Many years ago I met an “executive coach to the stars” who had a long list of clients in the C-suite. One of her clients was between big jobs and needed to refine the summary statement on her resume. Many weeks later that same woman who had been the CEO of two big company divisions was still struggling with the task.
The fact is that women at every level have trouble “tooting their own horn”. The summary statements that I see usually lack the hard-hitting “Hey, notice ME and be wildly impressed with all I’ve done”.
Jane’s summary statement rewrite is getting there, but is still lacking confidence and selling power:
“An accomplished senior-level communicator with a track record in covering diverse topics, such as technology, government, and world cultures, for online and print. Past employers include National Geographic and Reputation.com. Resourceful, decisive, and flexible in diverse workplace environments. Deadline-driven to produce effective communications for nonprofits and startups, as well as corporations.”
Here’s what Jane needs to do:
START WITH THE HEADLINER. The biggest attention grabber is the fact that she has two big names on her resume…National Geographic and Reputation.com. She needs to lead with this:
Accomplished senior-level communicator who has capitalized on strong interviewing, writing, editing and research expertise at top-notch organizations such as National Geographic and Reputation.com.
REVEAL YOUR PASSIONS. Jane earned a prestigious Master of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins, which spurred a lifelong interest in government, politics and the world economy. She needs to convey her broad interests and knowledge in her next sentence:
Johns Hopkins Master’s degree in International Public Policy laid foundation for lifelong interest in geopolitical affairs and world economies.
BE SPECIFIC ABOUT HOW AND WHERE YOU’VE USED YOUR SKILL SET. It’s much too vague for Jane to say that she has produced “effective communications”. This does not tell a prospective employer if she has written books, documentaries or newspaper articles. A more specific and powerful third sentence would be:
Versatile professional who moves among multiple formats with ease, including feature articles, biographies, newsletters and policy briefs—and drives engaging content for online and print publications under start-up, non-profit and corporate umbrellas.
FOCUS ON A CAPSTONE ACHIEVEMENT OR THE “SUM TOTAL” OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE. Since Jane is a writer, it makes sense to talk about her career portfolio, show the breadth of her knowledge and make it clear that she can easily grasp many different subjects:
Well-regarded portfolio includes published work focused on high-profile leaders and emerging trends in business, technology, science, global economies, diverse cultures, political conflict, wildlife, sports, education, historic preservation, energy resources, public housing and television programming.
So Jane’s resume summary statement would now look like this:
Accomplished senior-level communicator who has capitalized on strong interviewing, writing, editing and research expertise at top-notch organizations such as National Geographic and Reputation.com. Johns Hopkins Master’s degree in International Public Policy laid foundation for lifelong interest in geopolitical affairs and world economies. Versatile professional who moves among multiple formats with ease, including feature articles, biographies, newsletters and policy briefs—and drives engaging content for online and print publications under start-up, non-profit and corporate umbrellas. Well-regarded portfolio includes published work focused on high-profile leaders and emerging trends in business, technology, science, global economies, diverse cultures, political conflict, wildlife, sports, education, historic preservation, energy resources, public housing and television programming.
The purpose of the summary statement is to give potential employers a quick snapshot of who you are, what makes you interesting and how you can fill a gap in their organization. Recruiters generally have too many resumes and too little time—and they may not make the effort to connect all the dots on your two resume pages. With a summary statement you don’t force employers to read between the lines—instead you put your own spin on your own professional story in about 100 words or less. —KAS
Keep watching for more on Jane’s Journey Back to Work. In the meantime, what questions do you have about your own back-to-work journey? Use the comments section below or contact me about individual coaching or resume development. And if you like this post, please share by using the social media buttons also below.
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