Q&A: Should you add a summary to your resume?

“You don’t need a summary on your resume, your resume is a summary.” 

Why waste the space summarizing what will just be covered again below? Generally I agree with this sentiment, assuming that your career path has been pretty straight forward and leads naturally into your target role. However, for a lot of moms that’s just not the case. How do you keep your resume from getting tossed in the discard pile if your experience doesn’t exactly match what an employer was expecting when they posted their role? A brief summary can be a really good way to connect the dots and show why your less traditional background actually makes you a perfect fit. 

Here are a couple times when using a summary might be a good idea:

1. Career changers: 

If you’re a RN applying for a job as a business analyst, you’re going to have some explaining to do. You might only get 5 or 10 seconds of a recruiter's attention, so connect the dots for them. Maybe you were part of a group that beta-tested a new clinical system and provided feedback and design suggestions, through which you discovered your dream job as a business analyst with a healthcare company. Your background would make you a perfect liaison between the clinical and tech teams, but they might not see that unless you spell it out. 

Use the summary to: connect the dots and highlight transferable skills

2. Candidates with broad or varied backgrounds: 

This is a common situation for ex-consultants. Maybe you worked on change management, project management, and leadership development projects while simultaneously “volunteering” for event management and marketing tasks. Now you want to focus on leadership development roles. While you can and should tailor your bullets to the role, pulling out your most relevant experiences at the top of the page can help cement your story and avoid confusion about what it is that you want to do.

Use the summary to: hone in on your most relevant experiences 

3. Very senior candidates:

For senior level job searchers, your competition is also highly qualified so the summary will be used to position yourself relative to other candidates. What accomplishments are you most proud of? What skills make you unique? What experiences will position you to solve your new company’s biggest challenges? For example, if you’re a leader who has worked your way up through the ranks in your industry, you will relate particularly well to your team and be able to motivate them to take a risk on a new strategic direction. Or maybe you’re an outsider that can bring a fresh perspective and direction. Whatever it is, the summary is the place to make your case!

Use the summary to: define your brand and make your business case

Still not sure what approach is right for you? Set up a free 15 minute consultation to talk it through with me!