A CV summary is a concise summary of who you are and the value that you can bring to an organization. Today , all strong CVs are expected to have CV summaries in place of the antiquated “Objective.” The CV  summary is essentially your elevator speech, which is a very brief “commercial” of who you are and how you can benefit an organization.

 

What To Include

 

First, be certain to include a CV summary right after your contact information. Excluding a summary or just listing a few bullets about your qualifications (or worse listing an Objective) will nearly guarantee your CV gets passed unless you personally know the hiring manager. The CV summary is essentially a condensed version of the “Tell Me About Yourself Question.” When writing a summary, you want to ensure that you include relevant and specific information that showcases who you are without being too generic. A great summary will include who you are, what you’ve done, what value you bring, and what your strengths are. Also, you should always include your CV title above the resume summary to make it clear who you are (i.e. Sales Professional, IT Executive, Project Manager, etc.)

 

Keep It Short

 

You may have been in an industry for 20+ years and have done enough to fill 100+ pages of text; however, your summary shouldn’t be longer than five or six sentences. A study conducted showed that the average recruiter spends 6-seconds reviewing a CV, so your CV summary should be concise and compelling. You need to quickly capture the hiring manager’s attention and highlight your top-selling points or unique value proposition. Avoid being redundant and including too many generic sentences that can apply to anyone.

 

Great CV Summary Examples:

 

 

Senior Sales Executive

Award-winning sales executive with vast experience in sales/marketing and financial management.Expertise in sourcing and retaining new business as the deal lead and providing the framework for completing KYC due diligence for specialized clients.

Demonstrated history of generating more than 20 Million Naira in 3 months. Successful client-relations manager who understands client needs, manages expectations, builds lasting relationships, instills trust, and ensures the delivery of solutions. Highly adept working in the FinTech industry.

 

 

Generic Summary

Energetic and creative professional with a cross-functional background in operations.History of working well with all levels of leadership and developing effective relationships.Strong ability to make immediate and valuable contributions to an organization.Flexible and open-minded with an outstanding ability to adapt to any situation. Excellent research, strategic thinking, communication, and presentation skills.

 

Conclusion

 

Think of your CV summary as the only thing a hiring manager will read, because in many cases it just may be. Your CV summary is your elevator pitch and should include who you are, what you’ve done, what value you bring, and what your strengths are in a concise and compelling manner. Remember to include your title above your summary to immediately identify who you are. You can use a generic “Professional Summary” or “Qualifications” if you have a very diverse background and it’s difficult to define who you are in a single title. Always remember to include a resume summary as candidates without one will surely be passed.