Write A Riveting Professional Summary

Join Isaiah as he discusses why the professional summary is so important and how you need to craft yours to ensure it stands out

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

• First, Isaiah reveals why you need to let go of your academic mentality before you start writing your professional summary
• Next, Isaiah discloses the information that you should add at the beginning of your summary if you want to catch the hiring manager’s attention
• Finally, Isaiah lists the components of a riveting professional summary and what you should add in each of them

From This Week’s Show… 

Why You Need To Let Go Of Academic Values When Writing Your Professional Summary

Your professional summary is one of the most critical components of your industry resume.

It’s what hiring managers read first and it’s what helps them decide whether your resume is worth a read.

Think of yourself as a product you have to sell – how can you convince someone to “buy” in just a matter of seconds?

Academia has told you that claiming accomplishments as your own is distasteful or down-right untruthful, but to catch the eye of an industry employer, your summary has to sell YOU – not your academic credentials.

And YOU have the expertise they’re looking for, and it’s you they’re hiring – so yeah, talk about yourself – a lot, even brag a little.

How To Get Started With Your Summary

There isn’t one correct way to write a professional summary, but there are certainly tips and tricks you can follow that will make it one that’s hard to ignore.

For starters, you should write a punchy headline – this is your first opportunity to make a good first impression. This starts with the use of positive adjectives like innovative, successful, driven, and so on.

You don’t want to overdo it, but you want to make sure the employer knows your value. Also avoid cliches like “hard-working” and “detail-oriented.”

After your adjective, include your role or your title …so now you’re a “Driven research scientist…” or an “Innovative qualitative researcher…”

Make sure to include terms that indicate your level of seniority – like Senior, Assistant, or Executive – and do your best to include keywords that are used in the job description.

What Are The Components Of A Professional Summary

A professional summary is concise – consisting of no more than 3 bullet points.

Every bullet point should start with a transferable skill, move to a specialty skill, and end in a quantified result.

The first bullet point of your summary should include the name of the job title that you want.

Your second bullet point should focus on your relevant skills; in particular your specialty skills.

Then, in the third bullet point, demonstrate how you’re the ideal fit for the company’s culture and team; lean more on your transferable skills here.

Overall, an effective professional summary is one that shines a light on your expertise and showcases the value you can bring to a company.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.