a statement that makes you stand out. Don’t be afraid to blow your own trumpet!

Tips to do:

  • Tailor your profile summary and CV in general to each application.
  • Be honest on what your skills and experience are and be prepared to back this up.
  • Use the job description to help form your profile.
  • Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. As your personal profile sits at the top of your CV any errors will be immediately apparent.
  • Stick to limit of no more than 150 words and 4/5 sentences.

Tips not to do:

  • Do not copy and paste from your covering letter
  • Do not include unnecessary personal information such as your age, marital status etc.
  • Do not use clichés, slang or jargon.
  • Do not overuse buzzwords.
  • Do not include long winded sentences with no full stops or commas.
  • Read your sentences through, making sure it reads well and makes sense.

If you need further advice in helping your find the right job and making your CV stand out, please email Cathy at cm@cathymoranrecruitment.com