what to put in your resume profile

10 Resume Profile Examples (And How to Write Yours)

Imagine you've got everything covered in your resume : You listed your past experiences, included keywords from the job description, and pared it down to design elements an applicant tracking system (ATS) can parse. Now it’s an accurate representation of your professional qualifications—but you still can’t shake the feeling that who you are as a person is getting a bit lost. That’s where a resume profile comes in.

Adding this section to your resume is a good way to show more of your personality while still being professional. Curious? Read on to find out exactly what a resume profile is, and how to write yours—including examples.

What is a resume profile?

A resume profile is a few concise sentences or bullet points that can be placed at the top of your resume (below the header). It “describes who you are as a professional,” says Muse career coach Yolanda Owens , founder of CareerSensei and who also worked as a college corporate recruiter for more than 20 years.

Once you perfect your resume, check out open jobs on The Muse to maximize your chances »

Career professionals don’t all agree on the exact contents of a resume profile, or even on whether it’s different from a resume summary . So you have a bit of flexibility in how you think about yours and what you include in it.

For example, you might think of a resume profile as a way to “tell the reader who you are, what you do, and what you’re looking for,” so that you can grab their attention and “quickly showcase your accomplishments,” says Muse career coach and former recruiter Jennifer Smith , founder of Flourish Careers .

Or you might approach your resume profile like Owens does, as the equivalent to “a dating profile that describes how you see yourself at work, and the type of work environment that makes you feel productive and purposeful.”

What’s the difference between a resume summary and a profile?

While some career coaches may use the terms resume summary and resume profile interchangeably, others treat them differently.

The first is a quick synopsis of the relevant experiences and skills you bring to a role. The latter can do the same, but it can also focus on your traits and achievements, your story as a professional, and your desires for your next role.

At this point, you might be wondering: If a resume profile includes what you’re looking for in your next role , how is it different from a resume objective ? Some people say that resume objectives are outdated at best and a waste of space at worst. If that’s true, why is a resume profile acceptable?

The difference lies in “the additional context that’s included in the profile,” says Smith. A traditional objective merely states what you’re looking for and maybe a vague reason why. But “the profile goes deeper into who you are and what you do” in addition to what you’re looking for next, connecting your past and present to your future.

Is a resume profile necessary? Who should use it?

Resume profiles can be advantageous for all job seekers, Smith says, especially for those “who are changing either their role or industry.” If you’re a career changer , a strong, explicit resume profile will give you space to tell the reader right up front that, no, you didn’t apply to this job by mistake—this is the next step in your career and here’s why.

Resume profiles are also particularly useful for entry-level job seekers who may need to tie their education and other experiences together more explicitly. If a candidate is writing an entry-level resume , Owens suggests that they “use the profile section to explain what they’re looking for in terms of challenges and learning, and the skills they possess that could potentially add value.”

What to include in a resume profile

Think about what you’d want the person reading your resume to know first. Is it something about your qualifications or your biggest accomplishment? Is it how well you work with others or what your personality adds to a team? This is what should go into your resume profile. You have a few sentences (or bullets) to work with, so don’t restrict yourself to highlighting just one thing.

Here are a few types of information that you can include in a resume profile, according to our coaches:

• Relevant skills and experiences
• Relevant achievements and accomplishments
• Years of experience
• Strengths as a professional (both soft and hard skills )
• Signature traits related to the job
• Personal traits that contribute to your work
• Qualities you’re looking for in your next role, team, or company
• Willingness to relocate (if you’re applying to a job not near the location listed on your resume)

What are recruiters looking for in a resume profile?

Don’t underestimate the power of a good first impression to get someone to keep reading the rest of your resume with interest. “The resume profile has an ability to quickly convince a recruiter that the person is a strong, qualified candidate,” says recruiter and Muse career coach Steven Davis , founder and CEO of Renaissance Solutions .

But recruiting isn’t just about making sure candidates have the right skills, Owens says. Recruiters also need to get a feel for whether the team and work environment will be a good match for the candidate long term.

Candidates’ skills and experiences should be well represented throughout their resumes, so as a recruiter, Owens most often “looked at the profile as a way to get a sense of their work persona and gauge environment fit for the role.”

How to write a profile for a resume : 5 steps

Once you know what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for in your resume profile and what you’d like to portray, you can follow these tips as you write your own:

1. Keep it concise

Your resume profile should be no more than four sentences or bullet points, and should not have more than 500 characters. Remember recruiters read dozens of resumes daily, so you don't want yours to be unnecessarily long and tiring.

2. Find the format the suits you best

Decide if you want to use either bullet points or paragraph form. Your resume profile can be written as bullet points, but keep in mind that bullet points often take up more space than a paragraph. “To preserve real estate on the resume and attempt to keep it to one to two pages , I always recommend using paragraph format,” Owens says.

3. Consider the position you're applying for

Tailor your profile to the job, but not so much that it’s not true to who you are. If your resume profile is closer to a summary that highlights your key qualifications and accomplishments as they relate to a given job, you should be tailoring it very carefully for each application and incorporating keywords from the job description.

Read more: What it Really Means to "Tailor Your Resume"

However, if your resume profile is more of a personal (but still professionally appropriate) description of yourself, Owens recommends against tailoring it to match each job: “What you don’t want to do is try to tell employers what you think they want to hear,” she says, if it doesn’t reflect who you are. “That’s how you end up in positions where you’re ultimately unhappy.”

4. Quantify your experiences and accomplishments

Whenever possible, quantify your experiences and accomplishments by adding numbers, percentages, and other metrics to your resume profile. Keep in mind that recruiters nowadays not only want to know what you did, but also what you achieved and the exact results of your work.

5. Show some personality

While the rest of your resume won’t let much of your personality shine through, your profile gives you an opportunity for creativity. If you’re applying to a casual company, you can add a splash of personality, but if you’re applying to a more formal organization, it’s best to keep things more buttoned up.

Resume profile: Examples

Want to know what all this advice looks like in action? Check out these 10 resume profile examples for different types of job seekers and professions.

Career changer

Quality-control team lead with 10+ years experience who specializes in making thorough business decisions and leading others through day-to-day operations to achieve excellence. Decided to transition to the outdoor recreation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic after realizing that people, especially children, spend too much time indoors behind computer screens. Excited to bring experience in quality assurance and operations to a management position at an outdoor recreation facility to help people of all ages get outside and enjoy themselves safely.

Recent college graduate or entry-level candidate

Recent magna cum laude animal sciences graduate with a focus on small animal care excited to bring passion and knowledge to a position with an animal shelter or animal-focused nonprofit and learn more about programs that protect animals from euthanasia. As president of the University of Georgia chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, planned, organized, advertised, and managed a fundraiser that brought in over $20,000 in donations to a local shelter while also placing 43 cats and dogs with adoptive families. Proud dog mom of two former shelter pets, Dakota and Miley (pictures available upon request).

Account Executive (Sales)

Account executive who has been making deals since my first lemonade stand at age four for a total of $20+ million in sales. I love the rush of being on a sales team working toward goals—both in exceeding my own targets and in cheering on my teammates and celebrating their wins. In my current role, I’ve discovered that the most satisfying feeling of all was teaching a few of our SDRs to close deals. Seeing how proud they were of themselves as they got better motivated me to seek out a sales training role at a highly collaborative company.

Find account executives jobs on The Muse

A detail-oriented accountant with experience preparing tax and financial reports for charities to be posted publicly online. Evaluated budget (including payroll) for inefficiencies and suggested cost-cutting and time-saving measures that ultimately allowed the nonprofit to put an additional 5% of yearly donations directly into charitable programs. Excited to bring accounting skills to a nonprofit in the public health sector after spending over five years volunteering for public health charities such as the Red Cross and Project N95.

Find accountant jobs on The Muse

Customer Service Representative

An empathetic customer service representative who loves getting to talk to new people every day and help them solve problems. Crafted service approach of finding out what customers’ goals are and what their level of expertise in the product was rather than automatically giving boilerplate advice, leading to a 92% customer satisfaction rating. Avid video game player and designer looking to bring this passion to a customer service role for a gaming company.

Find customer service representative jobs on The Muse

Human Resources Manager

Human resources generalist who oversaw the transition of a 100+ employee company to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adept at dealing with the issues facing fully remote or hybrid workforces, including in hiring, professional development, and conflict resolution. Conceived of and instituted DEI programs for employees working from home. Looking for a position with a company that has a fully distributed or hybrid workforce and is committed to increasing diversity in its hiring pool.

Find human resources manager jobs on The Muse

Marketing Manager

Email marketer with 6+ years of experience gathering data-driven insights to make decisions about marketing campaigns. Conceived, proposed, and executed a campaign for a new headphone line across all marketing channels including email, social, content marketing, and print ads, with a total reach of 30 million impressions leading to over $1 million in sales. A team player who has taken the time to learn what each teammate in 10-person marketing department does and even filled in for them when needed. Excited to find a position in a collaborative work environment that oversees marketing campaigns across multiple channels.

Find marketing manager jobs on The Muse

Office Administrator

• Friendly, organized, and proactive administrative assistant with four years of experience looking to move into an office administrator role
• Saved office over $3,000 per quarter in supplies by creating new inventory tracking document on Google Sheets, showing other employees how to check supply levels and request orders, and comparing the supply sheet to inventory every two weeks to stop duplicate supply orders
• Spent four months filling in for office manager during maternity leave

Find office administrator jobs on The Muse

Project Manager

Looking for a project manager who can save at-risk initiatives and projects and make sure they come in on time and under budget and are fully functional at launch? I’ve held positions in customer care, engineering, product, and communications, so I know how to work with employees in all departments and see a project from multiple angles, ensuring each piece is on track and communicating with stakeholders along the way. I work best in environments where innovation is encouraged and no one expects to wear just one hat.

Find project manager jobs on The Muse

Web Developer

• Back-end web developer with experience using Java, Python, and SQL to develop features for online databases
• Go-to debugger on team of seven engineers
• Developed a site (link) that uses television shows you’ve watched to suggest new shows based on the ratings and recommendations of users with similar watch histories, bringing in an average of 10,000 visitors monthly

Find web developer jobs on The Muse

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• Resume and Cover Letter
• Resume Profile Explained...

Resume Profile Explained (with Examples)

13 min read · Updated on January 17, 2024

Make an impact with a knock-out profile

When it comes to job search success, nothing is more important than ensuring that your resume captures an employer's attention. After all, even the best resumes are useless if no one reads them. Of course, that raises an important question: is there anything you can do to make your resume get the attention it deserves?

In this post, we'll explain how a great resume profile can help you to solve that challenge. We'll explain how a resume profile works, when you should use it in your resume, and how to create a profile that immediately commands interest. Finally, we'll provide several resume profile examples that you can customize and use in your own resume.

What is a resume profile?

If you're already familiar with the resume objective statement or resume summary, then the concept of a resume profile should be easy to understand. Put simply, the resume profile is an introductory paragraph that quickly summarizes your skills and experiences in a way that motivates hiring managers to continue reading your resume.

As you'll discover in our resume profile examples later in the post, a great profile focuses attention on your best skills, experience, and achievements. You can think of it as an elevator pitch for your resume - a quick snapshot that provides just enough information to make the reader want to learn more about you.

Related: Make the Perfect First Impression With Your Resume

What types of resume profiles can you use?

To better understand the resume profile, it may help to look at some of the different types of resume profiles that job seekers can use. There are three different types of common profiles, including the objective statement, summary, and summary of qualifications.

Objective statement

The resume objective statement is often considered obsolete, since it tends to focus more on your career goals than the employer's needs. It's often used by entry level workers with little experience or career-changers who need to explain why their skill set makes them a good candidate for the job. To use it effectively, job candidates need to ensure that they include some language that explains how they can benefit the employer if they're hired. For example:

“Creative social media professional with 3 years of experience and proven results. Skilled in cross-platform engagement enhancement and brand development. Looking for an opportunity to work with a company that prioritizes customer experience and brand loyalty. Experience includes increasing customer engagement by 130% over a six-month period.”

Related : Resume Objective Examples: A Career Objective Guide

Summary paragraph

The resume summary has replaced the objective statement in most modern resumes - and for good reason. This brief paragraph may also mention one or two key skills, but its primary focus is on detailing your important work experience and measurable achievements. As a result, the summary is a preferred option for job seekers with significant experience, since it's designed to demonstrate your value as an employee. Below, is an example of this type of profile statement:

“Accomplished Project Manager with more than ten years of successful team building and project execution expertise. Skilled in process development, workflow management, and collaboration with stakeholders. Received Agile Leader award in 2018. While at ABC Corporation, developed personnel resource allocation program that increased project efficiency by 48% in the first year of use.”

Summary of qualifications

The third option is the summary of qualifications. The main difference between this type of summary and the summary paragraph involves the format choice. Instead of being one block of text, it combines a brief paragraph with several bullet point examples of notable achievements. For example:

Dynamic Team Leader with 7 years of experience in customer management, problem-solving, and team building. Proven to increase team productivity, enhance the customer service experience, and provide real value to an employer.

• Led 30-person team of technical professionals, with 95% customer satisfaction
• Reorganized project workflow for ABC Corporation, increasing efficiency by 45%
• Developed training program that reduced employee onboarding costs by 17%

What elements should you include in your resume profile?

Before you create a resume profile, it's important to think about the types of information you want to include for your reader. What types of qualification is the employer evaluating as part of its hiring decision? Does the job description focus primarily on core skills ? Do you have achievements that are likely to make a positive impression on the hiring manager?

There are many different profile elements that you can include, so you'll need to prioritize based on the employers' needs. The fact is that you won't have room in your profile to cover all these different types of information, so choose wisely:

Skills that are relevant to the position you're seeking

Your length of experience

Notable achievements, preferably ones that you can quantify with real numbers

Core personal characteristics that make you a good fit for the role

Your career aspirations - preferably noted in a way that shows how they align with the company's vision

Related : Top 15 Professional Goals and How to Achieve Them

Again, make sure that you focus attention on the job posting, taking note of every key skill and experience that the employer cites as required qualifications. You'll want to tailor your profile - and the rest of your resume - to align with those stated employer needs.

Pro tip: Make special note of those job requirements, since you will want to use the same language in your resume. Those keywords are essential for ensuring that your resume can satisfy any applicant tracking system screening the employer might be using.

You should also do some research to learn more about the company's culture. That will enable you to further tailor your resume profile to include personal traits that highlight how well you'll fit into that environment. Sometimes, those little details can make the difference between you and another similarly qualified candidate.

How to write your own resume profile: tips

When you're ready to create your resume profile, it's important to know how to do it the right way. Since it's the first thing employers will see after they're done reading your contact details, you need to make sure that it's as compelling as possible. The following tips can help.

Write this part of your resume last

Even though your profile section will be near the top of your resume, you should still create this important section last. Why? Well, it's simple: since the resume profile serves as a summary of your qualifications, it's helpful to get the rest of the resume done before you start on that summary.

Make it brief

Be as concise as you can. Again, think of this profile section as a salesperson's elevator pitch. It doesn't need to tell your entire employment story, but should instead serve as a brief highlight of your greatest hits. As a rule, try to restrict this paragraph to no more than four sentences. If you use a summary of qualifications, include just one or two brief sentences and three or four bullet points.

Choose the best profile type for your job search needs

Which type of profile should you create? If you're an entry-level employee, you may want to focus on a modified objective statement - one that focuses on your career goals, while highlighting the ways in which your skills can benefit the employer. If you have more experience, you may want to rely on the summary paragraph. Just be sure to include at least one measurable achievement to highlight your value.

If you're switching careers and need to focus attention on transferable skills, you may even want to rely on a summary of qualifications. Those bullet points can be a great way to emphasize specific skills and highlight the value that you've provided for previous employers.

Tailor the profile to your desired position

Make sure that your profile aligns with the job you're seeking. You can do this by including some core keywords from the job posting, detailing your qualifications. However, make sure that your profile ultimately aligns with who you are as an employee. If you take the tailoring to extremes, you may end up with a profile that fails to accurately represent your personality and character.

Don't be afraid to add personality

Speaking of personality, this is the place to add that personal touch. Your skills, work experience, and education sections are not appropriate for adding personality, but a few well-chosen words in your profile can help the employer to better understand you as a person.

Of course, make sure that your personal flourishes fit with the type of job you're seeking. For example, a few words about your fun work style will be appreciated if you're applying for a customer service or similar position. That same language may not be as useful if you're seeking a role in a law firm. Use your best judgment as you determine how much personality to put into any profile.

Use measurable achievements

We've already mentioned measurable achievements several times, but it's important to highlight them once again. Your resume profile should include at least one quantifiable accomplishment, backed by real numbers that demonstrate the value you've provided. For example:

• Implemented new networking system that reduced downtime by 33%, improving both efficiency and productivity and providing 12% cost savings for the company
• Led sales team effort that increased new customer acquisition by 13% while generating $12 million in new revenues in the first six months of the fiscal year
• Created an online customer engagement program that increased website visits by 45%, enhanced new sales activities by 13%, and boosted revenues by 10% within one quarter of implementation

Resume profile examples you can use

As you might expect, your approach to creating a resume profile can also differ based on the type of job you're seeking. That's because different job roles require different skill sets, experiences, and personal qualities.

To get you started, we've compiled resume profile examples covering a wide variety of professions. You can use these professional profile examples as templates for your profile, or simply refer to them for guidance as you create your own unique resume opening.

Resume profile examples for students

Recent Information Technology graduate focused on operating and security software management. Seeking employment with a dynamic software firm in need of advanced networking and troubleshooting expertise. Experience includes a one-year internship with DynacorpX, providing testing and problem-resolution that helped increase company productivity by 14%.

Resume profile example for entry-level applicants

Friendly, detail-oriented, and organized customer service professional looking to be part of an energetic, mission-focused team.

• Skilled at developing organizational processes, managing records, and engaging customers
• Successfully resolved customer complaints, with 90% satisfaction rate while volunteering with FreshStart
• Broad computer systems expertise, including database and presentation platforms

Resume profile example for career-changers

Personnel-focused Sales Team Leader with 10+ years of experience in team building, training, and sales program development. Looking to transition to a project management role to better use organizational and project implementation skills. While at ABC Corporation, successfully created and executed a sales process reorganization that cut waste by 45%, saving the company more than $40,000 per year.

Related : 21 Project Management Skills Every Project Manager Needs to Succeed

Resume profile example for a Graphic Designer

Dynamic and innovative Graphic Designer with 4 years of experience in the gaming and entertainment industry. Skilled in developing storyboards, character animation, typography, and general layouts. Creative successes include development work on more than 200 unique graphic design projects that helped to generate more than $300 million in revenue.

Resume profile example for a Marketing Manager

Creative Marketing Manager focused on data-driven solutions. More than 8 years of experience in building collaborative teams capable of overcoming any challenge. While at XYZ Inc., led a 10-person team responsible for broadening target audience by 200%, increasing company revenues by 120% over a three-year period. Expertise includes digital marketing campaigns focused on driving new customer acquisition and target audience engagement.

Resume profile example for an Accountant

Detail-oriented finance professional with 7 years of accounting expertise. Proficient in accounting best practices, including creation and management of financial reports, regulatory compliance, tax issues, and budget management and forecasting. Reorganized DEF Corporation's accounting department, reducing inefficiencies by 28%, cutting costs by 19%, and improving productivity by 33%.

Resume profile example for an Administrative Assistant

Reliable Administrative Assistant with 8 years of experience in office management and personal assistance. Comprehensive expertise in presentation development, scheduling management, reporting, and confidentiality. Reorganized filing and reporting systems at Beagle Law, improving client response times by 40%, reducing redundancies, and cutting labor costs by 12%.

Resume profile example for a Data Scientist

Fact-driven Data Scientist with 8 years of experience in data analysis, predictive modeling, and data mining. Proficient with SQL, Python, Tableau, and other common data visualization systems. While at DataCore, took the lead on development of new processes that increased decision-making efficiency by improving the company's ability to use data to gain useful insights. Project resulted in an 18% increase in overall departmental productivity.

Resume profile example for an HR Manager

Personnel-focused HR Manager with 7 years of experience managing human resources functions. Expertise in recruitment, onboarding processes, employee training and relations, and performance reviews. Designed AmAm's new HR policies to align with new firm policies, emphasizing progressive discipline and promotion of a positive work environment. Effort resulted in a 33% reduction in turnover and 43% increase in employee satisfaction.

Resume profile example for a Teacher

Results-oriented educator with 6 years of experience as a middle school Teacher. Expertise in crafting challenging but engaging lesson plans designed to encourage critical thinking and classroom participation in an inclusive way. Dedicated to professional development to stay abreast of current educational best practices and focused on enhancing each student's ability to achieve success. Specific competencies include English, US History, and Basic Civics.

Resume profile example for a Construction Manager

Task-oriented construction professional with more than 10 years of experience in both commercial and residential project management. Led teams responsible for completing more than 60 construction projects valued at more than $40 million dollars, with a 99% on-time and under-budget record of success. Bilingual (English and Spanish) manager with expertise in budget allocation, resource management, project estimates and implementation.

Craft the best possible intro for your resume!

No matter what type of resume profile you decide to use to introduce yourself to prospective employers, your goal should always be the same: to create a powerful and compelling message that inspires employers to read the rest of your resume. The tips and resume profile examples we've provided should ensure that you have everything you need to craft your own profile narrative.

Still not sure if your resume profile has what it takes to capture your reader's interest? Get a free resume review from our team of top experts today!

Recommended reading:

47 Accomplishment Examples for Your Resume: Expert Picks

The Best Resume Format to Get Hired

How to Advance Your Career (plus 10 Insightful Tips)

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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How to Write a Convincing Resume Profile [+23 Examples]

On average, a recruiter looks at your resume for around 6 seconds. 

Yep, that’s right - they give your CV a quick skim, and if they don’t find what they’re looking for, they just move on to the next one.

Think fast!

How can you convince the recruiter to read your resume, the same instant they look at it?

The answer is simple: you should create a resume profile.

And in this guide, we’re going to teach you how, exactly, you can do that.

• What a resume profile is and why it’s important
• How to create an effective resume profile in 3 easy steps
• 26 practical resume profile examples

How to Write a Resume Profile (Step-by-Step)

OK, let's start with the obvious - what even is a Resume Profile?

The resume profile is a short,3-5 sentence paragraph that summarizes your career. It covers your top achievements, skills, and years of experience. 

The resume profile is also known as a resume summary and resume profile statement.

Here’s what a resume profile looks like on a resume:

Now, let’s talk about why you should include a resume profile:

• It shows the recruiter that you’re relevant from the get-go, giving them a reason to read the rest of your resume.
• It helps you stand out. You don’t just show the recruiter that you’re relevant - you show them that you’re THE right candidate.

And here's an example of a well-written Resume Profile:

Customer Service Team Lead with three years of experience in a multicultural BPO environment. Specialized in the creation & monitoring of KPIs, compliance with SLAs and being the main POC for all key internal and external stakeholders. Looking to transfer process management and performance quality control skills into the exciting position as Quality, Control and Compliance Specialist at XYZ Ltd.

Keep in mind, though, that a resume profile is different from a resume objective.

• The resume profile summarizes your work experience to date and your relevant skills and achievements.
• The objective , on the other hand, is more about your professional goals. You DON’T include work experience here. Instead, you focus more on why you want to work at company X, and how your background makes you the right fit.

So, if you don’t have much relevant work experience (recent graduate, career change, etc.), you should opt for a resume objective instead.

Now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, here's a thorough Step-by-Step on how to build YOUR resume profile:

Step #1 - Tailor Your Resume Profile to the Position

The first thing to do is to tailor your resume profile to the position you're applying for. 

You can’t just take the lazy way out and create a one-size-fits-all resume profile. That way, you’re pretty much setting yourself up for failure.

Instead, it should 100% be written with the job you’re applying for in mind.

When writing your resume profile: 

• Look at the job ad you want to apply to;
• See the requirements;
• Tailor your profile accordingly.

Now, here’s what this looks like in practice. Let's say you're applying for a position in digital marketing.

• 1 - 3 years of experience with Google Ads
• Experience with Facebook Ads
• Excellent copywriting skills
• Experience using Google Tag Manager and Google Data Studio is an advantage

We highlighted all the must-have requirements with Bold and underlined what’s optional.

Now, let’s create the right resume profile for the job:

Google Ads Specialist with 2 years of experience in the creation and management of Google search, display and video ads. Six-month-long project experience with social media marketing. Highly skilled with Google Search, Facebook Ads Manager, and Google Tag Manager. Experienced in creating project reports for clients with Google Data Studio.

Step #2 - Mention Your Top Wins

Now let's look at what you CAN and CAN'T include in your resume profile.

DO's - Relevant :

• Top skills;
• Problems solved;
• Key achievements;
• Awards won;
• Anything that is irrelevant to the job applied for, no matter how big the achievement, how top the skill or how much effort you put into winning that award.

Now, let’s cover a practical example.

Let’s say that 2 candidates are applying for a Junior Javascript Developer position.

Here’s a resume profile done right:

• Recent Computer Science graduate with hands-on experience. Took part in 6-month-long Agile development process project, working with: JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, Ajax, Rest, XML, Angular 2+ and jQuery. Completed “The Complete JavaScript Course 2019: Build Real Projects” course from Udemy. PMP Agile Certified Practitioner.
• Recent Computer Science graduate with 6 months of experience with JavaScript. Currently ongoing Master’s in Photography. Certified lifeguard and professional football player. Freelance writer with over 200,000 regular monthly readers.

See the difference between the two? The first is 100%, completely focused on the role.

The second, well, not so much.

Which one would you call in for an interview? Exactly!

Step #3 - Focus on Achievements (Instead of Responsibilities)

And last but not least – focus on achievements. 

Your resume profile should be a summary of the biggest wins in your career (not a list of things you’ve done).

Your goal here is to “Wow” the recruiter, not to get them saying “Oh, well, that’s OK, I guess.”

So for example, let’s see how this is NOT done

• Seasoned recruiter with experience in publishing job ads, sourcing candidates, and conducting interviews.

See the issue here? Anyone that’s into recruitment can say they’ve done this. You’re not saying anything special.

Now, what if we turn this example into an achievement:

• Seasoned recruiter with X+ years of experience in tech hiring. Hit and exceeded hiring KPIs by over 50% for 2019’s first and third quarter. Specialized in working with senior talent in software engineering and executive management.

See the difference? The first example is a very generic candidate, while the second is a high-achiever.

In some fields, you might not have a lot of achievements to mention - and that’s totally OK.

If you’re a cashier, for example, you can’t say that “you’ve processed over 1,000 transactions per month.”

In such cases, it’s totally OK to stick to responsibilities and experiences instead!

[Bonus] The Novorésumé Formula for Writing Resume Profiles

Having some difficulties with your resume profile?

• [Your Field] professional with X+ years of experience, skilled in [Skill 1], [Skill 2], and [Skill 3]. Looking to apply my [Domain] knowledge as a [Job You’re Applying For] at [Company X]. Experience in [Top Achievement #1] and [Top Achievement #2].

Now, here’s what the template looks like when put into practice:

UX / UI Designer with 5+ years of experienced, skilled in Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. Looking to apply my software design know-how as a lead UX designer at Company X. Previous experience in designing most of [Software Startup A] and [Software Startup B]’s software UX and UI.

Resume Profile Q&A

Still have some questions on how to polish up your resume profile? We’ve got you covered:

Q: How do I list a resume profile as a student ?

A: Simple! Go for a resume objective, instead of a profile. In that case, you’ll focus more on your skills and goals instead of work experience.

Don’t forget to specify where and how you got those skills. No need to go into in-depth explanations, but make sure they sound realistic and avoid vagueness at all costs.

Still have some space left? Feel free to add relevant university projects you’ve completed. 

Soon-to-be graduate from XYZ University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. 4.0 GPA in Experimental Psychology. Took part in a month-long internship at the university psych lab. Excelled at psych questionnaire development and implementation, and SPSS data analysis. Excited to transfer and develop skills further as a Junior Psychological Measurement Specialist at ABC Ltd.

Are you struggling with creating your first student resume? Check out our guide on how to create a resume with no experience!

Q: How do I list a resume profile as a career-changer ?

A: What you need to do here is focus on your transferable skills . Like so:

“Customer Support Specialist with over three years of experience in first and second-line phone and chat technical support, looking to transfer communication skills as a Sales Representative at XYZ Ltd. Excellent track record of reliability, being the main POC for all escalation points, and likeability, having received an average of 9.3/10 customer rating for the last two quarters.” 

23+ Practical Resume Profile Examples (For Every Field)

Need some inspiration with your resume profile?

Here are 23 practical resume profile examples you could borrow ideas from...

Customer Service & Sales

Customer service specialist resume profile.

“Motivated and experienced first-line customer service and support specialist with over three years of work put into tech support, troubleshooting and customer satisfaction. Experienced with LiveAgent and ZenDesk. Excellent track record in providing excellent support service. XYZ Ltd.’s employee of the month for May 2019 for receiving a 99.99% support satisfaction rate.”

Not sure how to build a customer service resume ? We have a guide for that!

Sales Associate Resume Profile

“Accomplished Sales Associate with experience in business and private persons insurance sales. Excellent people and communication skills, proven by last two quarters’ personal success in exceeding department’s KPIs by 25%.”

Want to create a sales associate resume that lands you the job? Check out our guide!

Administration

Executive assistant resume profile.

“Executive Assistant with 2+ years of experience as the companies’ CEO right-hand man. Successfully carried out all key administrative tasks, from communicating with company clients to data entry and creating well-researched office documentation. Highly skilled at MS Office tools.”

Receptionist Resume Profile

“Motivated, communicative receptionist with 5+ years of experience as an office administrator and receptionist in both big and small companies. Meticulous record-keeping, and experience working with MS Office Pack, Intranet and physical bookkeeping.”

For more examples, check out our receptionist resume guide.

Data Entry Clerk Resume Profile

“Data entry clerk with 3+ years of experience in high quantity complex data screening, entry and maintenance . Highly skilled at Excel; extremely fast typer and knowledgeable about digital databases. Strong attention to detail and dedication to the job.”

Copywriter Resume Profile

“SaaS copywriter specializing in landing page optimization. 2+ years of experience writing compelling content for e-mail, Facebook and Google marketing. Experienced in using Google Optimizely and Firebase for A/B testing. Previously worked with Unbounce to create and test new landing pages from scratch.”

PPC Specialist Resume Profile

“Driven PPC Specialist with over 4 years of experience in digital marketing. Proficient at: Google AdWords, Google Analytics, Facebook Ads Manager and LinkedIn Ad Platform. Some copywriting skills gained through freelancing. Experience handling an advertising budget of $80,000 with excellent ROI results.”

Need help creating your marketing resume ? We’ve got your back!

Business and Management

Project manager resume profile.

“Dedicated project manager with 3+ years of experience managing IT projects. Managed 5+ software projects from beginning to completion. Basic understanding of several programming languages, including React, Node.Js, and Java. ”

Check out our project manager resum e guide for more examples!

Business Analyst Resume Profile

“Results-driven Business Analyst with over 7 years of experience in consulting businesses, analyzing their processes and operations and presenting them with practical business solutions. 2 years of experience consulting one of the Fortune 500 companies. Experience using several business process management software solutions, including Appian BPM. Helped increase XYZ LTD’s manufacturing output by over 2.5%.”

Human Resources (HR)

Human resources resume profile.

“HR Specialist with two years of experience in developing small companies’ HR strategies, employee training and organizing company events, while under a tight budget. Experienced with the entire talent acquisition process from recruitment to the retention of employees.”

Recruitment Specialist Resume Profile

“Recruitment Specialist with a B.A. in Human Resources and M.A. in Work and Organizational Psychology with full-scope recruitment experience with both active and passive candidate sourcing. Sourced, interviewed and hired 15+ software engineers in Company X’s expansion efforts to Canada in 2021. ”

Finance & Accounting

Bank teller resume profile.

“Bank Teller with one year of experience as the front office cashier and customer service representative at XYZ Bank’s main office. Experienced with handling customer transactions and inquiries. Highly skilled at customer satisfaction, following bank SOPs and complying with data privacy and safety deposit box standard guidelines.”

Check out our bank teller resume guide for more examples!

Accountant Resume Profile

“Certified Public Accountant with over 8 years of experience. Solid knowledge of US GAAP and accounting systems. Top skills include budget forecasting, advanced computer skills, and analytical reasoning. Looking for a new challenge as an accountant at Company X.”

Check out our accountant resume guide for more examples!

Food & Service

Waiter/waitress resume profile.

“Experienced Waitress with a polite and friendly demeanor. Skilled at working in fast-paced environments; extremely good memory and able to memorize menus quickly and without fault. Previous experience includes working in Restaurant X and Bar Y.”

Check out our guide to server resumes for more examples!

Supermarket Cashier Resume Profile

“Experienced and reliable cashier with a polite and friendly demeanor. Worked at Happy Fun Resort over the past 2 summers as cashier in Company X and Company Y. Strong computer skills and experience working with PoS systems. ”

Discover how to make a cashier resume that excels with our article!

Housekeeper Resume Profile

“Dedicated and hard-working housekeeper with 6+ years of experience with both hotel and private home housekeeping. Very punctual and efficient. Previous experience working at Hotel X and Uncle Bob’s Private Cleaning Crew.”

Technical & IT

Data analyst resume profile.

“Data Analyst with 3+ years of experience. Highly data and detail-oriented with excellent analytical thinking. Background in mathematics, statistics, and computer science. Proven track record of using data to improve company operations. ”

Check out our guide to the data analyst resume for more examples.

Software Engineer Resume Profile

“Full-stack software engineer with 5+ years of experience developing end-to-end software solutions. Worked as head engineer at Tech Company X, leading a team of developers working on a new software solution in the Fin-Tech industry. Expert in Node.Js, React, and Java.”

Discover how to make a software engineer resume that excels with our article!

IT Specialist Resume Profile

“Dedicated IT specialist with 5+ years of experience. Previous positions involved network management and database administration. Advanced knowledge of SQL, C++ and Linux. ”

Need an extra push with your resume? Discover top tips on creating an IT resume in 2024.

Computer Science Resume Profile

“Results-oriented computer science student from University Y looking for an entry-level software engineering position. Good communication skills and team player, having led several teams for university projects. Practical experience working with JavaScript, MySQL, and PHP. ”

For more on computer science resumes , check out our dedicated guide.

Nurse Resume Profile

“Nurse RN with 8+ years of experience providing excellent patient care. M.A. in nursing. Expert at charting, patient care, and medicine administration. Seeking to leverage my experience as a nurse at Hospital X.”

Discover more nurse resume examples in our dedicated guide!

Dental Assistant Resume Profile

“Dental assistant with over 5 years of experience in the field. Charged with direct patient care, patient record-keeping, and routine lab works. Strong knowledge of the Dentrix software.

Graphic Design

Graphic designer resume profile.

“Graphic design specialist with 3+ years of experience working with design and marketing agencies. Responsible for every step of the design process, from conceptualization, to execution. Practical experience in designing flyers, websites, landing pages, and more. Skilled in Adobe Creative Suite and MS Office. Good communication skills.”

Need an extra push with your resume? Discover top tips on creating a graphic designer resume in 2024.

UI/UX Designer Resume Profile

“Detail-oriented UX / UI designer with 5+ years of experience creating end-to-end digital experiences. Designed software solutions in the fin-tech and hr-tech industries. Skilled in Adobe Creative Suite. Fluent in English, Spanish, and French.”

Other Fields

Architect resume profile.

“Architect with 4+ years of experience in landscape design, interior and exterior design, with a focus on designing commercial and residential buildings. Strong attention to detail and creative thinker.”

Discover the top tips for creating an architect resume in 2024 with our guide.

Warehouse Worker Resume Profile

“Hard-working warehouse worker with 4 years of experience in the industry. Physically fit, able to lift heavy objects. Previous experience at Made Up Delivery Solutions involved shipping, receiving and packaging goods.”

Discover more nurse warehouse worker resume examples in our dedicated guide!

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap!

Now, let’s summarize everything we’ve learned:

• A resume profile is a short, 2-4 sentences run-down of your top career highlights and achievements
• A resume profile is also known as a resume summary and resume profile statement.
• Don’t have much work experience? You might want to go for a resume objective instead.
• Every good resume head should include your years of experience (“5+ years of experience doing…”), top achievements (“Increased XYZ LTD’s ROI by X%”), and relevant skills (“Skilled in React, Node.JS, and Java”).

Looking for more career and resume advice? We recommend checking out our career blog for industry-leading articles on how to land the job & succeed in your career!

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How to Write a Resume Profile: Examples & Professional Tips

A resume profile (or professional profile) is an introduction designed to efficiently convey a candidate’s top attributes and quickly grab the hiring manager’s attention .

This guide will outline four key questions you need to address to write a great resume profile, as well as explain how it differs from a career objective and qualifications summary.

• What is a resume profile?
• Resume profiles vs other introductions
• Four key questions to address in your resume profile
• Resume Profile Examples

1. What is a resume profile?

A resume profile (or professional profile) is a brief blurb at the top of your resume that shows your achievements, experience, skills, and potential value to an employer. It can be bulleted or formatted in a small paragraph, but our experts stress that it be no longer than 500 characters in length . Short and sweet should be your objective here.

Take a look at the two examples below to get a better idea of what a resume with a professional profile looks like :

Exec. Assistant Professional Profile Example

Real Estate Professional Profile Example

2. Resume profiles vs other introductions

Professional profiles, career objectives, and qualification summaries should all be written with the same intent — to quickly and concisely show your potential worth to an employer. However, the way which each conveys this worth is slightly different.

Professional profiles take elements of both a career objective and qualification summary and combines them. They often appear as four to five bullets or in a short paragraph form, and give details about your work successes (concrete details) in addition to the abilities/personality you bring to the company (hard and soft skills). They are a popular choice for people sending out numerous resumes to different companies .

An example of a marketing manager using a professional profile intro.

Career Objectives are typically two to three lines of text at the beginning of your resume that function as your “sales pitch” to the hiring manager, where you explain why you’re desirable and hirable.

Career objectives are most useful for people targeting one specific position , because they allow the applicant to directly address the needs of the company and show how they will fit into the workforce. If this approach seems more suitable for your resume, our guide for writing a winning resume objective is an excellent resource to get started.

Click on the examples below to get a clear idea of the difference between a cashier resume with a career objective, and one with a professional profile:

Cashier Resume with Career Objective

Cashier Resume with Professional Profile

Qualifications summaries are always bulleted and emphasize your achievements and relevant skills. They work best for someone who has a lot of experience , because they act as a highlight reel of your past accomplishments.

In your summary, you want to say things like “I improved office productivity by 15% using Trello to assign tasks”, instead of “I helped improve office productivity”. If your accumulated work experience is composed of such compelling details, then a qualifications summary is a good option and we can help you construct one. The bullets also make them Applicant Tracking System (ATS) friendly .

Look at the two retail manager resumes below to get an idea of the difference between one with a qualifications summary and one with a professional profile:

Resume with Qualifications Summary

Resume with Professional Profile

3. Four key questions to address in your resume profile

Don’t forget the importance of relevance. You might be a world class chef, but your ability to cook ‘coq au vin’ means little if you’re trying to land a job as an accountant. Instead, you’d want to mention how you reduced unneeded expenditures by 20% through efficient bookkeeping, which is a much more relevant skill.

If you can answer the following four questions with solid bullets or concise sentences, your professional profile (and more importantly, your resume) will be on the path to greatness.

1. How qualified are you for this position?

If you have related work experience, place that at the top and include your job title. If you don’t, then use examples from your academic career (or extra-curricular activities done as a student) and show how these examples qualify you beyond a person with no experience at all. For instance, if you are applying for a job as an editor at the local newspaper, your first bullet could read something like the following,

• Recent University of Nevada graduate & senior editor for the University Tribune, where I compiled three years of experience editing, writing and formatting journal articles for publication

2. What’s your area of expertise?

People thrive in different work situations and different roles. The second part of your profile should highlight what you’re best at– which part of your past job did you most excel? Answering this question serves two functions. It 1) helps establish you as an expert in that particular area, and 2) shows the value you add to the company. An example of this could be something like,

• Public relations expert fluent in social media platforms with a deep functional knowledge of WordPress CMS

3. What are your skills?

You’ve already discussed your relevant experience and area of expertise, now it’s time to lay out the arsenal of skills you possess. Hard skills and soft skills are both important (we list the top 10 most popular hard skills & soft skills here), and should both be used to paint an in-depth picture of what you can do in that industry. Example:

• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, can type 80 WPM, and bilingual in English & Mandarin Chinese

4. What are your greatest (applicable) career achievements?

Your content is looking solid at this point, and now it’s time for the slam dunk: throw down your most excellent example (or examples) of succeeding in a past position. Hiring managers love this tangible evidence. In their mind, these successes show your competence, creativity, and ability to adapt to a new working environment– all important attributes for a new hire. If necessary, this part can be expanded into two sentences or two bullets, but be wary of wordiness!

• Led a team that successfully used social media, phone banking, and event organizing to boost newspaper readership by 60% over three years

4. Resume Profile Examples

Although professional profiles for candidates in different fields will vary, they generally include the same information (as detailed above). Check out four of our resume profile examples below to get a feel for how they can fit onto a resume.

Security Guard Resume Profile

Retail Manager Resume Profile

Personal Trainer Resume Profile Example

Still need help writing your resume? Check out our free downloadable resume templates page for more ideas, or use our professional resume builder and create your own resume in minutes.

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How to Write a Resume Profile or Summary Statement

A resume summary or career profile is a brief statement at the top of your resume. If you are a career changer or have many years of experience, craft a powerful summary to highlight your accomplishments and skills.  Show the employer, at a glance, why you’re qualified for the job!

Resume Profile Guidelines 

General guidelines to keep in mind: 

• Keep your profile short. Two to five phrases written in a bulleted form or brief paragraph will do. Think of the summary as a snapshot of your skills,  accomplishments, and knowledge.
• Label your profile professionally: Summary of Qualifications, Career Profile, Career Highlights, Professional Summary, or just Summary or Profile. 
• Place your profile section at the top of your resume page, above your work history, so that the employer can see it when they first review your resume.

How To Create Your Profile

To choose what to highlight in your summary, research positions of interest and write a list of the common requirements and qualifications. 

Assess your skills and credentials. How does your background and experience align with the qualifications outlined in the job description? Select skills, experiences, special knowledge, and accomplishments that you want to highlight in your profile selection.

Next draft a few phrases that summarize your Skills/Experience/Accomplishments/Knowledge/Education

Now write a sentence describing your “professional role,” which you can use as the opening line in your profile. For example: 

• Accomplished Marketing Executive with over 10 year experience in…
• Fully knowledgeable in…
• Experience managing professional staff including…

Finally, put all of the sentences together and edit for a clean, concise, and compelling profile statement. 

Career Profile 

Successful professional with corporate marketing and training experience seeking position in nonprofit organization leveraging fundraising and program development skills. Recognized for ability to develop strong relationships and plan strategically. Strengths include: 

• Time Management
• Relationship Building
• Public Speaking

Highly skilled and results-oriented professional with solid academic preparation holding a Juris Doctor degree and extensive experience in intelligence and special operations seeks position in risk management. Proven ability to assess and manage complex obstacles; viewed as a strong troubleshooter. Successful in intense and demanding environments, providing decisive team leadership and structure with a track record of motivating and developing soldiers. Willing to relocate.

Publishing executive with multi-faceted background encompassing international licensing and brand management. Developed specialties in editorial planning, global marketing strategy, and design. Managed multiple projects simultaneously and efficiently by overseeing the daily operations of 17 magazine titles worldwide. Proven ability to develop strong relationships across cultures and to provide decisive team leadership in a fast-paced environment.

Additional Resources

We have many resources available to help you navigate career change and showcase your transferable skills.   

• For tips on resume structure and content read through Writing a Resume: Getting Started and Resumes with Impact: Creating Strong Bullet Points  
• For detailed instruction, view the webinars on Writing a Results Focused and Targeted Resume and How to Perfect Your Professional Narrative

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Writing a Resume: Getting Started

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Resumes with Impact: Creating Strong Bullet Points

How can you make your resume stand out to an employer? This resource will help you learn how to use the STAR method to develop strong bullet points that highlight your skills and accomplishments relevant to a position.

How to Explain Employment Gaps

Learn tips to address employment gaps on your application materials and in interviews.

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How to Write a Resume Profile (Examples Included)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

Let’s face facts; looking for a job isn’t easy. As a candidate, you’re trying to find ways to stand out from the pack. You also need to ensure that the hiring manager can see at a quick glance that you’re the perfect candidate for the role. How can you pull that off? With a winning resume profile, of course.

Your resume profile acts like a beacon, drawing the hiring manager in by highlighting the best of what you have to offer. But if you really want it to work, you need to make sure you approach it properly.

If you aren’t sure how to write a profile for a resume in a way that’s enticing or need a few resume profile examples to get the creative juices flowing, here’s what you need to know.

What Is a Resume Profile?

Alright, let’s start with the basics. What is a resume profile anyway?

In the simplest sense, a resume profile is an overview of what you bring to the table professionally. It goes right near the top of your resume, sitting just below your contact information, and gives the hiring manager a quick idea of why you’re an awesome candidate.

However, unlike some of the alternatives – like a resume objective or traditional resume summary – the resume profile taps on your skills, experience, and professional goals in one place. That makes it more flexible than some of your other options for the first section of your resume

Typically, a resume profile is a quick paragraph or set of bullet points filled with incomplete sentences. That’s right; it’s another spot where saying “I” isn’t part of the equation.

The purpose of a resume profile is to make it easy for the hiring manager to learn critical details about you. Usually, hiring managers spend less than two minutes reviewing resumes during the initial screening (and some may only skim a resume for 7.4 seconds before deciding whether to pursue a candidate).

That means you don’t have a lot of time to make a powerful impression. Luckily, with a great resume profile, two minutes may be more than you need.

What Makes a Great Resume Profile?

Alright, so you only have a tiny bit of time to catch a hiring manager’s attention. That means you need a stellar resume profile to entice them to give your resume (and you) some extra consideration.

Creating an outstanding resume profile means tapping on a few key points. Usually, you want to mention your:

• Amount of experience and job title, or recent relevant education
• Area of expertise
• Relevant skills
• Relevant achievements

You can also touch on your career goals if you can position them in the right way. While your goals are about, well, you, you need to cover them using an approach that aligns with the hiring manager’s needs. If you can do that, talking about your goals is an option here, too.

However, there’s more to the equation than that. You also need to tailor the information to the position.

As with all parts of your resume, updating your resume profile to match the specific job you want to score is crucial. That way, the content is relevant to that particular hiring manager, increasing the odds that they’ll find it enticing.

It’s also smart to through some numbers in there. On a resume, numbers visually stand out, so they attract the eye. If you want to make sure your resume profile gets noticed, quantifying a couple of the details can help.

Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that brevity is your friend here. In most cases, you want to limit your resume profile to just a few sentences max.

A giant wall of text is never a good idea, as it makes your resume hard to review. If you go past four sentences or so, you’re probably pushing your luck.

Common Resume Profile Mistakes

Just like with every other part of your resume, certain mistakes really hurt your chances of moving forward. Classics like spelling errors are always a problem, so keep an eye out for the basics when you craft your resume summary.

While we touched on this already, this one is worth restating; a big wall of text is a bad idea. If your resume profile is longer than four sentences, it can be hard to read, and that’s always a problem if you’re creating a resume.

Another issue is missing the mark when it comes to relevance. Always, always, always tailor your resume profile to the job. After all, you’re trying to attract a specific hiring manager. If you aren’t speaking to their unique needs, you aren’t going to make the best impression possible.

Talking too much about what you want or need is also a problem. Remember, when you’re writing a resume, it’s about you, but it also isn’t. Yes, you’re sharing an overview of what you bring to the table. But your goal should be to address the hiring manager’s needs, not what you want out of the deal.

How to Write a Resume Profile

Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to decide how to approach a section of your resume. Without a solid strategy, it’s difficult to showcase what you want to share in the best way possible.

Luckily, you’re here, and we’ve got your back. If you’re trying to figure out how to write a profile for a resume, here’s a step-by-step process that can help.

1. Lead Off with Your Relevant Experience or Education

Typically, the first thing you want to touch on is your relevant experience or education. If you’re already working in the field, the formula is very simple:

[Job title] with [number] of years of experience in .

For example, if you are a software developer, it could say, “Software developer with 6 years of experience in custom Java application development.” For a high school administrator, it could say, “High school administrator with 8 years of experience working with at-risk students.”

If you don’t have relevant experience, then leading off with your education can be a better choice. The formula for this approach is:

Recent [school name] graduate with [degree level] in [major], with a focus on [knowledge area] and [knowledge area].

For the “knowledge area” sections, you’ll showcase relevant coursework or expertise. That way, you can highlight your specialty areas.

For example, “Recent University of Washington graduate with Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, with a focus on networking and telecommunications” can work. You can also tweak the approach a bit, going with something like, “Recent Arizona State University Master of Accountancy graduate with a focus on accounting analytics and advanced auditing.”

Just getting out of high school and looking for your first job? You can also use this recent graduate approach too. Start off with “Recent high school graduate” instead. Then, discuss relevant skills – including soft skills or traits – that make you a great fit for the job. You can also mention your GPA if it was stellar, as it could help you stand out, and it lets you get some numbers into the mix.

2. Mention an Area of Expertise

While you technically tapped on areas of expertise in the first step, this is one spot where you want to double down. That way, you can mention more of the job’s required skills or experience in your resume profile, making yours even more relevant in the eyes of the hiring manager.

Usually, you’ll want to add a single sentence that taps on an industry-specific job duty-related capability. You may say, “Highly skilled at [relevant job requirement or capability” or “Proven expertise in handling [relevant job task].”

Again, you want to quantify the details whenever possible, so make sure to get a number in there if you can.

3. List Job-Related Skills

Now, you’re going to talk a bit more about job skills. With this, you may need to customize the approach depending on how much experience you have. For example, if you’re newer to the field, you may have a “working knowledge,” while those with more experience could have “comprehensive knowledge.”

Choose an accurate descriptor for the skills you include. Then, mention two or three that you have that align with the job description.

4. Add an Accomplishment

By ending your resume profile with an achievement, you can close out with another opportunity for some numbers. Plus, it gives you a final chance to really pack a punch, so pick an accomplishment that relates to the role and that you can quantify.

10 Resume Profile Examples

Alright, it’s time for what you’ve all been waiting for: resume profile examples. These are all based on the points above, though each one is adapted to fit the needs of the role and where a person may be professionally. As a result, some may include certain points and not others or may focus more heavily on areas that will provide the hiring manager with the most value.

With all of that in mind, here are 10 different resume profile examples, each targeting a different kind of position and moment in a person’s career.

1. Entry-Level Customer Service

Recent high school graduate with a 4.0 GPA and excellent communication skills. Highly skilled at teamwork and collaboration, as well as maintaining a positive attitude when faced with challenges. Lead school volunteering club car wash, which earned $1,500 for local charities in one day.

2. Early Career Administrative Assistant

Administrative assistant with 3 years of experience assisting fast-paced consulting firm. Highly skilled at data entry, business communications, and report generation. Comprehensive knowledge of schedule management. Updated office filing processes to align with digital transformation initiative, resulting in an annual savings of $3,500.

3. Recent Graduate Network Administrator

Recent University of Washington graduate with Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, with a focus on networking and telecommunications. Completed 4 major projects during studies, honing critical security and project management skills. Highly knowledgeable of emerging trends, including cloud-based solutions and telecommuting technologies.

4. Recent Graduate Accountant

Recent Arizona State University Master of Accountancy graduate with a focus on accounting analytics and advanced auditing. Completed internship with ABC Firm, strengthening a foundation in GAAP, as well as increasing knowledge of account management and in-depth analysis. Expertise in advanced audit reporting with a goal of increasing operational efficiency and ensuring accuracy.

5. Mid-Career Marketing Professional

Agile marketing professional with 5 years working for large-scale, multi-product businesses. Introduced email campaign updates that lead to 18 percent rise in click-thru rates and a 20% boost in related sales. Experienced in KPI identification and tracking. Managed $20,000 marketing campaign for new product launch, exceeding resulting sales expectations 10-fold.

6. Mid-Career Software Developer

Experienced full-stack software developer with 7+ years of experience with JavaScript, Python, and Java. Proven expertise in handling custom software development projects for clients in the healthcare space, and working knowledge of HIPAA and other healthcare industry requirements. Track record of completing projects, on average, 5% ahead of schedule and 12% under budget.

7. Mid-Career Nurse

Multilingual nurse with 4 years of experience in high-traffic emergency rooms. Successfully balances patient care quality with efficiency, leading to a 15% boost in patient satisfaction. Implemented scheduling processes that reduced staffing costs by 5%.

8. Early Management IT Professional

Committed IT supervisor with 5 years of experience overseeing 6-person tech team. Skilled at coaching and performance management, and familiar with DevOps and Agile methodologies. Implemented cloud-based solution that resulted in a $5,000 year-over-year cost savings. Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).

9. Experienced HR Department Manager

Human Resources Manager with 10 years of experience leading teams of 15+ HR professionals. Successful implementation of diversity and inclusion initiatives that led to 20% boosts in employee retention and 15% reduction in time-to-hire. SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

10. C-Suite-Level Company Leader

Forward-thinking bilingual Executive with 6 years of experience leading enterprise-level multi-national corporations while maintaining a customer-centric vision. Experienced with balancing the strategic needs across multiple departments based on a big picture perspective. Created operational policies that boosted overall company productivity by 18% while reducing costs by 10%.

Putting It All Together

Ultimately, creating a winning resume profile is fairly simple. Use the tips above to ensure yours hits the mark. That way, your first impression on the hiring manager will be a strong one.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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20+ Resume Profile Examples for All Industries (+ How-to Guide)

A resume profile is a short paragraph (3–5 sentences) at the top of your resume that summarizes your career so far. It contains only crucial information like your proudest accomplishments, top skills, or key experiences. Based on it, recruiters will instantly know whether you’re a relevant candidate, and they’ll carefully read your resume instead of barely scanning it.

We’ll help you write an attention-grabbing resume profile statement and provide tips on how to pick out the relevant information to include.

You’ll also get 20+ resume profile examples to steal or get inspired by.

After reading this article, you’ll know:

• How to create an attention-grabbing, high-quality resume profile
• How to highlight your best achievements
• How to customize your resume profile statement for each new position (it’s easier than it sounds!)
• Most common mistakes to avoid

What Is a Resume Profile?

A resume profile is a short block of text at the top of your resume, right below contact information.

It’s an umbrella term for a resume summary and a resume objective . So when you come across the term resume profile or resume profile statement, remember that it basically means a resume summary and occasionally (for candidates who have limited experience) a resume objective. (Click the links above if you want to learn more about what makes these two different.)

A profile section of a resume contains only the key information from your career.

⚠️ Pro tip: It should always be focused on what you can do for the company, not on what you want out of the job. You can negotiate your conditions later on — in a resume profile, you need to show the value you bring to the table.

Let’s take a look at a good resume profile example.

Notice how the candidate focuses on their areas of expertise and backs them up with specific, quantifiable achievements (%). They also mention being excited about joining the company and how they can contribute.

Sample resume profile

Experienced Retail Store Manager with 5+ years in the industry, responsible for leading teams and driving sales. Increased sales year-over-year by 17% and reduced employee churn by 21%. Strong leadership and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to coach and develop others. Excited about joining Zara’s team and increasing sales through outstanding customer service and organizational skills.

Below is a bad resume profile statement example for the same position.

I’m a dedicated Retail Store Manager. My experience includes managing a store and making sales, as well as onboarding and training new employees. I speak fluent Spanish and possess outstanding communication skills. I’m looking to join a company where I could further develop my sales and managerial skills.

Not horrible? Maybe. But far from stellar. Here’s why:

• The candidate described their position, even though it’s common knowledge what that position entails.
• They did not include any quantifiable results or proof of their skills and expertise.
• This resume profile also lacks powerful words or action verbs that would make it more impactful.
• Finally, the candidate used a lot of personal pronouns, which is a big no-no (a resume is always written without a subject).

Resume Profile Examples for the Most Popular Industries and Professions

Here’s the list of resume profile examples for different industries and professions. We hope it will help you get inspired to write your own professional profile for a resume efficiently.

(Or you can just copy the example relevant to your industry, tweak the metrics and the wording a bit and you’ll be good to go!)

If you want to learn more about the ins and outs of writing a resume profile and get step-by-step tips for how to create yours, feel free to scroll down to the next section.

Store Manager resume profile

Experienced retail Store Manager with 5+ years of experience in the apparel industry. Strong leadership and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to coach and develop others. Increased sales year-over-year by 21% and decreased employee churn by 17%. Excited about joining Zara’s team and increasing sales through outstanding customer service and managerial skills.

Customer Service Representative resume profile

Patient and highly organized Senior Customer Service Representative with 5+ years of experience in the trucking and logistics industry. Extensive experience with all major electronic logging devices. Successfully finished 2022 with a 97.2% customer satisfaction rate, leading a team of 7. Looking to join Interex’s team, form a Customer Care team, and establish procedures and benchmarks for successful operations.

Call Center Representative resume profile

Resourceful Call Center Representative with 2+ years of experience in the B2B sector. Highly developed communication and problem-solving skills; thrives in fast-paced environments. At Spinfluence, increased customer satisfaction rates by 27% and handled 70-80 customer calls daily. Excited about joining Omnilert and leading customer service initiatives to boost satisfaction rates and company reputation.

Content Writer resume profile

A dedicated recent graduate with M.A. in English language and literature. 5+ years of writing experience for various types of content, including descriptive, analytical, persuasive, and critical content. Winner of the Alexander Rose Memorial Award for Excellence in Creative Writing in 2021. Excited about contributing to Big Interview’s content marketing team with superb research, writing, and editing skills.

Business Development Manager resume profile

A motivated Business Development Manager with more than 8 years of experience in the fashion industry. Secured a $3.2M contract in previous company and boosted yearly revenue by 32%. Excited about contributing to Skill Communication’s revenue with extraordinary marketing and sales knowledge and skills.

Nurse resume profile

Diligent, registered nurse with 15+ years of experience in private and public hospitals throughout Europe. Specialized in ER, ICU, and burn unit. Nurtured over 45,000 patients and increased customer satisfaction by 25% by adopting and implementing new medical quality control procedures. Wants to join Clearwater hospital and contribute to service quality with excellent medical and people skills.

Software Engineer resume profile

Dedicated Software Engineer with more than 4 years of experience in the education industry. Advanced knowledge of Ruby on Rails, Java, JavaScript, SQL Server, and No SQL. Created numerous features for an interviewing and resume-building platform that generated more than 1M users. Eager to join Big Interview and build advanced features for users around the world.

HR Professional resume profile

People-oriented HR professional with 5+ years of experience. Skilled at employee retention and development. Created and implemented a new learning and development system, which resulted in a 32% employee churn decrease. Excited about joining Aventura and building a world-class team with exceptional human capital and workplace culture development skills.

Marketing Manager resume profile

Data-oriented Marketing Manager with 7 years of experience in the advertising industry. Focused on and excelling at content marketing and email marketing. Successfully handled 7 key accounts with a 95% customer satisfaction score. Looking to join Essence’s Marketing team and increase revenue through tried-and-tested marketing tactics.

Security Guard resume profile

Reliable Security Guard with over 10 years of experience in retail settings. Highly skilled in non-violent crisis management. Overlooked the entire building with only 2 safety incidents in the last 3 years. Wants to join Sephora and ensure a safe working environment through outstanding surveillance and property safety skills.

Receptionist resume profile

Dependable Receptionist with 15 years of experience at luxury hotels. Excels at administrative and front-desk tasks. Fluent in Spanish and Italian. In 2022, handled telecommunications and scheduling with 100% accuracy. Excited about building White Lotus’s image through outstanding customer service skills.

Food Delivery resume profile

Efficient and dependable Food Delivery Driver with 2 years of experience. Skilled in meeting strict deadlines in hectic environments. Winner of the Employee of the month award three times in a row at Dominic’s Pizza. Looking to join Vega and drive brand loyalty through punctual, customer-oriented service.

Accountant resume profile

Ethical Accountant with over 20 years of experience in tax accounting and financial auditing. Skilled in data analysis and budgeting. Reduced a client’s overall business expenditure, saving the company $1M over the course of one year. Enthusiastic about joining Lira IT, managing accounting transactions, and improving company profits.

Project Manager resume profile

Highly organized Project Manager with 5 years of experience in the SaaS space. Excels at planning and managing product implementation and development. Planned and forecasted resource requirements with 98% accuracy in the last 2 years. Excited about joining BackEight and building a successful email automation solution.

Administrative Assistant resume profile

Reliable Administrative Assistant with 3 years of experience. Possesses a strong understanding of corporate policies and procedures. Increased Operations’ team productivity by 32% by simplifying existing operational regulations. Looking to join Evito and support the team with outstanding organizational skills.

Teacher resume profile

Dedicated English teacher with 9 years of experience in high schools. Skilled at implementing numerous pedagogical strategies to successfully teach and develop adolescent students. Winner of the Teacher of the Year award in 2022. Excited to join Eagleton High School and contribute to youth education and development through extensive pedagogical experience.

How to Write a Resume Profile

Here’s a foolproof formula for you:

[Your position + years of experience + industry]. [General experience + key skills]. [Your biggest achievements (quantitative or qualitative)]. [How you can contribute to the company you’ve applied for].

And here’s the process of writing a resume profile statement:

Mention your job title and years of experience

List your key skills, mention your top achievements, describe how your past experience can translate into success for the new organization, write your resume profile last.

• Tailor each resume profile statement to a specific job ad

Let’s break it down and help you craft a show-stopping professional profile for a resume that will land you that interview.

Adding your current (or latest) job title and years of experience (and optionally industry) will give recruiters some context right away. Spice it up with one or two key adjectives that best describe you.

For example:

• A creative Content Writer with 4+ years of experience in the B2B space.
• A dedicated Customer Service Representative with 2 years of experience in the trucking and logistics industry.
• Senior Retail Manager with 9+ years of experience.

In the next sentence, list your key skills relevant to the position. If you’re changing industries or have limited experience, think of relevant transferable skills you could bring up. As always, try to be as specific as possible.

• Skilled at writing long-form, educational content for one of the top 10 largest HR firms in the US.
• Highly developed communication and problem-solving skills; thrives in fast-paced environments.
• Excels at training and leading email marketing teams and driving sales.

Remember those quantifiable achievements you need to list in the Work Experience section ?

It’s time to pick out the most impressive one and list it in the profile section of a resume.

Remember the time you saved the company some money; or increased sales; or engaged and retained customers or team members? List that.

Can’t come up with an impressive achievement?

Think about your duties and view them through the lens of:

• Frequency: how often you delivered, how many calls you took per day, etc.
• Scale: how many people you managed, how big the budgets you handled were.
• Qualitative achievements: if you don’t have hard numbers but you know you did something well, mention it. This can be a promotion, employee of the month award, etc.
• Increased blog traffic by 21% in 2022.
• Increased customer satisfaction rates by 19% in 2021 by developing and implementing a new operational policy.
• Increased monthly sales by 37% in Q3 2022 and decreased employee churn by 13% through a new reward and development program.
• Winner of the Employee of the Month award 3 months in a row.
• Successfully taking 50–70 customer calls per day and resolving issues within 10 minutes.

For more help, read all about How to list achievements and accomplishments on a resume (tons of examples included).

Remember that you need to focus on how you will contribute to the company, not on what you need from it.

Now’s the time to do it.

This sentence is usually the last one. In it, say that you are excited to join their company and do X by means of Y.

X = The plans or initiatives that were mentioned in the job ad; or the goals planned for that particular position.

Y = Your experience and expertise.

• Excited about joining Big Interview and leading customer service initiatives to boost satisfaction rates and company reputation.
• Looking to contribute to Big Interview’s content strategy with superb writing, editing, and SEO skills.
• Excited to join Zara’s retail team to boost sales and increase customer satisfaction with excellent customer service and communication skills.

A friendly piece of advice: although a resume profile statement comes at the top of your resume, make it the last section you write.

This is a very short paragraph that needs to contain only the essential information. If you write it first, you’ll likely forget to include a valuable piece of info. You’ll also probably be a bit vague and waste precious space.

So write it at the very end. You’ll be able to see the bigger picture, prioritize information, and pick out the jewels of your career thus far.

Tailor each resume profile to a specific job ad

We always recommend tailoring your entire resume to a specific job ad — the resume profile is no different.

Each job ad contains specific requirements and keywords. Including those keywords will prove that you have the exact experience they’re looking for.

In addition, it will help you pass the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) easily.

Here are some tips on how to make your resume stand out:

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Here’s a bad example of a professional profile for a resume for a Store Manager. On the face of it, it looks fine. Heck, it actually seems to follow the formula we outlined above! But let’s take a closer look.

Let’s dissect it to see which common mistakes you need to avoid.

Being generic

Whenever you can, include details about the industry you’re in, the type of clients you worked for, work achievements and not duties, and how exactly you can contribute to the company.

The example above is generic as it contains a lot of words that say essentially nothing.

“Motivated store manager with over 5 years of retail experience”.

❌ “Motivated” might not be the best adjective to use, as it’s not painting an exact picture and it’s a general trait that is not THAT relevant to a store manager position. Highly organized? Reliable? Process-driven? Much better! These tell us a bit about the person’s capabilities and priorities.

❌ “…Over 5 years of retail experience” — if they’re a store manager, it’s very likely they’re in retail. Instead of being generic, they could have mentioned the industry (apparel; cosmetics, auto retailers, home furnishing, etc.).

Be as specific as possible; otherwise, you’ll leave recruiters in the dark.

Using buzzwords and meaningless jargon

Buzzwords waste space. They’re the fast food of your resume. Tempting but useless.

❌ “Looking for new opportunities to utilize my skills and experience to drive business success”. Utilize what to do what? What does business success even mean?

Not to mention the fact that this candidate appears focused on themselves and their goals only.

Not referring to the job ad

We’ve said this so many times we’re getting a bit tired of ourselves.

The resume profile, the work experience section, skills, tailor everything.

Not quantifying your achievements

Always quantify your achievements; otherwise, recruiters won’t know how good at your job you are.

Key Takeaways

• A resume profile is like a trailer for the movie that is your resume. You need to crush it or your resume’s box office will be a flop.
• Use this bulletproof formula: [Position + experience + industry] + [General experience + key skills] + [Biggest achievements (quantitative or qualitative)] + [Potential contribution] .
• Hand-pick your key skills and best achievements.
• Explain how your experience can contribute to the prospective company’s success.
• Write your resume profile last, after you’re done with the rest of the resume.
• Tailor each resume profile statement to a specific job ad.
• Don’t be generic and don’t use buzzwords.
• Have someone check your resume (look for missing info, formatting inconsistencies, typos, etc.). A quick and easy solution is to upload your resume to our Resume AI tool which will give you exhaustive feedback and help you polish your profile section of a resume and the rest of it.

_______________________

Need a hand? There’s 3 ways we can help you:

• Learn how to write an eye-catching resume that lands jobs
• Discover how to list work experience in a resume
• Get Resume AI and improve your resume minutes

Now go and write! Good luck!

How to write a resume profile if I have no experience?

If you don’t have relevant experience, you can create an effective resume objective (remember that resume profile is an umbrella term for both resume summary and resume objective). In your resume objective, you will focus on who you are as a professional and what you look for in your career and in a particular role. Emphasize your potential, your transferable skills, relevant certifications and courses, and how you can contribute to the company. As always, you’ll want to tailor your resume objective to each role you apply for.

Do I have to include the profile section on my resume?

It is recommended to include a profile section of a resume, resume summary, or resume objective because they help grab recruiters’ and hiring managers’ attention. Including a resume profile also helps save the hiring decision maker’s time, immediately presenting how your skills are relevant to the job.

What’s the difference between a resume profile, a resume summary, and a resume objective?

A resume profile is an umbrella term for resume summary and resume objective. A resume summary is a paragraph at the top of a resume that provides a short overview of your key achievements, skills, and qualifications. It’s suitable for experienced professionals. It is focused on what you bring to the table and how the company will benefit from having you on their team. A resume objective, on the other hand, focuses on your career goals and aspirations. It includes the type of job you’re seeking and what you want to achieve in that role. It’s suitable for candidates with no experience, for entry-level positions, or career changers.

What are the best words to use in a resume profile?

The best words to use in a professional profile for a resume are action verbs which showcase your drive and achievements (accomplished, administered, achieved, increased, decreased, doubled, converted, solved, executed, established, implemented…), and power words to better describe you (result-oriented, analytical, innovative, adaptable, committed, experienced…).

What to include in a professional resume profile?

Include your position, years of experience, and industry. Then, a bit of general experience and some of your key skills. Add your proudest accomplishments and quantify them, and finish off with a short description of how you can contribute to the company.

Should a resume include a profile picture?

In the US (and many other countries), it is not recommended to include a headshot on a resume in order to avoid discrimination and unconscious bias. Besides, the whole point of your resume is to highlight your achievements and skills which have nothing to do with the way you look. However, in some countries (mainly in Asia and South America) people usually include their photos. Although we still don’t recommend it, it’s best to check best practices for the company and the country in which you’re applying. Of course, certain job ads will require a photo, so you’ll need to include it in your resume (like for modeling, acting, etc.).

Maja Stojanovic

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How To Write An Effective Resume Profile (With Examples)

In This Guide:

Tackling the difficulty of writing “about me”, do you need a resume profile, professional resume profile: how to write one, examples from different industries, what else can you include besides a resume profile, what is the difference between a resume profile and resume summary, resume profile: gotchas & takeaways.

Title: “How To Write An Effective Resume Profile (With Examples)”

In a world full of distractions, it’s extremely hard to get someone’s attention.

Recruiters and hiring managers are no exception.

That’s why starting with a decent resume profile is a great way to hook the reader and get their attention.

This way, you can significantly increase your chances of landing a job interview.

In the following article you will learn:

• How to overcome the struggle of writing about yourself
• When and why you need a resume profile
• How to write one that will put you ahead of other applicants
• Real industry examples to help you find inspiration

Let’s dive right in!

Writing about yourself is simply the easiest task for some and at the same time the most difficult one for others.

But why is that so?

In most cases, the reason is a lack of confidence or no clear idea of what information is most pertinent.

Luckily, we are here to help you.

We will provide you with an outline of how to write a great resume profile, and help you feel more comfortable with describing your ambitions, goals, and previous achievements.

But before we discuss why you need a resume profile, here are a few tips on how not to sound awkward:

• Don’t try to make people like you
• Don’t use jokes in your resume profile
• Rephrase your sentences to find the best, yet simple, wording
• Shorten your sentences and be specific

But first and foremost, what is a resume profile?

A resume profile is a section of a resume that includes a brief summary of an applicant’s previous experience, skills, and future goals related to a specific job opening.

With that being said, you know that this  resume section  can really help you stand out among the rest of the candidates.  

To fully understand what to include in it, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you changing careers?
• Are you an experienced professional?
• Are you an entry-level worker, a recent college graduate, or still a college student?

If you are changing careers, you should highlight your previous achievements and proven track record of successful case studies in your recent jobs. You can briefly describe why you decided to change your career path and embark on a new journey, professionally.

If the answer to the second question is yes, you can write even more about your previous success stories.

Mention how you helped your former company achieve great results and why you were a valued member of the team. You might also include a “promise” of how you can help your new employer achieve their goals based on your experience and knowledge.

And last, if you are an entry-level worker or still a college student, focus on the future! Set new goals that you want to achieve and describe how you fit the company’s mission and culture.

We know it may sound overwhelming, but don’t worry. If you follow the structure, creating a resume profile is simple!

As we mentioned, it’s all about the right structure and points you want to highlight.

Based on our long-term experience, we found the formula to create the perfect resume profile!

All you need to highlight is:

• Key achievements

Start with your experience. If you have a long employment history, tailor your resume and your resume profile in a way it suits the position you’re applying to.

If you are not sure how to tailor your resume properly, don’t hesitate to check out our detailed article where we guide you through the process!

Key achievements are also a great way to show your expertise and convince the hiring manager that you are the right applicant for the job. Add them right after the experience to bring more value to the opening lines.

Last but not least, highlight your technical and soft skills to enrich your resume profile even more. Present yourself as a professional with great technical knowledge and a colleague who is always there for the team!

Where does it go in your resume?

Your resume profile is a perfect fit for the top of your resume. Most recruiters won’t read the document if the start is not relevant to the position. Always begin with the header, followed by the resume profile.

The hiring managers will get to know you and your goals and will be able to decide whether to give you a chance or not.

Let’s check out some great industry examples!

Project Management Resume Profile example:

As you can see, Alex writes about his 5 years’ experience in covering project and product management to demonstrate strong experience in the field. After that, he presents himself as a fast and eager learner, who can quickly adapt to any changes and project requirements.

The whole resume profile is simple, clear, and straight to the point!

Interior Design Resume Profile Example:

In this case, John Seamore lacks a work history but has 3 years of freelance and volunteer experience. He plays well with the numbers to strengthen the statement in his resume profile.

The resume profile is simple, clear, and gives enough valuable information to the hiring managers!

Computer Science Resume Objective Example:

<>Here, the applicant again lacks work experience, but the approach is different. He speaks more about what his goal is – to join the ABC development team as a software engineer. He mentions his position as a co-founder of SaveIt student finance management service, which shows he has an entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to develop. Again, the whole summary is clear and straight to the point.

CHECK OUT 10 MORE EXAMPLES OF RESUME PROFILES HERE

A resume profile is only one of the  secondary resume sections  you might want to include to empower your CV.

Some other sections to consider are:

• Headline title – This is the opening section at the top of your resume that serves as a way for the recruiters to get to know who you are and how to contact you. It’s the first thing an employer should see and the one that makes the first impression.
• Key achievements section – In this section, it’s appropriate to give more information about your greatest achievements and any certificates earned.
• Strengths – If you have strong characteristics that you want to share with your future employer, this section is the right place for that!
• My time – The distribution of your time is a great way to describe what type of person you are as well as outline your hobbies and interests.

Frankly, there is no difference at all.

A resume profile is another way to say resume objective or resume summary. The purpose of these sections is the same – to grab the attention of the reader, present you in the best possible way and tilt the scales in your direction.

Let’s summarize:

• It’s not so hard to write about yourself if you know the right structure and process.
• No matter if you just finished university or if you are on the path to a career change, you need a resume profile.
• Following our formula can help you write a professional resume profile quickly and easily.
• Your resume profile should be unique, depending on the industry you are operating in.
• There is no difference between a resume profile and summary.

What did you think of this article? Do you feel ready to create an awesome resume profile? Share your thoughts in the comments! :)

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Resume Profile: Examples & What to Put in Your Own Profile

A resume profile is a short summary of your skills, experiences, and qualifications written at the top of your resume. It introduces you as a candidate and highlights what you can offer to a potential employer. This section is becoming increasingly popular among job seekers, and for good reason.

What is a Resume Profile?

As mentioned, a resume profile is a short paragraph at the top of your resume that provides a snapshot of who you are as a candidate. It usually consists of 2-3 sentences or bullet points that summarize your professional background, relevant skills, and achievements. It’s also known as a summary or a personal statement.

Why is a Resume Profile Important?

Hiring managers and recruiters receive hundreds of resumes for each job opening. To save time, they often skim through resumes, especially at the initial screening stage. A resume profile grabs their attention and gives them a quick overview of your qualifications. It also helps them decide whether to read on or not. A well-written profile can make you stand out from the sea of applicants and increase your chances of getting an interview.

How to Write a Good Resume Profile

A good resume profile should be tailored to the specific job you’re applying for. It should highlight your relevant skills, experiences, and achievements that match the requirements of the job. It should also be concise, easy to read, and error-free.

To write a good resume profile, start by researching the job you’re applying for and the company you’re targeting. Identify the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the job and make a list. Then, craft a short paragraph that summarizes your qualifications and how they align with the job requirements. Use action verbs and quantify your achievements to make them more compelling. Finally, proofread your profile and make sure it’s free of typos and grammatical errors.

A resume profile is a powerful tool that can help you market yourself effectively to potential employers. By following these tips, you can write a compelling and effective profile that sets you apart from other applicants.

The Basics of Creating a Strong Resume Profile

A resume profile is a brief statement that summarizes your skills, qualifications, experience, and career objectives. It is one of the most critical parts of your resume, as it serves as your introduction to potential employers. A well-written resume profile can help you stand out from the crowd of applicants and increase your chances of getting hired. Here are some tips on how to create a strong resume profile:

Tips for Writing a Great Resume Profile

• Be concise and to the point: Your resume profile should be no longer than a few sentences. Avoid long paragraphs and unnecessary information.
• Focus on your skills and qualifications: Highlight your most relevant skills and qualifications that match the job you are applying for.
• Use keywords: Use keywords that are specific to the job you are applying for. This will help your resume get picked up by applicant tracking systems (ATS).
• Be specific: Use concrete examples to illustrate your skills and qualifications. For example, if you have experience managing a team, mention the number of people you managed and the results you achieved.
• Customize your profile: Tailor your profile to the job you are applying for. Use the job description and company information to craft a profile that showcases how you are a strong fit for the role.

How to Make Your Profile Stand Out

There are several ways to make your resume profile stand out:

• Show your personality: Inject some personality into your profile to make it memorable. Use humor or anecdotes that highlight your unique qualities.
• Use a professional tone: While you want to show your personality, you also need to maintain a professional tone in your profile.
• Highlight your achievements: Use your profile to showcase your past achievements and how they relate to the job you are applying for.
• Use numbers and percentages: Quantify your achievements with numbers and percentages to make them more impactful.
• Be relevant: Ensure that everything you mention in your profile is relevant to the job you are applying for.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Resume Profile

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when writing your resume profile:

• Being too general: Avoid using generic statements that could apply to anyone. Be specific about your skills and qualifications.
• Being too long-winded: Keep your profile short and to the point.
• Being too informal: While you want to show your personality, avoid being too informal in your profile.
• Focusing on duties rather than achievements: Instead of focusing on your day-to-day duties, focus on what you achieved in your past roles.
• Using cliches: Avoid using phrases like “team player” or “results-driven.” Instead, use specific examples to illustrate your skills and qualifications.

Your resume profile is a crucial part of your job application. By following these tips and avoiding common mistakes, you can craft a strong profile that showcases your skills, achievements, and personality.

The Structure of a Strong Resume Profile

A strong resume profile is essential for making a great first impression on potential employers. It should showcase your expertise, accomplishments, and unique qualities that make you the right fit for the job. Here are the key elements that should be included in a strong resume profile:

Overview of Key Elements

The key elements of a strong resume profile include a headline statement, professional summary, professional experience, education and certification, skills and expertise, and personal interests and achievements. Each of these elements should be tailored to the specific job you are applying for and highlight your unique skills and qualifications.

Headline Statement

The headline statement is the first thing potential employers will see on your resume. It should be attention-grabbing and clearly state the type of job you are seeking. For example, if you are a digital marketer looking for a job in social media, your headline statement could be “Social Media Strategist with 5+ Years of Experience.”

Professional Summary

The professional summary is a brief overview of your skills, experience, and accomplishments. It should be tailored to the specific job you are applying for and highlight your most relevant qualifications. For example, if you are applying for a marketing position, your professional summary could include your experience in branding, strategy, and analytics.

Professional Experience

Your professional experience is one of the most important elements of your resume profile. It should detail your work history, focusing on key accomplishments and responsibilities that demonstrate your ability to excel in the job you are applying for. Use bullet points to make this section easy to read and highlight the most important aspects of each position.

Education and Certification

Your education and certification should be listed in reverse chronological order. This section should include any degrees or certifications you have earned that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Be sure to list the institution where you earned your degree or certification, as well as any honors or awards you received.

Skills and Expertise

The skills and expertise section should highlight your technical and soft skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Include any software or technical skills you have, as well as any certifications you have earned. Soft skills, such as communication and leadership, should also be listed here.

Personal Interests and Achievements

The personal interests and achievements section may not seem like an important part of your resume profile, but it can help you stand out from other candidates. This section should highlight your hobbies and interests that demonstrate your work ethic, creativity, and leadership skills. It can also include any awards or recognition you have received outside of work.

A strong resume profile should showcase your skills, experience, and unique qualities that make you the right fit for the job you are applying for. By tailoring each element of your resume profile to the job you are applying for, you can increase your chances of getting hired.

Examples of Effective Resume Profiles

Example of a strong headline statement.

A headline statement is an attention-grabbing sentence that highlights your professional branding, experience, and career goals. A strong headline statement emphasizes your unique value proposition and contributes to your employer’s knowledge about your background.

Example: Sales Professional with 8+ Years of Experience Driving Revenue Growth and Building Customer Relationships.

Example of a Powerful Professional Summary

A professional summary is a brief overview of your career objective, relevant experience, and accomplishments that will impress hiring managers. A compelling professional summary showcases your potential to add value to the organization and encourages the recruiter to see your resume as a worthwhile investment.

Example: Highly motivated Project Manager with 10+ years of experience in IT, always striving for efficiency and successful project delivery. Skilled in team management, stakeholder communication, and project tracking techniques for effective task completion.

Sample Job-Specific Profiles

Customizing your resume for a particular job is essential for demonstrating your qualifications, suitability, and interest in the role. A job-specific profile highlights your relevant skills, achievements, and experience that meet the employer’s requirements.

Example: Healthcare Professional with 5+ Years of Experience in Nursing.

Profile Examples for Job Seekers with Limited Experience

If you are starting your career, you may not have a wealth of experience to draw from, but you can still create a competitive resume profile by other means. A job seeker’s profile for individuals with limited experience should focus on transferable skills and personal attributes that demonstrate a strong work ethic, motivation, and willingness to learn.

Example: A recent college graduate with a degree in Marketing, who excelled in research, analytics, and communication, seeking an entry-level marketing position.

Profiles for Career Changers

Career changers seeking to shift to a new industry, function, or role need to draw attention to their transferable skills, experience, and education that align with the new career direction. By emphasizing skills that are relevant to the new job, hiring managers can see how you can successfully pivot to a different career path.

Example: Experienced sales professional with a demonstrated track record of exceeding sales quotas, looking to transition into a business development role in the tech industry.

Your resume profile sets the tone for your entire resume and is a critical component of your job application. By using these effective resume profile examples, you can create a powerful narrative that highlights your qualifications and passion for the job, giving you a competitive edge in the job market.

How to Tailor Your Resume Profile to Different Job Opportunities

If you’re like most job seekers, you probably have a standard resume that you send out to all potential employers. However, it’s important to remember that not all jobs or companies are the same, and a one-size-fits-all approach may not be the most effective way of presenting yourself to potential employers. Here are some tips on how to tailor your resume profile to different job opportunities:

Research the Job and the Company

Before you begin writing your resume, take the time to research both the job and the company you’re applying to. This will give you a better idea of the specific skills and experiences that the employer is looking for, as well as the company culture and values. Use this information to tweak your resume profile and ensure that you’re presenting yourself as the ideal candidate for the job.

Highlight Your Relevant Skills and Experience

When it comes to your experience and skills, don’t be afraid to spotlight only those that are most relevant to the job opening. This means emphasizing your experiences and skills that align with what the job posting or company description is indicating that they need from candidates.

Don’t Overdo It

At the same time, it’s important not to overdo it when highlighting your relevant skills and experience. You don’t want to come across as over-qualified or desperate. Instead, strike a balance between showcasing your talents and keeping it concise.

Be Concise and Relevant

Finally, make sure that all the information you include in your resume profile is concise and directly relevant to the job you’re applying for. You don’t need to include every detail of your work history or accomplishments. Instead, focus on the most impactful experiences that illustrate your qualifications for the job at hand.

Tailoring your resume profile is not just important, it’s essential if you want to stand out from other candidates and land the job of your dreams. Take the time to research and customize your resume to each job opportunity you pursue, and you’ll increase your chances of success.

Making Your Resume Profile ATS (Application Tracking Systems) Friendly

As technology advances, more recruiters and hiring managers are using Application Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan resumes and filter out candidates who do not meet specific criteria. Unsurprisingly, this means that optimizing your resume for ATS is important to ensure that your profile has the best chance of making it to the next phase of the hiring process. Here is what you need to know about ATS and how to optimize your resume profile for them.

Understanding ATS

An ATS is a software program that is used by recruiters to manage the recruitment process efficiently. They enable hiring managers to track resumes, screen candidates, and process job applications more quickly. ATS parses submitted resumes by breaking them down into relevant sections. These sections are then analyzed, and the software’s algorithms determine if a candidate’s profile matches the job’s requirements.

Tips to Optimize Your Resume Profile for ATS

Here are several steps to make your resume profile ATS friendly:

Use keywords: The first step to optimizing your resume for ATS is to use relevant keywords. These include job-specific technical skills, industry buzzwords, and certifications. Use these keywords in the job titles, skills, and experience sections of your resume.

Use clear formatting: Keep your resume formatting simple and avoid graphics or complicated layouts that could confuse the ATS. Stay clear of columns, tables, and strange characters. Stick to standard bullet points and avoid text boxes.

Use simple language: Avoid using overly complicated language when writing your resume profile. The ATS will struggle to understand technical jargon and use simple language to detail your experience.

Customize your profile: Each job application will require a different approach. Tailoring your resume to each role you apply for will increase the likelihood of it getting picked up by ATS software.

Avoiding Common ATS Mistakes

Here are some common ATS mistakes to avoid:

Resumes submitted as PDFs: While PDFs look professional, they can be challenging for ATS software to parse, potentially resulting in an incomplete or incorrectly parsed resume.

Unusual fonts or characters: Avoid using fonts that are difficult to read or contain characters that ATS may not be able to read.

Too much information: Keep your resume relevant and concise, and avoid including extraneous information that may confuse the ATS system.

Objective statements: While it may have been common to include an objective statement in the past, they are not useful for ATS in selecting an appropriate candidate. Instead, emphasize your relevant experience and skills.

In today’s job market, creating a resume profile that is ATS-friendly is essential. By understanding what ATS is looking for and using the right keywords, formatting, and language, you can maximize your chances of getting selected for interviews. Avoiding common ATS mistakes will also help your resume get through to the next round.

Formatting and Design of Your Resume Profile

When it comes to creating a professional-looking resume profile, formatting and design are essential components that can make or break your chances of getting noticed by potential employers. Your profile should be visually appealing, well-organized, and easy to read. Here are some tips for formatting your profile:

Tips for Formatting Your Profile

• Use a clean and simple layout that is easy on the eyes.
• Divide your profile into sections with clear headings and subheadings.
• Use bullet points to break up the text and make it easier to read.
• Make sure your font size and type are easy to read.
• Use white space to make your profile look less cluttered.

Color Schemes and Typography

While the design of your resume profile is important, it’s essential you don’t forget about the color schemes and typography. Choosing the right color schemes and typography is crucial because it can communicate the right message to recruiters and increase the chances of you getting hired.

When it comes to typography, use a font that is easy to read and suits your profession. For example, if you’re a designer, you might use a more creative font to reflect your skills, but if you’re in finance, a traditional font might be more appropriate.

When it comes to choosing color schemes, focus on using simple and professional colors. Avoid using too many colors or garish color combinations that can detract from your profile. Using the right color schemes can help convey the right message and make you appear more professional.

The Role of Visual Elements in Resume Profiles

Using visual elements in your resume profile can make it more attractive, engaging and help you stand out from the crowd. Images, charts, and graphs can help demonstrate your skills and achievements in a way that is easy to understand.

Moreover, using visual elements is a great way to break up your text and make your profile easier to scan. Although visual elements can be advantageous, be sure not to overload your profile with too many images or graphs that can make it look cluttered or confusing.

Formatting, color schemes, typography, and visual elements play a critical role in creating an effective and compelling resume profile. By following the tips and guidelines mentioned above, you can create a standout profile that can enhance your job search by grabbing the attention of employers and hiring managers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Resume Profiles

Common questions and concerns.

What is a resume profile?  A resume profile, also known as a professional profile or career summary, is a brief statement that highlights your skills, experience, and accomplishments as a job candidate. It is typically placed at the top of your resume, just below your name and contact information.

Is a resume profile necessary?  Absolutely! A resume profile serves as a powerful marketing tool that can make or break your chances of getting noticed by potential employers. It provides a concise overview of your qualifications and helps you stand out from other applicants.

What should you include in your resume profile?  Your resume profile should highlight your most relevant skills and achievements, as well as your career goals and objectives. Use strong action verbs and quantify your results whenever possible to showcase your impact.

How Long Should Your Resume Profile Be

How long should a resume profile be?  Your resume profile should be a brief statement of 3-4 lines or 50-100 words at most. It should be concise and focused on your most important qualifications.

Can you write a longer profile?  While it’s important to keep your resume profile concise, you can provide additional information in your resume’s experience and education sections. However, be mindful of the overall length of your resume – it should typically not exceed two pages.

Can You Expand Your Profile With Supplemental Materials

Can you include supplemental materials in your resume profile?  While it’s not recommended to include supplemental materials in your resume profile, you can provide links or attach relevant documents such as a portfolio or writing samples in your application.

What should you include in your supplemental materials?  Your supplemental materials should showcase your skills and provide evidence of your accomplishments. Select items that are directly relevant to the position you are applying for.

Should You Update Your Profile Regularly

Why is it important to update your resume profile regularly?  Your skills and achievements may change over time, and it’s important to keep your resume profile up-to-date to reflect your current qualifications. Additionally, updating your profile regularly can help you stay on top of your career goals and objectives.

How often should you update your resume profile?  You should update your resume profile whenever you experience a significant career change, complete a major project, or learn a new skill. It’s also a good practice to review and update your resume profile every six months to a year, even if there have been no significant changes in your career trajectory.

A strong resume profile is a key component of an effective resume. Keep your profile concise and focused, highlight your most relevant skills, and update it regularly to showcase your career growth and progress.

Tips for Writing a Cover Letter That Complements Your Resume Profile

When it comes to job search, a cover letter is just as important as your resume. In fact, it complements your resume profile by providing an opportunity for you to showcase specific skills and experiences that match the job requirements. Here’s the breakdown of the tips on how to write an effective cover letter that complements your resume profile:

Overview of the Cover Letter

A cover letter is a one-page document that accompanies your resume when you apply for a job. Its purpose is to introduce yourself, highlight your relevant qualifications, and convey your motivation for applying for the position. It should grab the employer’s attention and convince them to consider you for an interview.

Tips for Writing a Cover Letter that Stands Out

To make a great impression, your cover letter should be tailored to the company and the job requirements. Here are some tips to make your cover letter stand out:

• Start with a strong opening sentence that hooks the reader’s attention and creates an immediate interest in your application.
• Personalize the cover letter by addressing the hiring manager by name and demonstrating a knowledge of the company and its products or services.
• Highlight your relevant skills and experiences that match the job requirements. You can use bullet points to showcase your achievements.
• Show your motivation and enthusiasm for the job by explaining why you are interested in the position and how it aligns with your career goals.
• Close your cover letter by thanking the employer for considering your application and expressing your willingness to further discuss your qualifications in an interview.

How to Tailor Your Cover Letter to Your Profile

Your cover letter should complement your resume profile by highlighting specific skills and experiences that match the job requirements. Here are some suggestions:

• Identify the key skills and experiences listed in the job posting and highlight those that you possess.
• Use specific examples to demonstrate how your skills and experiences have helped you succeed in your previous roles. Use numbers and data when possible.
• Be concise and selective with your content. Don’t repeat information that’s already in your resume.
• Emphasize your key achievements and how they align with the job requirements.
• If you’re applying for a job in a different field, explain how your skills and experiences translate to the new role and industry.

By following these tips, you can write a cover letter that complements your resume profile and convinces the employer to invite you for an interview. Remember to proofread your cover letter for typos and errors and tailor it to each job application.

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Click here to directly go to the complete resume profile summary examples

Character is higher than intellect.

"I was born to be true, not to be perfect" or "I never dreamed about success, I worked for it" does not suffice for a good resume profile.

It is understood that "character cannot be developed in ease and quiet". But the "trial and suffering" - the experiences and the achievements which reflect our character are often tricky to frame.

A profile section of resume does the job for you. The resume profile summary is a snapshot of all your experiences which introduces you to the recruiter. It tells:

• why you are an important candidate
• which skills set you apart
• how you can add value in their organization

Along with a few expert resume profile examples, including resume profile summary examples, we have characterized the resume profile while answering a few of the main questions:

• What is a resume profile?
• When to use a resume profile
• What to put in profile section of resume?
• How to write a profile for a resume?
• How to optimizing your resume profile?
• Resume profile examples for top professionals

Never let your resume profile be the reason for the lack of shortlists.

What Is a Resume Profile?

The profile on resume is the teaser for your resume body. It builds a foundation in the mind of the hiring manager.

He spends about 10 seconds on each resume. So your best achievements have a chance of getting lost in the resume.

But don't worry, as this section could be best utilized to bring them to the hiring manager's attention.

For an experienced professional , a resume profile summary is:

• a summary of one's professional endeavor
• a paragraph of 2 - 3 sentences
• placed at the top
• denotes one's skillset
• highlights the best achievements
• tailored to the target job

For a fresher , however, the resume profile statement is:

• an objective of his professional pursuit
• expresses one's strong suite
• allows the recruiter to understand how you may serve as a desiring candidate to the target organization.

It usually states your career title and years of experience right away. Then it shows your most preferred achievements best fitting your target job.

It is highly recommended that you introduce resume keywords in your resume profile so that the Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) can parse your resume clearly.

Let's look at how to write a resume profile. But first, let's look at a few resume profile examples:

Objective resume profile statement for a Finance Graduate

Dynamic and result-oriented Finance Graduate adept at deploying analytical & database tools to scrutinize business operations. Proficient in employing effective data analysis techniques for sound decision-making & successful execution of projects. A goal-seeking individual with a comprehensive understanding of taxation & accounting principles and possessing a natural flair for research encompassing primary & secondary channels.

Resume Profile Summary for an IT Recruitment Specialist

11+ years experienced, value-driven & result-oriented Senior Quality Assurance Manager & Telecom Specialist with a track record of spearheading diverse teams to champion LTE/WCDMA/CDMA/GSM Optimization, including 42 months of experience in RF Optimization/Tuning for LTE & 25 months for GSM. Proficient in formulating & implementing Network Planning & Optimization (NPO) strategies, in addition to conducting audits & directing parametric changes to achieve QA norms. Highly skilled in liaising with internal/external stakeholders to optimize network KPIs and deliver compelling business value to end-user & clients.

When to Use a Resume Profile

Resume Objective vs Resume Profile Summary

It is a common question whether to use an objective or a resume profile summary for your resume profile.

Professionals at Hiration say that a professional resume profile summary is almost always the best.

This is because an objective only shows your goal. Instead, you should share how you can fulfill the company's goal. That would work best by listing all your "achievements" that fit the job.

It is always best to clarify your doubts with a professional review of your resume.

Resume Profile: Objective

A resume profile objective on top of your work/educational profiles will give a bird’s-eye view of the applicant’s career trajectory till date.

A broad-level resume profile summary of key skills gathered in the course of the applicant’s career followed by selected achievement points should enumerate the impact you can deliver.

Resume Profile Summary

A resume profile summary is a short and powerful description of your skills and achievements, usually found at the top of your resume.

It spans 2-3 sentences and highlights the most important aspects in your profile. Think of it like how you would formally introduce yourself to a recruiter.

It is one of the best tools you can employ to get shortlisted for any job.

A resume profile summary is also called by various other names such as career summary, resume profile statement, resume profile summary, resume summary of qualifications, qualifications summary, etc.

Also Read: How to draft the perfect resume summary?

What to Put in Profile Section of Resume?

Be sure to include your job title and years of experience .

Try to be as crisp and direct in your resume profile as possible.

Your resume profile could be best optimized by focusing on the following areas:

• Relevant Certifications
• Initiatives Taken
• Problems Solved
• Metrics Improved
• Publications

To have a unique resume, start with a action word or power verb!

Also Read: What are the best resume action words and power verbs?

How to Write a Resume Profile?

A professional resume profile statement is written after your resume is complete.

Let us make it simpler for you. So, what are the steps you are going to follow?

First, complete your resume. Secondly, group your key points under buckets and furnish your Key Skills and Certifications .

Once your resume is complete, start writing your resume profile summary in the following steps:

• Include the number of years of experience
• Follow with your target job profile
• Highlight your most relevant achievements
• Showcase your skills which you are skilled at
• Begin your sentences with "Adept at", "Proficient in", etc.
• Tailor your sentences to your target job

Although it looks pretty easy, it is not when you are an entry level graduate or a career changer!

Let's consider the following resume profile example for a "QA Manager & Analyst", for a more comprehensive approach:

~10 years experienced Business/IT Analyst and Quality Management Expert adept at spearheading and training cross-functional teams to champion end-to-end project lifecycle from requirement analysis and testing to go-live and post production support. Proficient in executing projects encompassing process improvement, QA testing & defect tracking as part of conceptualizing and implementing cost-effective solutions to deliver compelling value to key stakeholders, end users & clients.

The first sentence in the resume profile resonates:

• The number of years of experience: ~10 years experienced
• Target job profile: "Business/IT Analyst" and "Quality Management Expert"
• Function skilled at: leading cross-functional teams
• Result achieved: champion end-to-end project lifecycle

Unlike other resume points, use full-stops in the profile section of resume.

The second sentence in the resume profile resonates:

• Functional skills implemented: executing projects encompassing process improvement, QA testing & defect tracking
• Achievements through skills: conceptualizing and implementing cost-effective solutions
• Value added: deliver compelling value to key stakeholders, end users & clients

In case you have a relevant certification, add it as a pretext to your profile.

For example, if you are a Project Manager with PMP certification, you may start your resume profile summary with "~12 years experienced PMP Certified Project Manager".

Entry-level Resume Profile

For entry level resume profiles, it is hard to list the resume achievements. You are new and unaware of the industry rules. But do not worry!

An entry-level resume should list the following points that match the job:

• Related tasks in unrelated jobs
• Volunteer work
• Short freelance tasks

If you do not have sufficient accomplishments, you can volunteer or freelance a few days to stand out.

Resume profile is the most important factor that decides whether your resume is worth pursuing or not. We suggest you use a tailor made one.

Resume Profile for Career Changers

For the career changers, it is difficult to mask the gap in your resume.

You should list the following points to stand out from the herd:

• Focus on transferable skill set .
• Choose the suitable layout which brings out the important job/achievement if the past.
• Stress on your achievements .
• If you have been learning/volunteering/freelancing during any gap in employment history, mention it.

Optimizing Your Resume Profile

The question of how to write a resume profile is not complete without knowing how to optimize it.

To stand out from the crowd, use our professional resume profile examples below.

They will help you tailor your resume and quantify your professional achievements.

This way, your first impression will be even more powerful and hiring managers will be all about you.

Custom Fit Your Profile Section

• Avoid putting any old achievements in the profile section of your resume.
• Pick out your best achievements and tailor it accordingly.

Quantify Accomplishments

A glance at your numbers in a resume brings out a quantifiable impact.Be sure to include as many metrics as you can.

The following resume profile examples showcase that you can easily insert:

• years of experience
• cost benefits
• numerical data
• time savings
• % process optimization

Resume Profile Examples for Top Professionals

Resume profile summary samples.

Resume professional profile examples.

Check out the following professional resume profile examples to create your own.

G.M - Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain Management

A result oriented professional with 30+ Years of Rich Experience in the entire Spectrum of Manufacturing industry like Strategic Sourcing, supply chain Management, Operations, New Product development, Export Customer Management etc is looking for Senior Level Assignments

Senior Sales Professional

23+ years experienced, result-oriented & value-driven Senior Sales Professional with a track record of incubating & championing dynamic sales teams to formulate sales strategies & achieve cross-country targets. Adept at driving Business Growth in a wide range of industries with proven expertise in accelerating sales turnover in highly competitive & continuously evolving markets. Proficient in implementing Go-To-Market strategic plans around Market Segmentation & Competitor Evaluation. Demonstrated capability of liaising with key stakeholders to drive significant gains in profitability & deliver compelling business value to clients.

Technology Professional

19+ years experienced, value-driven, result-oriented & hands on Technology professional with a track record of incubating product/solution engineering teams & establishing Global Center of Excellence (COE) hubs. Proficient in conceptualizing & delivering complex & scalable enterprise/consumer solutions for early-stage ventures. Highly skilled in liaising with key IT & Business stakeholders for executing key project deliverables & developing enabling technologies to optimize business processes & accomplish strategic goals. Adept at combining an entrepreneurial drive with managerial expertise to integrate/optimize processes & deliver compelling business value to clients.

Senior Management Professional & Implementation Leader

15+ years experienced, value-driven & result-oriented Senior Management Professional & Implementation Leader with a track record of spearheading diverse teams for streamlining day-to-day operations by effectively incorporating & championing new products, services & technologies. Proficient in liaising with key internal/external stakeholders for conducting productive training sessions & customizing solutions for conglomerates. Adept at initiating automation & overseeing API Integration, in addition to directing process optimization initiatives for achieving compliance & delivering compelling business value for clients.

Business Leader & Project Head

33+ years experienced Business Leader & Project Head adept at championing organizational leadership to drive strategic deliverables and bottom-line across commercial food service equipment and consumer durables/electronics industries. Armed with a track record of formulating cost-effective strategies to penetrate new markets & expand distribution network. Deploying stellar negotiation & relationship building skills to secure favourable contracts & deliver compelling value to key stakeholders.

Senior Technical Services Professional

21+ years experienced, value-driven & result-oriented Senior Technical Services Professional with a track record of spearheading diverse teams to champion Clinical Applications of technical services across diverse domains. Adept at collaborating with external & internal stakeholders to process business requirements for conceptualizing & delivering technical solutions. Proficient in deploying Scientific Research & Analysis to scrutinize industry-based trends and initiate Technological & Professional Innovation. Armed with an extensive techno-managerial experience for executing mission-critical projects. Proven expertise in mentoring young professionals and providing them with hands-on training to enhance long-term organizational performance.

Principal Solutions Architect

18+ years experienced & value-driven Principal Solutions Architect with a track record of leading 100+ member teams to execute projects & strategize delivery of consumer-oriented solutions. Proficient in conceptualizing & designing mobile, web & front-end applications and administering Java Technologies & Cloud Infrastructure to champion user-centric Product Development. Highly skilled in employing Solution Architecture, Industry 4.0, IOT and cross-platforms like Android, Java/J2EE & Cloud system applications to spearhead next-generation customer engagements & deliver compelling business value to clients.

Project Management Professional & Certified ScrumMaster

~14 years experienced Project Management Professional & Certified ScrumMaster with a track record of spearheading teams to formulate strategies & effectively execute key deliverables in the IT domain spanning offshore & onsite projects across India and overseas. Adept at deploying Agile & Scrum methodologies to deliver improved systems, unmatched quality and stellar customer feedback. Proficient in deploying innovative technologies to conceptualize & deliver user-centric products. Highly skilled in incubating teams, optimizing processes & liaising with key stakeholders to deliver compelling business value to clients.

Front End Development Professional

4+ years experienced & result-oriented Front End Development Professional with expertise in advanced development methodologies for effectively executing key deliverables of mission-critical projects. Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions while methodically fulfilling client-specified parameters to prioritize quality, security and scalability.

System Administrator and Computer Network Consultant

8+ years experienced system administrator and computer network consultant skilled in managing data center and host systems, installation of systems, LAN, server administration, VMware installation, Wi-Fi/WLAN designing & installation and staff management. Highly skilled in managing both data center as well as computer host systems. Possesses hands on experience of performing daily server backups and periodic restoration. Proficient in implementing site to site VPN and setting up and managing LAN, WLAN, Wi-Fi systems. Adept in the administration of various technological tools such as Google suite, McAfee, Oracle VM, Google apps, Barracuda backup etc. In my current role as the System Administrator at Muscat Overseas Co. in Oman, I have been taking care of the complete system administration for the organization over the past 6 years. Keen to apply the acquired problem solving skills to a challenging role in a reputed organization.

DevOps Engineer

7+ years experienced & result oriented DevOps Engineer possessing in-depth experience of managing cloud based technology & effectively handling configuration & deployment of infrastructure & services. Gained hands on experience in implementing core DevOps concepts such as containerization, virtualization, version control, cloud computing, database management & administration, load balancing, etc. by using a wide variety of technologies while working with multiple DBMS, Operating Systems & programming languages. Adept at learning and implementing new technologies very swiftly as demonstrated by his transition from an Android Developer to a DevOps professional. Drives excellence in every project to deliver outstanding results.

Resume Objective Samples

A fresher's resume profile is highly endorsed by a professional

These resume profile examples shall guide you on how to write one on your own. Customize it and tailor your resume profile specific to your target job.

Data Analyst & Software Developer

Dynamic and detail-oriented Data Analyst & Software Developer adept at deploying analytical & database tools to scrutinize business operations. Proficient in employing effective data analysis techniques to ensure sound decision-making & optimize processes. Possesses a proven track record of leading teams & liaising with relevant stakeholders to successfully execute projects & deliver compelling business value to clients.

Entry Level Marketing Professional

Dynamic Management Professional armed with a practical approach for creative problem-solving & possessing a track record of liaising with key stakeholders to formulate & execute marketing strategies. Adept at deploying analytical tools to boost brand positioning & product marketing. A goal-seeking professional with an expertise in analyzing market trends to bolster customer acquisition & deliver compelling business value to clients.

Finance Graduate - Fresher

Dynamic and result-oriented Finance Graduate adept at deploying analytical & database tools to scrutinize business operations. Proficient in employing effective data analysis techniques to facilitate sound decision-making & successfully execute projects. An eager learner with excellent business communication skills & armed with the required skill set to be propelled to higher positions.

Software Developer

Enterprising Software Developer currently pursuing Integrated M.S. in Computer Science & armed with an expertise in engineering usercentric solutions for driving breakthrough efficiency. Adept at end-to-end SDLC as part of executing strategic projects and interpreting technical requirements for bolstering quality, security & scalability. Proficient in initiating automation to optimize processes & delivering compelling value to key stakeholders.

Marketing Professional

Data-driven Marketing Professional adept at formulating and implementing marketing strategies to effectively execute key project deliverables for measurably increasing brand awareness. Proficient in identifying and fostering long-lasting business relationships, in addition to conceptualizing initiatives for bolstering brand visibility in accordance with client requirements. Highly skilled in leading teams for organizing end-to-end PR events and programs in liaison with internal teams and external stakeholders. Adaptable and transformational leader with an ability to work independently, deliver effective presentations and convert opportunities to further accomplish organizational goals.

Graduate Pilot

Dynamic and result-oriented High School Graduate with passion and determination to become a world class pilot. Highly adept at working in both large and small teams to deliver stellar results. Effectively coordinates with all stakeholders to smoothly deliver projects. A goal-seeking individual with a comprehensive understanding of physics & armed with the required skillset to be propelled to higher positions. Seeking to leverage the acquired gamut of skills to bring value to an esteemed organisation as a commercial Pilot in the aviation industry.

Finance & Business Analytics Post-Graduate

Dynamic and result-oriented Finance & Business Analytics Post-Graduate armed with a practical approach for problem-solving and possessing a track record of accomplishing organizational goals to fruition. An organic team player with an ability to both lead teams for achieving business objectives and excel as a subordinate for gaining a profound understanding of new concepts and skills. Adept at deploying analytical & database tools to scrutinize business operations. A goal-seeking individual with a comprehensive understanding of taxation & financial principles and proficient in delivering compelling business value to clients.

You shall find customizable job-specific resume profile samples on Hiration's online resume builder .

Key Takeaway

The above guide shows you how to write a professional resume profile that stands out. To sum up:

• Pick your achievements according to the job profile
• Put your best accomplishments at the top
• Quantify all your achievements
• Tailor your resume profile to the target job
• Include instances of deploying expertise to achieve results
• Begin phrases with "Proficient in", "Adept at", etc.
• Read through resume profile examples for a more guided approach

Go to Hiration career platform which has 24/7 chat support and get professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries.

You can also write to us at [email protected] .

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Professional Resume Profile Writing Guideline [+25 Resume Profile Examples]

A resume profile is a short statement at the top of your resume that summarizes your skills, work experience, achievements, etc. The profile section of a resume is often confused with a resume headline, but resume profiles contain more information to show off your best qualities and how they relate to a specific job opening.

In this article, we will provide you with all the necessary information on crafting a professional resume profile. Additionally, we have included some examples for you to use as a reference. Let's dive in!

Table of Contents

What Is a Resume Profile?

25 resume profile examples for different jobs, what to write in a resume profile, tips on how to write a resume profile.

Simply put, a personal profile in a resume or CV is a section that includes a brief, powerful summary of your qualifications, experience, accomplishments, and career goal. The resume profile section is commonly located at the top of your resume to show the employer, at a glance, why you’re qualified for the position. 

Note that a resume profile statement comprises many different types and each serves different purposes. A career objective demonstrates your motivation to apply for the job opening and states your goals for professional development. Meanwhile, a personal summary, also known as a summary of qualifications, often refers to a brief paragraph that shows the recruiter how your skills turn you into a perfect fit for the position. 

Several key elements to be included in a resume profile:

• Expertise & Years of work experience
• Skills & Qualifications
• Key achievements in previous roles
• Fresher / Fresh Graduate
• Experienced Job Seeker
• Software Developer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Civil Engineer
• Electrical Engineer
• Network Engineer
• Graphic Designer
• Fashion Designer 
• Customer Service
• Virtual Assistant
• Data Entry  
• Data Analyst
• Data Scientist
• Digital Marketing 
• Sales Executive
• HR Executive
• Project Manager 
• Sales Manager 
• Business Development Manager 

As a student with no or little professional experience, it’s important to highlight your educational background, extracurricular activities, and other skills you have. 

Resume profile example for students :

"Passionate Nursing Sophomore at Taipei Medical University with knowledge in health and social care, and a passion for helping people. A multitasker and fast learner. Able to speak English and Korean fluently."

2. Fresher / Fresh Graduate

If you are a fresh graduate, you may gain a little work experience from an internship or part-time jobs. Briefly demonstrate those in your resume profile statement and adopt a career objective to express your motivation to apply for this role. 

Profile summary sample for freshers:

"Recent Graduate with a background in bioinformatics, language programming, and database management systems. Participated in the Software Engineering Internship program at Apple Taiwan. Efficiently supported a team of 15 senior developers and engineers with key responsibilities including testing, debugging, and updating IOS apps."

3. Experienced Job Seeker

For senior-level and experienced job-seekers, it’s crucial to craft a powerful  personal summary to highlight your accomplishments and extensive experience in the field. 

Example of profile summary for an experienced Content Marketing Specialist:

"Goal-oriented professional with 10 years of taking over multiple positions in the Marketing and PR Department. LinkedIn-certified Marketing Specialist with a Master of Business Administration degree from NYU. Familiar with multiple industries, including but not limited to fashion, tourism, technology, and education."

A teacher’s profile sample for this position mentions essential qualities of a teacher such as communication skills, compassion, and patience along with other requirements, for example:

Teacher’s profile sample: 

"Special Education Teacher/Instructor with eight years of providing autistic children with special care and education. Supported their emotional and social development by encouraging their understanding and positive self-concepts. Consistently committed to the capability of redirecting unproductive behavior with active listening, compassion, and patience."

5. Software Developer

While writing a profile summary for the software developer position, keep in mind to mention the programming languages and skills relevant to the job. Stuffing too much information can lead employers to assume that your knowledge is too broad and not deep enough to perform specific tasks. 

Example of a resume profile for a software developer: 

"Self-motivated Software Developer with 5+ years of experience in developing scalable web applications and working across the full stack. Seeking a tech-lead position at Podo to leverage my full-stack Python experience to improve myself and achieve the company mission towards making seamless communication possible around the world."

6. Accountant

Earning a certification or license in accounting improves your resume and increases your chances of landing a job interview. Hence, list the certification you’ve earned on your accountant profile summary to impress the employer better.

Example of an accountant profile summary :   

"Licensed Sr. Tax Accountant with 10+ years of experience in handling formal response of state and federal tax notices, as well as reviewing complicated returns from partnerships and corporations. An enthusiastic team leader who mentors and leads a team of tax accountants who assist clients with their income tax statements."

7. Mechanical Engineer

When writing a profile summary for a mechanical engineer, focus on showing the employer which technical skills you are adept at, and relevant to the opening job as well. 

Example of profile summary for a mechanical engineer : 

"Self-motivated Mechanical Engineer possessing 6 years of combined experience as a Design Engineer and Stress Engineer for IBM North Carolina. Currently seeking a mechanical engineering position to utilize exceptional skills in 3-D CAD Modeling Software, SolidWorks, Equipment Maintenance, and Data Assimilation."

8. Civil Engineer

Civil engineer jobs require persistence, a positive attitude, and a wide-ranging skillset - demonstrate these in your resume profile to attract the hiring manager. 

Example of a civil engineer profile summary :

"A registered member of ICE and a Civil Engineer with 6 years of experience working on both public and private infrastructure projects. Registered ICE and CIOB member with the ability to work well independently while providing high-quality service with a focus on safety, health, and environmental issues."

9. Electrical Engineer

When writing a resume profile, make sure to emphasize your strengths. These can be fundamental industry knowledge, required technical skills, and relevant hard skills.

Example of a profile summary for an electrical engineer :

"Exceptionally skilled professional showcasing 10 years of working on industrial electrical operations and installations. A comprehensive understanding of industrial control, circuit management, and power distribution. Proven track record of cutting average testing time by designing a new system running on C++. Willing to travel as needed."

10. Network Engineer

To write a strong resume profile, you should list all relevant skills and knowledge so employers know you can perform the tasks well. You can find what they are specifically looking for in the  job description.

Example of network engineer profile summary :

"Enthusiastic Network Engineer with 6 years of experience in cloud computing, network security, and network performance. The outstanding staff at Podo Lab GVF Agency for managing smooth system operations of 30+ employees and enhancing the stability of the existing network infrastructure. Looking to be a Network Production Engineer at SamaTech to implement the best practices of network monitoring and server integrating."

11. Graphic Designer

As a graphic designer, you need to be creative and able to put beautiful compositions together using design elements. That is also similar to write a powerful graphic designer profile summary , for example: 

Example of graphic designer profile summary :

"Performance-driven Freelance Graphic Designer with 5+ years of work experience for a variety of clients including education, fashion, cosmetics, tourism, and automobiles. Able to set up unique trends and visual strategies that revolutionize corporate branding. Committed to delivering the most satisfactory performance in deadline-driven and fast-paced environments."

12. Fashion Designer 

Just like graphic designer resumes, a fashion designer profile summary needs to fully convey your creativity and other qualifications required for the job. Also, make sure your resume profile demonstrates your knowledge of emerging fashion designs.

Example of fashion designer profile summary :

"Creative Fashion Designer with 8+ years of experience working for both high street fashion and haute couture. Key responsibilities include providing clothing guidance and support for apparel brands and keeping up with current fashion trends."

13. Customer Service

Customer service jobs are available in almost every industry. Thus, it’s important to personalize the resume summary for the specific position. This way, you can stand apart from the crowd as an ideal candidate.

Example of a customer service profile resume : 

"Result-oriented Customer Service Manager with 10 years of extensive experience in customer service management, complaint resolution, and front-end supervision. Highly proficient in CRM software and tools. An enthusiastic leader who thrives in fast-paced work environments in the Food & Beverage industry."

To convince the recruiter just like your clients, show the best about you in the sales profile summary with such things as: strong communication skills, industry knowledge, and significant achievements in previous roles. 

Example of a resume profile for a sales representative : 

"Goal-driven Sales Representative with a proven track record of driving profitability in Sales, Customer Success, and Business Management. 7+ years of experience in bringing new clients, managing revenue streams, maintaining strong client relationships, and leading dynamic sales teams. Currently seeking a Sales Executive position in the gaming industry that offers opportunities for career advancement into sales management."

15. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistant positions require a wide range of skills - highlight the most outstanding ones in the resume profile, and don’t forget to include what is relevant to the job opening. 

Virtual assistant profile sample :

"Virtual assistant with 4+ years of experience with proven organizational, communication, editing, and event planning skills. Eager to become a virtual assistant at PledgeCamp to maintain exceptional internal and external communication."

16. Data Entry 

Typing isn’t the only skill required for a data entry role. If you possess other key hard and soft skills that employers are looking for, highlight the most outstanding ones in the data entry profile summary, like this: 

Data entry profile sample :

"Data Entry Specialist with 5 years of experience working in a multinational corporation in NYC.  Tech-savvy with familiarity with Spreadsheet and Database Programs, Invoicing Systems, and CRM Platforms."

17. Data Analyst

If you don’t have plenty of work experience in the field, impress employers by showing them what makes you qualified for the job, including both soft and hard skills. 

Example of a data analyst profile summary:

"Innovative Data Analyst with 8 years of experience in interpreting and analyzing data to drive product growth for SaaS/BI startups. Significantly cut operating costs by 20% by performing insights, analytics, and business intelligence needed to develop strategic decisions."

18. Data Scientist

When crafting a data scientist profile summary, demonstrate your experience and understanding of specific programs, processes, coding languages, data sets, algorithms, etc. you’ve worked with.   

Example of a data scientist profile summary:

"IBM-certified Data Scientist with 7 years of experience for a diverse clientele. Excel at updating data streaming processes, improving data efficiency, and building models that fix problems. Exceptionally skilled in machine learning, data visualization, statistics, and programming."

19. Digital Marketing 

A digital marketer must possess various skills to help achieve company goals. Thus, it’s crucial to highlight your key attributes and competencies to effectively prove your qualifications for the position.  

Example of a digital marketing profile summary:

"Perform-driven Digital Marketing Director with 8+ years of experience in large advertising agencies. Adept at building and implementing strategies focused on SEO, Influence Marketing, and Community Management."

20. Executive 

To draft a strong resume profile for executive positions, you need to briefly present a significant accomplishment in the field aside from essential skills and knowledge.

Executive profile sample:

"Dynamic Technical Support Executive with 10+ years of experience in developing, implementing, and maintaining complex infrastructure for fast-growing companies in the talent acquisition industry. Performed as a strategic advisor for top-growing startups that generated a 45% increase in business revenue."

21. Sales Executive

“Numbers speak louder than words”. Hence, grab the employers’ first attention by showing them the most outstanding success you’ve achieved in sales jobs.  

Example of a profile summary for sales executive :

"Highly-motivated Sales Executive with 12 years of experience in medical device sales. A dynamic team player and masterful negotiator with a proven track record of interpersonal and communication skills. In the previous role, exceeding quarterly sales goals by 18% and turning a medical device startup into a top 80 B2B provider."

22. HR Executive

As an HR executive, you might have a lot to tell about yourself. However, just pick the most outstanding and relevant information to the job, such as: 

• What are your key areas of expertise in HR? 
• What are your key achievements in the field? 
• What HR-related certifications do you have? 

Example of a profile summary for HR executive:

"HR Professional with 12+ years of experience in employee recruitment, training, and termination. In the previous role, boosted the managerial performance efficiency by 15% for two quarters in a row. Certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) provided by HRCI Canada."

23. Project Manager 

A project manager’s key responsibilities include the coordination, supervision, and completion of  projects on time within budget. Demonstrate these abilities in the project manager profile summary to grab recruiters’ attention and convince them to continue reading.

Example of a profile summary for project manager:

"Sr. Agile Project Manager with work records of 15 years in the fields of EdTech and FinTech. In-depth knowledge of technology and business management fundamentals. Proficient in using agile tools and leading Agile projects with significant success in the development, execution, and evaluation of Agile practices."

24. Sales Manager 

A well-written sales manager profile summary needs to include the highlights that catch the employer’s attention, especially a brief summary of your extensive experience. 

Example of a profile summary for sales manager:

"Result-oriented Sales Manager with a proven track record of training and leading sales teams to achieve significant revenue gains. Possessing 12+ years of experience in various industries such as automotive, real estate, and manufacturing. A strategic team leader with strong negotiation and decision-making skills."

25. Business Development Manager 

As a business development manager, you need to excel at developing and executing sales strategies, sales pitches, business plans, etc. So, employers are more likely to select resumes that showcase business acumen, analytical thinking, strategic planning, leadership, and excellent communication skills.

Example of a business development manager profile summary:

"Business Development Manager with 12 years of experience in product testing, management, and development of new business opportunities. Seeking a position at iHerb Inc. to leverage extensive knowledge of omni-channel processes, including SEO strategies, digital marketing, and value-added services. Presented with the Sales Individual & Business Development Award in 2020."

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Aside from using the correct resume adjectives and resume action verbs, it is also very crucial not to miss any important information in a resume profile.

Some key details that must be included in the resume profile are:

• Years of work experience/education.
• Remarkable and relevant achievements.
• Soft and/or hard skills that are relevant to the position.
• Relevant certifications.
• Career objectives.
• Keywords from the job description.

1. Years of work experience/education.

If you’re an experienced professional, include the years of work experience in the resume profile. 

The widely-used format is: [Job title] + with/having + [numbers] of years of experience in + [expertise]. 

2. Remarkable and relevant achievements.

Achievements are among the top wins that you should highlight in the resume summary. Keep in mind to showcase the most remarkable and relevant one, depending on the purpose of your CV/resume. 

3. Soft and/or hard skills that are relevant to the position.

Employers expect to see whether you possess the skills needed for the position at the first glance. Hence, you can first include the top skills in the resume summary to grab their attraction and list out all qualifications in the skills section later. 

4. Relevant certifications.

When it comes to a highly competitive job market, certifications can make a difference among applicants. However, make sure to present the job-related certifications in the resume profile only.

5. Career objectives.

If you are a career changer or new graduate, go for a career objective instead. This way, you can de-emphasize your lack of work experience and focus on your motivation to apply for the job opening.  

6. Keywords from the job description.

When going over a personal profile in a resume, the employer can tell whether you’ve read the job description carefully. Besides that, as many companies have been using ATS (Applicant Tracking Software) for their hiring process, capturing the right keywords can help you beat the bot easily.

💡 Tip 1. Refer to the job description for relevant & important keywords.

You can look for the right keywords in the following sections in the job description: 

• Job responsibilities 
• Requirements 

💡 Tip 2. Write the resume profile as the last step.

When writing a resume, you may consider crafting the summary at last. The reason is you can easily pick the key points about yourself that you want to show employers. 

💡 Tip 3. Include numbers to make your resume profile more credible, for example:

• Years of work experience 
• Quantified achievements in previous jobs 

💡 Tip 4. Keep the resume profile short and concise.

Think of it as a brief self-introduction where you showcase the best and unique about yourself. It’s ideal to keep the resume profile within 4 sentences. 

💡 Tip 5. Place the profile summary at the top of your resume.

Hiring managers commonly start with your resume profile first to see whether your profile is a good match for the job. Hence, place your profile section at the top of your resume page.

--- Originally written by May Luong ---

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What to Put on a Resume (20+ Best Things to Include)

What to put on a resume? There are 5 must-have sections you need to include in a resume and some extra ones. Read on and learn what should be on your resume.

In 5 minutes you'll learn what to put on a resume , but first think about this—

You have years of skills, goals, work history, and education. You’ve only got an 8x11” piece of paper in front of you (or maybe 210×297 mm). How can you squeeze all that into such a limited space?

Which resume sections are a must? Which to leave off? Where do you put what?

Well, the first thing to put is your mind at ease.

In this resume guide, you’ll learn:

• What to include on a resume, where to add it, and what not to include.
• How to structure a resume by using the best resume components.
• Other things to put on a resume and with your resume.
• How to write a resume for a job correctly using just the right resume sections .

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I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your resume.” Patrick I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work! Dylan  My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful! George

What to Put On a Resume

To make the most of your resume, it must include these 6 key sections: 

• Contact Information
• Resume Summary or Objective
• Work History
• Skills Section
• Other Information

The key to resume sections and their order is importance and relevance.

Naturally, the HR manager reads from the top down, so if you have little experience but impressive education, put that up top!

Now, let's explain each sections in details. 

1. Contact Information

I know, I know. You learned how to write your name and address back in preschool.

But, before you skip right past this part of a resume, there’re a few important things to know to get your resume contact info right.

Here are which contact details to put in a resume header :

• Name —your first and last name, along with any professional acronyms you have (e.g., PMP, MBA, PhD).
• Professional Title —an optional branding statement, resume title, or job title, either one you’re seeking, your current one, or your previous role.
• Mailing Address — adding your address on a resume is usually not recommended. Add it only if they’re looking for local hires.
• Phone Number —use your cell phone number, not your house phone. Check your voicemail message to make sure it sounds professional.
• Email Address —use a professional email address ([email protected]) rather than your childhood handle.
• LinkedIn URL —super recommended. As the foremost social network for professionals, it’s really necessary to have a LinkedIn profile. Don’t have one? Start one!
• Social Media URLs —don’t just add Facebook or Twitter profile links. Use relevant ones to your sought-after position, like Dribbble or Behance for designers.
• Website —a link to your website might be helpful, especially if you have an online portfolio—a great way to add more to your resume without filling the page!

Don’t include personal information like your gender, birthday or marital status in your contact section.

Forget about adding a photograph , too, if you are looking for a job in the US or the UK.

Expert Hint : If you’re adding social media profile links, clean them up! Remove unprofessional content from Facebook, and fix up that LinkedIn profile . Knowing how to make a resume work includes a lot of off-resume parts!

2. Resume Summary or Objective

Below your contact info comes your heading statement.

That prominent placement means the HR manager’s eyes see it first.

(Which means it’s one of the most important sections of a resume.)

Here’s what should be included in a resume profile area:

• Resume Summary Statement —a short statement providing a summary of your work experience and relevant qualifications (here you can find good examples of summary of qualifications )
• Resume Objective Statement —a concise paragraph, tailored to the position , stating your career goals and how you want to achieve them at this employer. Also called a resume career objective .

Pick one or the other, as you don’t use both resume headings.

Good resume heading introductions should be around 2-4 sentences in length—a neat, 3- or 4-line paragraph.

Use an objective statement when you either have a little or no experience resume related to the job you’re applying for, or when you’re targeting a very specific position. Otherwise, choose the resume professional summary.

Expert Hint : How long should a resume be? Job resumes should be one page for most candidates. Two pages is okay, but just make sure everything on your resume is adding value. Don’t go back more than 10 years in your work history, except when applying for senior positions.

3.  Work History

The employment history area is the centerpiece of a resume.

It goes just below the resume introductory statement.

However, if you have little to no employment history ( no experience resume , college resume , student resume , etc.), this will go under the education section, which we’ll get to shortly.

Here’s what to include in a resume work experience section :

• Official Job Title —your professional title goes first on each entry, to make it easiest for managers to see your progress. Make it bold so it stands out against the rest of the entry. Start with your most recent job title, and go back reverse-chronologically from there.
• Company and Location —next, add the company name, city, and state. As this is supporting text, make this italicized.
• Dates of Employment —in the following line, add the span of time worked. Add both month-year to month-year, or you can say “–Present” if you’re still working there.
• Duties & Responsibilities —add key responsibilities you handled at that place of work. Make sure they are relevant to the position to which you are applying.
• Resume Achievements —this is where many go wrong. Employers know the basic tasks of a barista, say. But, they don’t know how well you did them. Adding an accomplishments section with numbers helps you to quantify and prove what you state.

That’s what to include on a resume experience entry.

Repeat it for the following entries, but don’t go back more than 10 to 15 years on your resume —they’re not looking for a Walter Isaacson-length biography!

Begin each job description entry with powerful words and action verbs .

Also, add any internships you may have had here to your job experience section, but only if they’re relevant or if you lack work experience.

Expert Hint : Use 4 or 5 bullet points to support each work experience entry. Also, keep the job ad handy as you write your employment history section so you can tailor the contents to what they’re looking for.

4. Education Section

The education resume section will usually go just after (below) your work history resume section.

However, if you are a recent graduate, writing an academic CV, or a professional returning to school, bump this section up to just under your resume intro.

Here’s what to include in a resume education section:

• Degree type —such as associate, bachelor’s, master’s, etc.
• Degree major —for example, engineering, computer science, or robotics.
• School name —the name of your school followed by the city and state.
• Extras —you want to stand out? Add relevant items as subsections, such as:
• Relevant coursework
• Projects & accomplishments
• Awards and honors
• Clubs and organizations
• Scholarships

If you’ve completed a degree, don’t add your high school diploma. However, if you haven’t, or if you are still in progress, be sure to mention it.

Also, dates may be left off, especially if your years at the institution were 10 years or more in the past.

Expert Hint : GPA is unnecessary on a successful resume. If you’re thinking of adding GPA on resumes, make sure it’s 4.0 or very close to that, or else this will backfire.

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5. Skills Section

Finally, the section including  skills for a resume .

Add 5-7 relevant resume skills, along with a level of proficiency for each.

Here are the best types of skills to put on resumes:

• Technical skills —these are hard skills related to your job and industry, such as computer skills (don't just write computer skills, find good ones to from our comprehensive list computer skills for resume ), web development, statistical modeling, information technology skills.
• Communication skills —these are soft skills, including verbal, non-verbal, and written communication.
• Professional skills —these are abilities and skills on resumes which show refinement and sophistication, e.g., decision making, problem solving, conflict resolution.
• Management skills —not only your ability to lead others, but also how well you manage yourself (your projects, time, etc.) and your executive competence.
• Critical thinking skills —nowadays, if a company wants a robot, they can get a robot. Most of the time, though, they want people who can think for themselves, and critically.

Use work skills and resume qualifications they’re looking for on the job ad to make your own job skills list. Make them as close to the wording from the job ad as possible for the best  resume keywords .

Expert Hint : Your arsenal of job-related abilities and skills to put on a resume is called your skill set. Just make sure to only put relevant skills on your resume rather than just a list of skills you know. Everybody and their goldfish adds they’re “ proficient in Microsoft Office .”

6. Extra Resume Sections

All those parts of a resume we’ve discussed up until now are the standards.

That means everyone will have them.

If you want to distinguish yourself from the rest, it’s good practice to add some extra resume sections.

Here are the extra resume sections to consider:

• Volunteer Work —you didn’t get paid for this work, and that’s very commendable. But, this free work may also be great experience to add to your resume!
• Language Levels — always include them on your resume if your level is intermediate and higher.
• Certificates & Licenses —any training you’ve received, including licensing or certifications earned as a result, makes HR managers’ pulses quicken.
• Awards & Honors —a chef with a Michelin star would easily find another gig in food preparation. Likewise, add any awards and honors you’ve received to make your case.
• Conferences —lectured at some industry conference? This speaks volumes about how you are an expert in this topic. Employers love experts!
• Hobbies and Interests Resume Section —a hobbies and interests section on a resume seems irrelevant, at first. But adding your likes, passions, and pastime activities is a great way to show the human side of yourself, as well as a subtle nod to exhibiting skills you have.
• Memberships —excellent way to show you mean business, as long as it’s relevant and a reputable organization. Are you a writer? Your membership in the Authors Guild is ideal, in this case.

Expert Hint : Don’t add the resume references section! You can add a reference page along with your resume, but only if you must.

Format Your Resume Properly and Write a Cover Letter

Here are some other essential items to consider when writing a resume:

• Section Headings —for each of these resume sections, use distinct formatting on the section heading to separate it from the rest of the text. Make it 2–4pts larger and bold.
• Resume Templates —a professional resume shouldn’t look as if it was styled in the 1980s. Choose a modern and professional resume template to be taken seriously for a present-day job.
• Resume Format —reverse-chronological, functional, combination, or technical? Formatting a resume right ensures that the most relevant and important information is just where it needs to be for the hiring manager to find it.
• Resume Fonts —the legibility of your resume is crucial if you want the HR manager to read it and the ATS to be able to scan it. Read the full guide about resume layout for more on this topic.
• Cover Letter —half of all employers won’t accept a resume without a cover letter. And that other half? Most of them still prefer it. So don’t forget to learn how to write a cover letter and include it with your resume.
• Resume Email —you’ve learned how to write a great resume, but sending it correctly makes sure it gets delivered, opened, and read.
• Portfolio —if you have projects, photography, or other work to show requiring a separate entity, by all means, include it! All you have to do is add a link in your contact info for personal projects.

Expert Hint: “ Should you submit a cover letter ?” Well, a cover letter can seriously boost your chances. Our recent study conducted among recruiters, hiring managers, and HR pros shows that 83% of them say a great cover letter can help you land an interview even if your resume isn’t that good.

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here .

Ways that you can tailor your resume include:

• Using core components: contact info, work experience, education, and skills sections.
• Choosing either a resume summary or objective in the header area.
• Adding some extra resume sections to make your resume stand out: volunteer work, certificates, languages, memberships.
• Formatting your resume correctly and making it eye-friendly . Need more tips? Read our full guide on writing a resume . 
• Reading from outside the US? Check out  US resume format guide . 

Got any questions on what to put on a resume? Not sure which of the additional resume sections to add? Let’s have a convo about it in the comments below, and, as always, thanks for reading!

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines , ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets . Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Career expert who has been sharing his expert knowledge since 2017. His advice will guide you smoothly through all recruitment processes: from job hunting to getting a promotion. Christian offers comprehensive advice on career development and each step of the job search, from start to finish and beyond. His guides cover looking for new jobs, sending application documents such as resumes and cover letters, acing interview questions, and settling into the new position. Since 2017, he has written over 200 in-depth, meticulously-researched career advice articles in collaboration with the most renowned career experts in the world. Hundreds of thousands of readers visit Christian’s articles each month.

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150 Top Skills for Your Resume + How to List Skills in 2024

• Best General Skills

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

• How to Include Skills on Your Resume
• Job-Specific Skills
• Skills FAQs

When it comes to your resume skills, the more specific you can get, the better. That’s why we broke down the  most in-demand job skills by career type .

Still, it can be helpful to start by looking at the skills employers generally might be wanting right now.

We analyzed countless job descriptions across all careers and identified 150 of the most sought-after and widely applicable skills you can put on your resume (like this one) in 2024.

Software Engineer Resume

or download as PDF

20 Good Skills to Put on a Resume

While we’re going to give you plenty of job-specific resume skills you can add to your AI cover letter and resume, there are some that work across just about any field. These can add value for candidates who either lack work history or are creating an  entry-level resume .

• Data Analysis
• Problem-solving
• Collaborative
• Detail-oriented
• Written Communication
• Public Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Multi-tasking
• Interpersonal Skills
• Time Management
• Accountable
• Results-oriented
• Project Management
• Compassionate/ Empathetic

Before we jump into which skills to put on your resume, we need to get some definitions out of the way:

• Hard skills  are the tools and software you use to get your job done. Excel and QuickBooks are examples of hard skills.
• Soft skills  are those that are hard to measure or prove expertise in. “Communication” is a textbook example of a soft skill.

Quickly distinguish between hard and soft skills by asking, “Is there a specific tool or software associated with the skill?” If “yes,” you’re likely dealing with a hard skill. If not, you’re talking about a soft skill.

As we explained earlier, companies often use an ATS to filter out job applicants based on whether they include the right skills on their resumes.

The ATS filters are looking primarily for hard skills; they want to be sure the people they end up hiring know the right tools and software needed to succeed.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you should exclude soft skills from your resume. Why? After the ATS approves your resume, it’s passed on to the human hiring manager. They’ll likely want to see soft skills depending on the kind of industry and role you’re applying to.

Try out this quick guide to determine whether to put soft skills on your resume:

Should I include soft skills on my resume?

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should likely include soft skills on your resume (we’ll detail how in the next section). 

• Technical roles are those primarily dominated by hard skills (software engineering, data science, accounting, etc.)
• Just listing soft skills on your resume isn’t as impactful as  showing how you used them to do your job .
• For example, if you’re in sales or customer service, you need the ability to communicate persuasively with customers!

Examples of hard skills according to industry

• Predictive Modeling (Finance)
• eQUEST (Energy)
• Crop Rotation (Agriculture)
• eZee Frontdesk (Hospitality)
• Google Classroom (Education)
• X-ray Diagnostics (Healthcare)
• Mailchimp (Marketing)
• AutoCAD (Engineering)

Examples of soft skills

• Self-starter
• Conflict Resolution
• Attentive to Details

How to List Skills on Your Resume

Now that you know whether you should put hard skills, soft skills, or a combination on your resume, how do you actually include them?

• When it comes to your resume skills, the presentation can matter just as much as the content! 
• Before we get to structure,  a word of warning :

Don’t list too many skills  in your skills section! While it’s all right to dump all sorts of skills into your  resume outline , it’s a big red flag to the hiring manager if they see a resume where an applicant lists 15+ skills.

First, it might mean the applicant is exaggerating their skillset (a big no-no). Second, a hiring manager would rather hire someone who’s a master of a few skills than a novice in many.

Different  resume formats  may display your skills in various ways, but regardless of the layout you choose,  there are three places you should mention your most important skills : 

• In your resume objective or resume summary (if you include this section)
• In a dedicated “skills” section on your resume
• In your work experience or projects ( show how you used your skills to do your job)

Your resume objective should only be two to three sentences , so you should include your top one to two skills most relevant to the job you’re applying for here. In addition to our objective sample below, we’ve got plenty more great examples of how to mention your best skills in your  resume objective  or  resume summary .

Organized, considerate administrative assistant with a history of remaining cool under high-pressure situations where multiple priorities are managed. Genoa Telepsychiatry is doing invaluable work for underserved housing populations, and I would be an asset in enabling Ms. Garcia to focus on that mission by alleviating her organizational burden.

How to organize skills on your resume

When it comes to skills for a resume, there are a couple of ways you can structure them:

• By skill category (technology type, soft skills vs. hard skills)
• Experience level

These kinds of breakdowns aren’t mandatory. You can just list all of your skills in your skills section, provided you keep the number to under 10.

First,  you can break up your skills by category . This is most appropriate if you’re applying for a technical role since you can group different technologies you use by type.

For example, as a data analyst, you might want to divide your skills by the different facets of your job (programming, modeling, and data visualization).

This breakdown of your skills can also work well if soft skills are your biggest strength. For example, you can chunk your soft skills into categories like leadership, customer service, communication, etc.

Another way to classify your skills on your resume is by your experience level . Convey your expertise either in terms of years of expertise with that skill or by a rating you choose (beginner, intermediate, expert, for instance).

Here’s an example of this skills breakdown in action:

And again, you can also just list all of your skills without categories like the example below if there are fewer than 10:

Let your work experience vouch for your job skills

Now that you’ve got your top one to two skills in your resume objective and a dedicated skills section, it’s time to talk about how you’ve used your skills in your previous roles and projects.

This is especially important for soft skills.  Put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager .

Does seeing that someone described themselves as “attentive to detail” in their skills section mean much without seeing that skill in action?

It’s much more valuable if you highlight a time you were attentive to detail in a previous job. So, if you’re an administrative assistant, you might say you “re-organized thousands of customer contacts in HubSpot without losing any customer data.”

Remember, it’s one thing to say you have a skill, but  showing your knowledge of that skill in a work or personal project carries far more weight  in the eyes of the hiring manager.

Let’s make this practical with an example: This software engineer lists NodeJS and Django in her resume skills list.

This won’t be the last we see of these skills, though. Take a look at this job seeker’s work experience at MarketSmart. For instance, see how she weaves NodeJS into improving CTR? And even her intern experience shows how Django played a role in increasing reporting speed.

Pro tip: Try starting with specific work experience and then work backward to determine which skills you used instead of the other way around.

Regarding technical skills, try to be specific about what you did with the tool/ software you’re describing. Microsoft Excel is a program that can be used for many different applications, for example. Discuss specifically which functionality you used to accomplish your task (pivot tables, vlookups, etc.).

Match your resume skills to the job description

How can you identify the most common skills for the industry or role you’re applying for? The best way is to look at job ads for positions that grab your attention.

Try this two-step process to list skills on your resume:

• Look across 5-10 different job descriptions for roles you’re interested in and identify the 10-15 most common skills in those job listings.
• For each specific role you apply to, choose the 5-7 skills from your list that are most relevant to that job .

Yup, this means you’ll have to  customize your resume  for each role. Customizing your skills section, however, will vault you into the top five percent of applicants and is the quickest way to increase the number of interviews you get!

Let’s walk through an example of how to customize your skills for a specific job.

Say you’re looking for a position as a digital marketer, and after looking at some job descriptions, you notice the most common skills employers are looking for are the following:

• CRM: HubSpot, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Pipedrive
• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel, Heap
• General Tools: Microsoft Excel/ Word/ PowerPoint, Google Sheets/ Docs/ Slides
• Optimization: A/B testing, customer segmentation, attribution modeling
• Paid Ads: Facebook, AdWords, LinkedIn, Google Display Network, retargeting
• Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
• Email Marketing: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Drip
• SEO: Content creation, keyword research, backlink building

Now, you’re specifically interested in a digital marketing role at Barnes and Noble with the following job description:

Digital marketing manager

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Develop and execute data-driven marketing strategies and campaigns with a strong focus on driving acquisition, engagement, and retention across multiple channels (e.g., SMS, mobile, email, social media, etc.) on time and on budget.
• Aim to generate revenue and deliver on key business objectives, ROI, and KPI targets.
• Own, measure, deliver, and optimize key metrics and reporting on marketing activities across channels and platforms.
• Identify trends and insights, optimize segments, spend, and performance based on data.
• Utilize strong analytical ability to evaluate end-to-end customer experience across multiple channels and customer touchpoints and work cross-functionally to drive qualified traffic, improve conversion, and identify new opportunities to boost user engagement and retention through A/B and multivariate testing.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum 5-7 years of digital marketing experience with a minimum of 3 years demonstrated success in mobile, email, social media, PPC, and SEM marketing from concept to completion with a proven track record of success.
• Results-driven mentality with exceptional detail orientation and knowledge of metrics, A/B testing, and ROI analysis.
• Experience with testing and optimization platforms.
• Strong track record of distilling actionable insights from data to improve multi-channel marketing strategies.
• In-depth familiarity with email service providers and knowledge of marketing automation platforms.
• Solid understanding of website analytics tools (Google Analytics, Amplitude, Appsflyer), email systems (Sailthru, Salesforce Marketing Cloud), and ad-serving tools (Adroll, Facebook.)

Finally, we cross-reference our list of 10-15 skills with the skills this specific job is looking for (underlined above). This leaves us with the remaining five key skills:

• Optimization: A/B Testing, Segmentation
• CRM: Salesforce
• Web Analytics: Google Analytics
• Paid Ads: Facebook
• Social Media: Email Marketing

There you have it! These skills are what will make up your skills list for this specific role. Don’t forget to include the seemingly most essential skills in your resume objective (for this position, we’d say those are optimization and A/B testing) and mention relevant work experience where you used some of these skills.

Remember, it’s important to be truthful about which skills you know and which you don’t. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether you’d be comfortable being interviewed about a skill. If the answer is “yes,” then include it. Otherwise, it’s best to leave it off your resume. 

And for the grand finale to this digital marketing example: Check out how this resume integrates key skills into the career objective, skills section, and work experience.

Digital Marketing Manager Resume

Why this resume works

• Starting with the most obvious section—the skills section—Giselle lists skills important to Barnes & Noble, grouping them in easy-to-read categories.
• Don’t be deterred, even if you lack experience in an area or two! Demonstrating a willingness to learn is highly valuable.
• The work experience section is a prime opportunity to showcase skills in action. Like Giselle, start with active verbs to show how you used skills, software, and tools to impact the company positively. 

Job-Specific Resume Skills

We promised an extensive list of resume skills, organized by profession, and we’re not ones to break our promises!

Below, you’ll find countless role-related skills you can put on your resume, along with informational tidbits for each profession.

Remember that honesty is critical when you  build a resume , so we stand behind a shorter list of genuine skills rather than a slew of half-truths you’ll blush over later in an interview.

Web developer skills for your resume

Web developers build the web apps we interact with in our everyday lives. From banking to transportation to Netflix, it’s hard to find a facet of life that isn’t touched by web development.

We did an  extensive analysis of the top web developer skills  employers are looking for in 2024, and below are the results in order of those most in demand.

Top web developer skills

• JavaScript (React, Angular, Vue)
• SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle)
• Cloud Storage (GCP, AWS, Azure)

Data analyst skills for resume

Companies are currently swimming in large pools of data. Marketing, product, engineering, and executive teams all rely on data to make the most effective decisions in the face of uncertainty.

That’s where data analysts come in. To be a successful data analyst, you need the right skills to clean, organize, visualize, and make actionable recommendations from data.

We analyzed over 100 job openings and determined the  most in-demand data analyst skills  needed to get a data analyst position in 2024. Below are the results in order of the most popular skills.

Top data analyst skills

• Business Intelligence Tools (Tableau, PowerBI, Qlik, Looker)
• Excel/ Google Sheets
• Python (Pandas, Matplotlib, Scikit-learn, Numpy)
• R (Dplyr, ggplot2)

Marketing skills for resume

No matter how great a product or website—unless a successful marketing campaign drives customers to that product, it won’t succeed.

Marketers must strike a balance between creativity and science to reach the right people at the right time to make them customers.

To do this successfully, marketers need a wide range of skills.

Top marketing skills

• CRM: Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Pipedrive, HubSpot
• Web Analytics: Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel, Heap, Google Analytics
• General Tools: Google Sheets/ Docs/ Slides, Microsoft Excel/ Word/ PowerPoint
• Optimization: Customer Segmentation, Attribution Modeling, A/B Testing
• Paid Ads: AdWords, LinkedIn, Google Display Network, Retargeting, Facebook
• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
• Email Marketing: ConvertKit, Drip, Mailchimp
• SEO: Keyword Research, Backlink Building, Content Creation
• Direct Mail

Customer service skills for resume

When a customer has a problem or a question, they need to get a prompt and accurate answer to ensure they remain a customer.

More than that, a strong customer service representative will build relationships with customers to help identify potential new features or directions to take a product.

To do this successfully, you need a potent blend of people skills while also knowing the tools of the trade.

Top customer service skills

• Strong Communication & Interpersonal Skills
• Curious, Empathetic, and Professional
• Willing to Learn
• Goal-oriented
• Enterprise Software
• Experience with Business Processes
• Microsoft Excel
• Zendesk, HubSpot, Helpscout

Management skills for resume

No matter how effective a person is as an individual contributor, management is an entirely different job that requires an altogether different skill set.

To be an effective manager, you must first understand and relate to your employees while ensuring company initiatives are hit on time. To get this done, you need a mix of different skills.

Top management skills

• Financial Analysis
• Self-motivation
• Conflict Resolution & Management
• Managing Career Growth
• Performance Reviews
• Ability to Motivate
• Foster Team Environment
• Ability to Work Under Pressure
• Result-driven

Accounting skills for resume

Accountants are the unsung heroes of any well-oiled company. A company is only as successful as it can demonstrate through its financial reports.

Accountants need to be wizards with reporting and data while maintaining a culture of rigorous organization. Accounting is a field that requires knowledge of particular hard skills.

Top accounting skills

• Financial Reporting
• General Ledger Accounting
• Quarterly Close Processes
• Quarterly Financial Statements
• Tax Accounting
• GAAP Accounting Principles
• Expense Reporting
• Accounts Payable & Receivable
• Account Reconciliation

Project manager skills for resume

Project managers keep the trains on the rails. To be a successful project manager, you must know how to ensure deadlines are met on time and on budget.

In this role, you’ll need the ability to communicate with diverse teams and technical knowledge to help engineers remove roadblocks they encounter that will prevent them from getting their job done.

Top project manager skills

• Project Management Software (Jira, Trello)
• Microsoft Office/Google Suite (Excel/Google Sheets, PowerPoint/Slides)
• Project Management Frameworks and Methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Kanban)
• Programming Languages and Frameworks (JavaScript, Node.js, Python, Django)
• CRM Experience (HubSpot, Salesforce)
• Digital Marketing

Sales skills for resume

An effective salesperson can form meaningful relationships with new sales prospects very quickly.

To be able to sell a new customer on your product or tool, you first need to intimately understand their pain points and what they’re trying to solve.

In addition to solid soft skills, you need to know the technical tools to track and manage prospects through the sales pipeline.

Top sales skills

• Strong Communication
• Negotiation
• CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce)
• Presentation Skills
• Lead Generation (LinkedIn, Email)
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Administrative assistant skills for resume

When it comes to a career as an administrative assistant, there’s no skill more valuable than organization. How can you help others be at their best without ensuring all ducks are in a row?

Of course, other skills are needed to succeed as an administrative assistant, and we’ve analyzed numerous administrative assistant job openings to determine the most in-demand skills for this career.

Top administrative assistant skills

• Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets
• Microsoft Word/Google Docs
• Microsoft PowerPoint/Google Slides
• Scheduling (Microsoft Outlook/Google Calendar)
• Words per Minute you Type
• Languages you Speak
• Database Management
• CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• Personable and Welcoming

Nursing skills for resume

The value of nurses in our society has never been more apparent than during the COVID-19 crisis.

A good nurse must have a rigorous understanding of the medical procedures and documentation they need to complete while also maintaining the soft skills necessary to build trust and understanding with patients.

It’s a very tricky balance to strike. To help you pursue a new job in nursing, we compiled the most popular skills employers are looking for across a wide range of nursing disciplines.

Top nursing skills

• EMR Systems
• Ambulatory Care
• Emergency Care
• CPR Certified
• Best Practices
• Long-term Patient Care
• Compassionate
• Organized & Reliable
• Infant & Child Care
• Medical Documentation

Teacher skills for resume

With the shift to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the skills required to be an effective teacher from afar are also changing.

Teachers now need to be more in tune with the technologies used for remote learning to reach students.

Still, there are some skills required to be a great teacher that haven’t changed. Based on our analysis, here are the top skills schools want when they hire teachers.

Top teacher skills

• Lesson Planning
• Blackboard/Moodle
• Google Apps (Gmail, Sheets, Slides)
• SMART Boards
• Remote Teaching (Zoom)
• Safe, Supportive Classrooms
• Accountability
• Communication with Parents and Students
• Organization
• Focused on Student Performance

Software engineer skills for resume

Software engineer is a broad, all-encompassing term. There are hundreds of specific disciplines within this umbrella that require different skills.

Still, there are fundamental and common skills that all developers must have. First and foremost, you need to be able to program! 

We collected the most in-demand skills for software developers to help you make the best resume possible.

Top software engineer skills

• Python (Django)
• Java (Spring)
• Ruby (Ruby on Rails)
• PHP (Laravel)
• JavaScript (Node, React, Vue, jQuery)
• SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, NoSQL)
• AWS, GCS, Azure

Business analyst (BA) skills for resume

Business analysts combine skills from many areas to help drive outcomes that materially improve a customer’s core metrics.

A BA is a great communicator, a robust data analyst, and an effective project manager. After a project is complete, the BA then has to be able to communicate the outcomes to the executive team.

Top business analyst skills

• SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server)
• Excel, Google Sheets
• PowerPoint, Google Slides
• Tableau, Looker, Chartio
• Salesforce, NetSuite, HubSpot, Pipedrive
• A/B testing, Linear Regression, Logistic Regression
• Project Management (JIRA, Trello)

Student skills for resume

When you’re a student, it can be challenging to know which of your skills you should highlight when applying for your first job or internship.

It varies depending on the position, but at this point in your career, hiring managers don’t expect you to be an expert in all the tools you’ll need for the job.

The key is to mention which skills you have some familiarity with and express an openness to learning on the job.

Top student skills

• Microsoft Outlook/Gmail
• Hard-working
• Social Media
• Collaboration

Data scientist skills for resume

Data scientists are hybrid programmers and statisticians. It can be tough to figure out which of your technical skill sets should be the focus of your resume.

Touch on your primary programming language and put context around the modeling techniques you use regularly.

After studying over 100 data scientist job openings, here are the top skills employers are looking for in these roles.

Top data scientist skills

• Python (Numpy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, Keras, Flask)
• R (Dplyr, Shiny)
• SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle)
• AWS (Redshift)
• Supervised Learning (Linear and Logistic Regression, Decision Trees, Support Vector Machines, Recommendation Engines)
• Unsupervised Learning (K-Means Clustering, Principal Component Analysis)
• Customer Segmentation, Price Optimization

Human resources (HR) skills for resume

When it comes to the skills you need to get your next job as a human resources manager, it’s important to demonstrate a combination of people skills (it’s in the job title, after all), but you also have to show command of the tools needed to get the job done.

You should demonstrate which phases of HR you have experience in. Whether that’s recruiting, benefits, compensation, or a combination thereof, these should be clear.

Top human resources skills

• ATS (Workday, Jobvite, Greenhouse)
• Compensation & Benefits
• Performance Management
• Recruiting (Sourcing & Interviewing)
• Employee Onboarding
• Benefits Planning & Administration
• Employee Coaching
• LOA, FMLA, PLOA, Disability
• Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint
• Recruiting Coordination
• Compliance (OFFCP, FLSA, Unemployment)
• Employee Retention
• Organizational Strategy
• Labor Relations
• Succession Planning
• HR Analytics

Product manager skills for resume

Product managers help steer the direction of a company by working to understand new features and products customers are looking for.

A successful PM should have the technical skills to communicate fluently with engineers. They also need strong data analysis skills to determine whether new feature launches are working.

Top product manager skills

• Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel
• Google Tag Manager
• A/B Testing
• Optimizely, Google Optimize
• Basic Python scripting, APIs
• Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Kaban
• Jira, Github, Confluence
• Google Analytics, Microsoft Excel

Recruiter skills for resume

Since recruiters are the first people prospective employees interact with in a company, they must have strong people skills.

Outside of that, a recruiter needs to be familiar with using an ATS to keep track of candidates as they go through the application funnel.

In addition, they need to know various tools to effectively source prospective candidates for a job opening.

Top recruiter skills

• Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word
• HR Information Systems (Workday, Oracle HCM, Zoho, SAP)
• ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, Breezy HR, BambooHR)
• Sourcing Tools (LinkedIn Recruiter, TalentNest, Connectifier)
• Full Cycle Recruiting, Intakes, Sourcing, Screening, Evaluating Talent
• CRM (HubSpot, Marketo, Hootsuite)

Scrum Master skills for resume

As a Scrum Master, it’s vital you demonstrate which project management frameworks you have experience in on your resume.

Scrum Masters help ensure project deadlines are hit by establishing and monitoring incremental goals along the way.

Communication and management skills are must-haves, in addition to a few technical tools.

Top Scrum Master skills

• Agile Development & Best Practices
• Agile Frameworks—Scrum, Kanban, XP
• JIRA & JIRA Portfolio
• Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Visio
• User Stories, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Integration, Automated Testing
• Project Planning & Scoping

Social media manager skills for resume

As the name implies, a social media manager must show prospective employers they can use social media to drive customers toward a business.

It’s not enough, however, to demonstrate experience with various social media platforms. You must also clearly understand data and analytics to prove that your campaigns can and will work for a business.

Top social media manager skills

• Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok
• Sprout Social, Hootsuite
• Google Analytics
• Google Docs/Microsoft Word
• Google Sheets/Microsoft Excel
• Paid Social Media Advertising
• Data Analytics

IT manager skills for resume

IT managers need to possess razor-sharp technical skills while demonstrating the ability to mentor and guide employees under their leadership.

Since the number of potential technical skills an IT manager can have is vast, you must demonstrate a firm command of at least a few skills.

On your resume, it’s much better to demonstrate expertise in a few skills than a weak command of a large number of tools.

Top IT manager skills

• Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
• Agile/Lean Methodologies
• Network Infrastructure (DNS, DHCP, SSL)
• Linux/ Unix

Design skills for resume

As you might imagine, designers need to convince the hiring manager reviewing their resume of their creative ability. This is usually done via a portfolio.

Outside of your creativity, you also need to quickly and effectively communicate which tools you use to complete your design work. One of the first things a prospective employer will check is whether you have the technical skills they’re looking for in a designer.

Top design skills

• Design Principles
• Color Theory
• Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
• Storytelling
• Canva, Vectr
• Print Design
• Photography

Your skills should directly correlate with the job you’re applying for so recruiters can tell what makes you special at a glance. Refer to the job description for keywords or mission statements that show what the organization values and what the job role emphasizes. Prioritize skills that relate directly to your profession over those that could enhance your qualifications for other fields.

Try to limit your array of abilities to just 6 to 10 skills per resume. If you have more to choose from, choose to meet the optimal resume skill range with abilities that specifically answer the call of the job description. You don’t want a skills list that looks too “hodgepodge,” so hone your skills to a trade-specific edge that demonstrates your expertise.

Soft skills are the tools you use to socially function with grace and efficiency. They refer to your interpersonal abilities like negotiation, communication, and team delegation (just to name a few!). Keep in mind that you don’t want to overdo your skills list and appear disorganized, so select only the most relevant soft skills to list. You can use them as context for your professional experiences.

Technical skills, or hard skills, can refer to anything from software proficiency to specialized actions or tasks you can perform that relate to your job. Physical technology or machinery, digital meeting programs, and the ability to interpret industry-specific data all count! These important skills show off your specialties and highlight your unique candidacy for the job role.

Every skills list should be technical, but yours especially so: This is your opportunity to demonstrate your expertise instantly. By naming precisely which software programs you use (think: Adobe Photoshop, AutoCAD, or Salesforce to name a few) instead of generalizing, you effectively spotlight your skills ahead of time. Recruiters often skim the skills list first since they move fast, so seize the chance to align yourself with the job!

Honestly, that depends on you! Which of your resume sections is the strongest: skills, experience, internships, or stuff like your degree and academic achievements? Resume layouts with a side column can put your skills list in a highly visible space. If your experiences are super strong, you can also list your skills at the bottom of the page. Just make sure your best qualities are the most eye-catching!

What to Put on Your LinkedIn Profile Section-by-Section

By Biron Clark

Published: November 13, 2023

Biron Clark

Writer & Career Coach

If you’re wondering what to put on your LinkedIn profile or what the ideal profile should look like, then keep reading.

As a former recruiter , I’m going to share:

• What to put on your LinkedIn profile: All key sections explained
• Why your LinkedIn experience section may be the most important section, and examples of how to write it to make your LinkedIn stand out
• Tips for all other important sections to make your LinkedIn grab attention and get you job offers
• More LinkedIn tips and mistakes to avoid

What to Put on Your LinkedIn Profile When Job Searching:

Your LinkedIn profile contains the following important sections, which you should complete:

• Profile photo
• LinkedIn headline
• LinkedIn summary
• Work experience descriptions
• Recommendations from colleagues
• Education and certifications
• Accomplishments
• Volunteer experience

Now that you know which sections to put on your LinkedIn profile, keep reading for each of these LinkedIn profile sections explained.

1. Profile Photo

LinkedIn users will see your profile image even clicking on your profile.

They see it when you comment on a post, when you try to connect with them, when you apply to a job, and more.

So it’s a crucial piece to include in any profile.

As you fill out your profile, choose a professional, friendly-looking profile photo where your face is clearly visible.

Here’s a screenshot of what your headshot should look like, and a big mistake to avoid. This is an example of a search that I ran as a recruiter:

Not having a LinkedIn profile photo is a big mistake if you’re job searching. Employers and recruiters might suspect your account is fake, and even if not, they’ll wonder why you don’t have a photo when practically everyone else does. It just seems odd and brings up unnecessary concerns.

And choosing the wrong photo can also hurt you in your job search.

So choose a professional-looking headshot to put on your LinkedIn profile. It doesn’t need to be perfect. But pick something where you’re dressed pretty well and look like you’re confident, smiling, happy, etc.

LinkedIn offers these 5 tips for picking the right profile photo if you want more help with this.

2. LinkedIn Headline

Just like with your profile photo, your headline is seen before someone even clicks your profile.

Even though your headline is fewer than 50 words, it’s one of the most important sections of your LinkedIn because it influences whether someone clicks on your profile.

As you write your headline, choose keywords and descriptive words that show your exact skill set and also how you’re a good match for the next type of opportunity you’re looking for.

Note: there’s no rule that your LinkedIn headline must be your current or most recent job title.

It’s a missed opportunity to leave your headline as “Software Developer” or “Customer Service Representative,” for example.

Instead, add more detail to stand out from industry peers. Add key skills and keywords that show more of what you can offer an employer if hired for a new job.

Here are 12 LinkedIn headline examples to help you get started.

3. LinkedIn Summary

The summary section of your LinkedIn profile is important because it appears high up in your profile and is very flexible in terms of what you can include.

You can include links to portfolio pieces or past projects, you can include emojis to catch attention, or just text. The flexibility of your LinkedIn summary gives you a chance to be more creative than many other LinkedIn sections, so take advantage.

If you’re unsure what to write and you’re in an active job search, pick up a few job descriptions of the roles you’re targeting.

Now think, “How can I write my summary to show employers I have the skills and experience they’re looking for in their job?”

There’s no “right” length for a LinkedIn summary, but you should write at least one to two paragraphs and can write much more if you have more relevant info to include.

Here are real LinkedIn summary examples to help you write your own.

Never skip this section since it’s one of the first places a recruiter or hiring manager looks.

(It’s not the absolute first place I looked as a recruiter, though. That section is next, so keep reading…)

4. Work Experience

While your photo and headline are most important in getting someone to click your LinkedIn profile, your work experience section is the most important piece once they’re viewing your profile.

As a recruiter, this was always the first section I looked at on a candidate’s profile. I looked here before skills, before your summary, and before anything else.

This is because when employers are trying to find people for their jobs, they’re looking for similarities between past job descriptions and pats work. The best way for them to quickly see that you’d be likely to succeed in their role is to see that you’ve done similar tasks in the past.

(FYI, this is true on a resume, too. I always read the resume work experience before anything else, and it’s by far the most important section of your resume).

So use the following tips to make your LinkedIn work descriptions stand out…

Keep the “Main” Sections Shorter Than Your Resume

When it comes to things like your work experience and bullets, your LinkedIn profile should be shorter than your resume. Assume people are reading it for just a few seconds per job listing.

So pick your top 3-4 bullets from your resume per job, and put those. But cut the rest out.

Also consider including a one-sentence description of your work in each role too, just above the bullets. This is typically a bit longer on a resume, but if it’s already just one sentence on your resume, you can copy it over. If not, I’d shorten it a bit.

The only exception to this rule: The “summary” that appears below your name but above your work history on LinkedIn. I’d recommend that be 2-3 sentences on your resume, and around the same length on LinkedIn too.

So that’s something you CAN copy over. If you’re not sure how to write a resume summary that’ll stand out and impress employers, you can learn how here .

How Long to Make Your LinkedIn Work Descriptions for Each Job

It doesn’t. There’s no “golden rule” here. Some people will read more content if you put it. But here’s the thing… the goal of your LinkedIn (or resume) isn’t to get them to read every word. It’s to make them reply and invite you to interview, right?

They might still have some questions and want to know more after reading your LinkedIn, but they’ll see enough that they want to talk. And that’s the goal. They’ll find out the rest by asking you questions in the interview .

And keeping things brief will force you to focus on narrowing down your bullets and accomplishments to just the most impressive.

If I told you to include 10 bullets per job, you wouldn’t be as selective and wouldn’t write great bullet points. But if you limit it to 3-4 bullets per job like I’m suggesting, your LinkedIn profile will have nothing but awesome bullets.

Taking the time to “trim the fat” and put only your best highlights on LinkedIn is going to make you stand out while also making your profile more attractive to read/skim, which is what you want as a job seeker.

Show Progress or Advancement Whenever You Can

Employers LOVE it when you advance within a company, get promoted, etc.

So any time you can show that, do it.

Here’s a really simple example from the first recruiting job I ever had. I started as an Executive Recruiter and then got promoted to Senior Executive Recruiter. So I made sure to show this progression on my LinkedIn:

Note that your profile should definitely have more detail than this .

I edited this down because it’s very far in the past, I’m not job searching, everyone knows what the job title “Executive Recruiter” means, and I mostly want to show the advancement I made and the leadership I started doing here.

But in your 2-3 most recent jobs… make sure to put more detail about what your job actually involves.

Aim for around 4 bullet points like I mentioned earlier. The #1 thing hiring managers and recruiters want to see is what you’ve worked on/accomplished recently. 

One more note about showing advancement and progression: This doesn’t always need to be an official change in job title or salary. If you had a change in responsibilities (like starting to mentor/train new team members), you can still mention it on your LinkedIn and show how you progressed (even if your pay and/or job title stayed the same).

Focus Mostly on Your Recent Work

This is one of the key strategies I recommend for what to put on your LinkedIn profile…

Now, if you’re job searching with no experience, or right after college , this won’t matter for you because you don’t have a ton of jobs to list anyway – but if you have many years of work experience and many past jobs… spend more time (and space) on your LinkedIn profile on the 2-3 most recent jobs!

So for example, the most recent job could have 4 bullet points and a 2-sentence description above it.

The next job down would have 3-4 bullet points and a 1-sentence description.

And so forth…

By the time you get to the fourth or fifth job, it might just be a one-sentence description with 2 bullets, or just 2-3 bullets.

That’s not some rule that you have to follow 100%, but it’s the general pattern you should follow – use most of your time, and most of the space on your LinkedIn work history, for writing about your most recent work.

You Don’t Need to Put Every Past Job on Your LinkedIn Profile

Just like with your resume, consider removing positions entirely if they’re many years in the past and totally unrelated to the jobs you’re applying for now.

This is mostly a tip for job seekers with 15+ years of experience.

There’s no rule that says you need to list every previous job when writing your LinkedIn profile or resume.

Formatting Your LinkedIn Work History – Keep it Simple

You can also see how I used very simple formatting to grab attention in the screenshot above. I just typed “–” before the descriptions, and it stands out visually in the example above.

So you can consider doing something like this too but don’t overboard. No recruiter or hiring manager likes a profile flooded with symbols, emojis and other graphics making it hard to read or focus.

So find one or two small things to do that’ll stand out, but then keep it very simple and focus on writing awesome content that’ll make the reader want to  set up a phone interview  or talk to you.

Also, copy what looks good on other profiles. Borrow ideas. If you think the best writers out there don’t take ideas from others, you’re wrong. So you don’t need to start with a “blank page” for any of this. Look around at other people in your industry, take an idea here or there, and make note of what looks good and what doesn’t.

Now, don’t go copy one person’s LinkedIn profile. Don’t plagiarize. But do take inspiration.

LinkedIn gives you 50 skill slots and you should take full advantage when filling out your profile.

LinkedIn skills serve as keywords and will help your profile appear higher up in recruiter searches.

You can only include a few keywords in your headline, LinkedIn summary, and other sections.

At least, without looking like you’re just cramming excess keywords into your profile to be seen (and that’s not good).

Whereas, you can fill all 50 skill slots on LinkedIn and still have a natural-looking profile.

This greatly helps recruiters find you in search results, so take advantage.

You can include hard skills/job-related skills, but also soft skills . Get creative and come up with a diverse list of skills that you’ve gathered in your career, but with a focus on the 50 skills that employers will find relevant for the job you’re hoping to land next.

6. Recommendations

LinkedIn recommendations are a strong way to show employers that your professional background is relevant and that you’ve performed at a high level in past jobs.

Most people who use LinkedIn don’t have a single written recommendation (which is different than simply getting endorsements for skills). So ask colleagues who you’ve worked with in your career to write recommendations speaking to the quality of your work, and then offer to do the same for them.

Read this article for examples of LinkedIn recommendations and how to ask.

7. Education and Certifications

Next, complete your education info and also add any relevant certifications and licenses you’ve obtained in your career.

Like the sections above, think about what’s relevant for the role and industry that you’re in, though. If you’re in an industry closely related to your educational background, you may want to include more information.

If you’ve had a long professional career and moved away from anything related to what you studied in college, you can just mention your degree briefly without as much detail.

That’s the path I followed in my career; I graduated with a degree in finance but never took a finance job, so I simply mention my degree without as much detail on my profile. Use this as an example of what to do if you simply want to show that you have a degree, but if you’ve moved on in your career and it’s no longer relevant to most employers:

If you think boosting your skills or adding a new course to your education would help you find a new job, then you can also take courses directly on LinkedIn, via LinkedIn Learning.

That’s another great way to make your LinkedIn profile stand out to prospective employers.

8. Accomplishments

LinkedIn offers a dedicated Accomplishments section where you can highlight everything from languages spoken to projects and publications.

This section is a great place to mention any side projects or hobbies that will complement your professional career. You can also elaborate on your professional work experience by including work-related awards and projects.

Like your Summary section, this section is incredibly flexible so you can get creative and use it in different ways depending on your industry and job type.

Here’s an example of my Accomplishments section at the time of writing this:

Each of these accomplishments can be expanded by the reader (by clicking the arrows on the right-hand side) and for some types of accomplishments, you can even include links to external sites.

This is useful for showcasing publications and other accomplishments that are completely separate from LinkedIn.

9. Volunteer Experience

If you’ve done any volunteer work, LinkedIn allows you a separate section to include this, too.

Navigate to your LinkedIn profile, click the “Add Section” button, and select “Volunteer Experience.”

This allows you to add another impressive section to your LinkedIn profile that some job seekers won’t have, and gives you an opportunity to show employers that you’re well-rounded in your career and active in the community.

Employers in any industry will view volunteer experience as a relevant, favorable trait.

Conclusion: What to Put on Your LinkedIn Profile

Whether you’re in a job search or just trying to network or grow your personal brand, the above sections are the must-have pieces to put on your LinkedIn profile.

If you complete the sections above, you’ll show up in more search results, make more professional connections, and get more job offers through LinkedIn.

Once you’ve completed your profile, shouldn’t just wait for people to connect with you, though.

Take an active approach to building your network and making connections. Connect with people in your industry, join relevant LinkedIn groups, participate in discussions or start some of your own, leave comments on posts that seem interesting to you, and repeat the process to get your profile seen more.

This will amplify the number of people who see your LinkedIn profile and will give you access to even more opportunities.

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

2 thoughts on “What to Put on Your LinkedIn Profile Section-by-Section”

As a employer of healthcare agency, I would like to use Linkedin as a platform for recruiting new staff. Is this the purpose of Linkedin? Let me know . Thx

Yes, absolutely. You can post jobs on LinkedIn, and you can also use your account/profile to post a link to a new job opening. Or you can simply connect with potential candidates and start a conversation, which recruiters in all industries do all the time on LinkedIn.

Comments are closed.

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Top Skills to Put On Your Resume for Job Applications in 2024

A big part of building a successful job application is effectively using your resume to highlight your skills. Learn more about what skills to include (and how to include them) to make the most impact.

When you're preparing a job application, your resume should feature the technical skills, workplace skills, interpersonal skills, and transferable skills that you've developed throughout your career. However, as you apply for jobs, it's a good idea to tailor your application and highlight, where possible, the skills listed in the job description.

In this article, we'll go over the top skills you should put on your general resume and how to tailor that resume for every job application.

Types of skills to put on your resume

There are four main types of skills that you should integrate into your resume: technical, workplace, interpersonal, and transferable. At times, these can overlap. You'll notice that active listening can be an interpersonal skill and a transferable skill.

Let's review each one in more detail.

Technical skills : Specialized knowledge used to complete tasks specific to a role, such as using a content management system (CMS) or conducting data analysis.

Workplace skills : The behaviors you use to complete your work, such as critical thinking and empathy.

Interpersonal skills : Sometimes called people skills , these are strengths that showcase how you work with others, such as active listening and conflict resolution.

Transferable skills : The skills you take from job to job, no matter the type of work you do. These overlap with workplace skills at times and tend to include skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and attention to detail.

Depending on how long you've been working, you may also want to highlight:

Management skills : The ability to lead others and produce cohesive, unified work. These can include delegation, project management, and communication.

Read more: What Are Job Skills and Why Do They Matter?

Good skills to put on your resume

The best skills to put on your resume are always going to be those that your potential employer has already noted they're looking for in their job posting. But, other than looking there, how do you know what skills are in demand and worth developing in general?

Here's one way: Check out Coursera's annual Job Skill Report , which identifies the top skills that learners have been building on the platform that year. In 2023, the fastest-growing job skills on the platform were as follows [ 1 ]:

The above skills are those that learners around the world are developing on Coursera that you may benefit from highlighting on your own resume (or developing yourself). But, if you need help brainstorming some other skills to include on your resume, explore the skills listed below for inspiration.

Technical skills

Here are some technical skills that can be useful to feature on your resume:

Writing and editing

Microsoft Office tools like Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint

Building and engineering skills like carpentry, plumbing, roofing, or surveying

Design tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Photoshop

Computer programming languages like Python, HTML, C++

Data analysis tools like SQL , STATA, or R

Budgeting and budget analysis

Management and management methodologies like Agile

Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn

Transferable skills

Here are some transferable skills that can be helpful to have on a resume:

Attention to detail

Public speaking

Organization

Leadership 

Customer service

Critical thinking

Read more: Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What’s the Difference?

How to add key skills to your resume

Because of applicant tracking systems (ATS) , which often scan resumes before they make it to a recruiter for further review, it's a good idea to make sure your resume aligns as much as possible with the language used in the job description. That's because ATS algorithms are set to filter applicants based on how closely they appear to fit the job description.

In that case, you will want to feature the various skills you've listed out when they closely align with the job description. And you will want to include other skills that strengthen your application by showing your work ethic, impact, or other successes.

1. Make a list of your skills.

Take time to sit down and reflect on each role you've had. What technical skills did you need to perform your work? What workplace or interpersonal skills did you develop to be successful as a team member and employee? If you need help creating this list, search for job descriptions that match the roles you've held for inspiration.

Getting clear about your skills—your strengths—will help you as you set about adding these skills to your resume.

2. Look at the job description.

The job description should be your main guide when it comes to deciding what skills to include. Start by finding a job description you're interested in. Note the key desired skills and qualities: These can be part of a lengthier paragraph describing the role or bullet points that synthesize the ideal candidate.

These are the skills you should aim to highlight in your job application.

3. Decide how to incorporate your skills into your resume.

Once you have a set of skills you feel can work well in your job application, start including them in your resume. You can do this by including them in your past experiences section, the skills section, or the summary.

Past experiences section: Draw attention to key skills by including them in your past experiences. Start each experience section with a resume action word such as “organize,” “manage,” or “analyze” to showcase your abilities.

Skills section: A skills section is generally a list of skills relevant to the job. You can choose to include your ability level in each skill, or organize them by category, such as "technical" and "workplace."

Objective: A resume objective tells recruiters what you hope to achieve in your next role. It's a great way to detail what you've already done and your long-term career goals . And it's also an idea spot to slip in a few skills, such as "problem-solver" or "empathetic."

Summary: A resume summary explains who you are and what you've done without thinking too specifically about your career goals. It can be a great use of resume space when you're just getting started or you need to synthesize a less straightforward career path . In that case, pick the top skills you want to draw attention to.

Need help formatting your resume skills?

Read How to Feature and Format Key Skills on Your Resume to learn best-practices, find tips, and explore examples to make the most of your resume skill section.

Get started on your resume

Check out our Job Search Guide for even more resources, or enroll for free in Writing Winning Resumes and Cover Letters from the University of Maryland.

Ready to add to your skill set? Coursera Plus offers access to thousands of courses and certificates to get you job-ready in 2024.

Build job-ready skills with a Coursera Plus subscription

• Get access to 7,000+ learning programs from world-class universities and companies, including Google, Yale, Salesforce, and more
• Try different courses and find your best fit at no additional cost
• Earn certificates for learning programs you complete
• A subscription price of $59/month, cancel anytime

Article sources

Coursera. " Job Skills of 2023 Report , https://www.coursera.org/campus/resources/job-skills-2023." Accessed December 22, 2023.

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This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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Resume Examples Customer Service Resume

13+ Customer Service Resume Examples & Templates

Use our customer service resume examples as a reference when writing your own resume to land more interviews. Also, make sure to pair your resume with a well-written customer service representative cover letter to maximize your chances of landing a job.

Customer service resume templates

• Entry-level customer service resume
• Experienced customer service resume
• Senior customer service resume

Different types of customer service resume examples

Average customer service salaries in the us, how to write a customer service resume, frequently asked questions.

FIRST AND LAST NAME

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (123) 456-7891

Address: Street, City, State

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile

Energetic and personable customer service professional seeking an opportunity to leverage strong communication skills and passion for providing exceptional client experiences. Committed to delivering prompt, courteous, and effective assistance to customers. Eager to contribute to the growth and success of a dynamic organization.

Professional Experience

• Provide friendly and efficient customer service to an average of 50 clients per day, resulting in a 95% customer satisfaction rating
• Handle a wide range of customer inquiries, complaints, and requests with a focus on swift problem resolution
• Consistently meet or exceeded daily sales targets by proactively identifying and suggesting relevant products and services
• Participate in ongoing training to stay up-to-date on product knowledge and customer service best practices
• Provided administrative support to the office manager, including scheduling appointments, managing correspondence, and organizing files
• Assisted with event planning and coordination, including booking venues and arranging catering services
• Handled up to 50 incoming calls per day and directed them to appropriate personnel
• Managed office supply inventory and placed orders to suppliers on an as-needed basis
• Maintained confidentiality of sensitive information and ensured compliance with company policies
• Communication skills
• Active listening
• Problem solving
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Computer literacy
• Multitasking
• Conflict resolution
• Attention to detail

Professional Profile

Customer service representative with over 4 years of experience in telephone customer service, including sales, tech support, and customer care. Familiar with major customer service software and adept at conflict resolution. Aiming to use my proven skills to effectively fill the managerial role at [Company Name].

• Handle 90+ calls daily, with duties including signing up new customers, retrieving customer data, presenting relevant product information, and cancelling services
• Trained two new employees in how to use Kayako, entering customer data and organizing customer interaction logs
• Received an average 85% customer satisfaction rating to date, 15% higher than the company average
• Suggested a new tactic to persuade cancelling customers to stay with the company, resulting in a 5% decrease in cancellations
• Memorized entire line of company products and services, including prices and special discounts
• Provided basic technical support for clients on a wide range of company products, maintaining a 90% issue resolution rate
• Remained courteous and calm, even during moments of customer dissatisfaction
• Parcel Audit
• Bilingual (native-level English & Spanish)
• Microsoft Office 365
• Google Workspace
• 105 WPM typist

Professional Summary

Dedicated senior customer service representative with a strong background in both frontline and supervisory roles. Excel at analyzing customer feedback, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing successful process enhancements. Committed to leveraging technology and data-driven insights to drive customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

• Manage a team of 12 customer service representatives, improving customer satisfaction scores by 18% through coaching and process optimization
• Spearheaded the implementation of a new CRM system, resulting in a 15% reduction in customer wait times
• Consistently exceed monthly and quarterly customer service KPIs, including a 95% customer satisfaction rating and an average 4.8/5 feedback score
• Oversaw a team of 18 customer service representatives, leading them to achieve a 92% average customer satisfaction rating
• Implemented a customer service quality assurance program, which led to a 22% reduction in customer complaints
• Spearheaded the development and rollout of a new customer loyalty program, resulting in a 35% increase in repeat business
• Provided high-quality customer service to an average of 60 clients per day, maintaining a 90% first-call resolution rate
• Consistently met and exceeded monthly sales targets by proactively identifying and suggesting relevant products and services
• Commended for exceptional problem-solving skills and the ability to handle complex customer inquiries and complaints effectively
• CRM software proficiency
• Team management

Here are some more examples to help you get started when writing your own resume:

Customer service specialist resume

As a customer service professional, your resume needs to showcase your ability to provide exceptional customer experiences, resolve issues efficiently, and contribute to the overall success of the organization. Check out this example for inspiration when writing your own:

Why this example works

• Unique layout: The three-column layout is attention-grabbing while remaining clean and well-organized
• Eye-catching graphics: The graphics in the skills section make this resume stand out
• Quantified metrics: The candidate quantifies their past achievements wherever possible

Customer service representative resume

This sample resume highlights the key competencies and achievements that employers in various industries seek when hiring top-performing customer service professionals:

• Graphic accents: The graphics in the corners add visual interest without being distracting
• Efficient use of space: The two-column format draws attention to both the candidate’s skills and their work experience
• Tidy layout: The resume includes enough detail without being too text-heavy

Customer service associate resume

Being a customer service associate requires a unique blend of interpersonal skills, product knowledge, and a genuine commitment to meeting the needs of customers. This customer service associate resume example showcases the key qualifications and experience that employers typically look for:

• Clean layout: The clear, no-frills layout is perfect for more formal roles
• Focus on experience: This template leaves a lot of room to elaborate on your work history
• Strong introduction: The professional summary shows that the candidate is personable and responsible

Customer service supervisor resume

Customer service supervisors not only handle customer feedback and complaints, but also manage a team of customer service staff, so you’ll need great leadership and management skills to thrive in this role. Highlight your ability to manage a team and shape an exceptional customer journey with an effective customer service supervisor resume , like this one:

• Spotlight on skills: The candidate’s skills are highlighted front and center
• Detailed work history: The candidate provides just enough information about their work experience without going overboard
• Pops of color: The accent color makes this resume eye-catching without distracting from its content

Customer service manager resume

A good resume for a customer service manager needs to reflect both your ability to not only provide exceptional customer support and also to lead a team of customer service professionals, like in this example:

• Crisp design: The clean layout looks put-together and professional
• Solid skills: The candidate highlights their skills in both the introduction and the skills section
• Proven achievements: The work experience bullet points are backed up by numbers

Customer success manager resume

As a customer success manager, your primary focus is to ensure that your company’s clients achieve their desired outcomes through exceptional service and support. Check out the customer success manager resume example below to learn how to showcase key skills employers look for:

• Range of skills: The candidate lists a mix of hard and soft skills, both of which are important to succeed in customer-focused roles
• Showcases certifications: The candidate includes their certifications in both the introduction and the education section
• Sleek layout: This clean design is ideal for more professional positions

Retail customer service resume

As a retail customer service professional, your resume needs to highlight your exceptional communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and dedication to providing excellent customer experiences. Use the following example as a guide when writing your own:

• Colorful design: The accent colors make this resume stand out without overdoing it
• Emphasis on experience: The two-column format puts the work experience section front and center
• Action verbs: The candidate describes their work experience using powerful action verbs

Professional customer service resume

This sample resume demonstrates how to effectively communicate your experience providing high-quality support and contributing to the overall success of the companies you’ve worked for:

• Graphic elements: The graphics are eye-catching yet subtle
• Effective introduction: The professional profile makes the candidate look competent and reliable
• Quantified experience: The candidate demonstrates their accomplishments with hard numbers

Remote customer service resume

This sample remote customer service resume highlights the unique qualifications and experiences needed to excel in a virtual customer-facing role:

• Unique design: The blocks of color and subtle background graphic make this resume pop
• Optimized layout: The two-column format lets both the skills and work experience sections stand out
• Demonstrates experience: The candidate lists several past roles and provides enough detail to show hiring managers that they’d be an ideal candidate

Customer support resume

This resume example demonstrates how to showcase your technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, and commitment to providing exceptional customer support:

• Eye-catching header: The color blocking and accent font are sure to grab hiring managers’ attention
• Measures skills: The candidate provides additional context around their core skills
• Showcases language skills: Being bilingual in English and Spanish is a huge plus for customer-facing roles

Follow our expert writing guide to learn how to write a customer service resume that leaves a good impression on hiring managers.

Start your resume with a strong summary or objective

Your introduction should highlight your key professional accomplishments and explain why your experience and skills will benefit the company.

If you already have some experience under your belt, start off with a resume summary that highlights your most relevant skills, awards, or career accomplishments.

Check out the following examples to help you write your own:

Customer service summary highlighting an accomplishment

Driven customer service professional with a track record of exceeding client satisfaction targets. Demonstrated ability to multitask, prioritize, and remain calm under pressure. Recognized for outstanding communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills. Awarded “Employee of the Year” for exceptional service.

Customer service summary highlighting experience and soft skills

Personable and detail-oriented customer service specialist with 5+ years of experience. Excels at quickly understanding customer needs, offering tailored solutions, and following up to ensure full resolution. Skilled at navigating company policies and systems to deliver efficient and friendly service.

Customer service summary highlighting skills and accomplishments

Personable and adaptable customer service professional with a track record of exceeding client satisfaction goals. Skilled at active listening, clear communication, and creative problem-solving to deliver tailored solutions. Proactive and solution-oriented, with the ability to work independently or as part of a team. Recognized for streamlining call handling procedures to improve first-time resolution rate by 15%.

If you don’t have a lot of work experience, try writing a resume objective that summarizes your key skills and career goals. A customer service resume objective should demonstrate that you have the interpersonal skills necessary to succeed in a customer-facing role.

Here are some examples:

Customer service resume objective with no experience

Enthusiastic and personable recent graduate with a passion for providing exceptional client support. Committed to delivering a positive customer experience through prompt issue resolution and a solutions-oriented approach. Seeking an entry-level position to further develop my customer service expertise.

Customer service resume objective for a student

Ambitious, reliable student with strong communication abilities and passion for delivering superior customer experiences. Skilled in quickly understanding client needs and providing accurate, helpful information. Eager to learn and grow within a dynamic, customer-focused organization like [Company Name].

Customer service resume objective with moderate experience

Customer service professional with a strong background in technical support. Adept at quickly assessing client needs, troubleshooting issues, and communicating resolutions in a clear, empathetic manner. Eager to join a collaborative team and further develop my abilities to exceed customer expectations.

If you need help coming up with some ideas for your resume introduction, try using our resume summary generator to get some examples to work with.

2. Target your resume to each job description

When writing your work experience section, it’s important to tailor it to the job you’re applying for.

To do this, you’ll need to read the job description carefully to identify which keywords to include on your resume .

Here’s a job ad for a customer service position with all the skills and experience-related keywords highlighted:

And here’s how you can incorporate some of those keywords into a work experience section:

Customer service work experience tailored to the job description

Customer Support Representative Strategic Solutions | June 20XX – Present

• Address client concerns both in-person and over the phone, maintaining confidentiality and reporting issues to responsible parties
• Monitor call quality and client satisfaction data to ensure customers are happy with our services
• Ensure compliance with all state and local regulatory requirements
• Implement improvements based on survey data to create more positive customer experiences

3. Showcase your customer service skills

Next, add a skills section that highlights your key customer service skills .

Customer service jobs involve a lot of interpersonal interaction, so you’ll want to include a mix of hard skills and soft skills . Here are some of the best skills to put on a customer service resume:

Are you in the interviewing phase of your job hunt? Learn how to highlight your customer service skills and answer common interview questions by watching this TikTok:

@resumegenius Top 3 customer service interview questions and answers #interviewtips #interviewquestions #jobinterview #customerservice #careeradvice #jobsearchtips ♬ Spongebob Tomfoolery – Dante9k Remix – David Snell

Here are some frequently asked questions people have when writing a customer service resume:

1. What can I put on a customer service resume if I have no experience?

Start by highlighting any transferable skills you’ve developed through other jobs, volunteer work, or educational experiences. For example, you could emphasize your strong communication abilities, problem-solving skills, and ability to work well in a team.

You can also list any relevant coursework, certifications, or training programs you’ve completed that are applicable to customer service. Finally, consider including any extracurricular activities that demonstrate your commitment to helping others and providing quality service.

By emphasizing your transferable skills and relevant experiences, you can write a compelling customer service resume even without direct industry experience.

2. What’s the best resume format for customer service jobs?

You should generally use a chronological resume format that shows your career advancement by listing your experience in reverse-chronological order. If you have little to no experience, a functional resume format that organizes your experience according to your skills is a great way to show that you have the right skills.

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