How to Write a Qualifications Summary

While looking out for a new job, one of the first tasks at hand is always updating your resume. While this task is not exactly difficult, many among us tend to lose out on good opportunities due to badly-formatted resumes.

We tend to forget to include some of the most important constituent features of a resume like the summary of qualifications which is a brief paragraph about why you are the perfect person for the job you have applied to. You can make a mention of the experience you have, your educational qualifications, your work ethics, background, etc.

This part of the resume has to be very well-drafted as this is what will ensure that a prospective employer reads the resume fully. If you make any claims in this summary, ensure that you can produce substantiated evidence for it.

A summary of qualifications is a good replacement for a statement of objective. It is one of the best tools that a job seeker has to garner to get the attention of a prospective employer. Writing the summary well will ensure that the employer reads your resume completely and may increase your chances at an interview call back.

A summary of qualification should definitely highlight all the skills that are relevant to the job that you are applying for. It should be brief and concise and there should be no use of pronouns like I, me, or myself. This tends to reflect very badly on the job seeker.

You can either write the summary in the form of a paragraph with four to five lines or you can draft it in such a way that the sentences are enlisted as bullet points. You will find summary examples of both types online.

While most employers like resumes to have a section with a summary, there are some employers who think that these summaries are redundant and are not needed in the resume.

For beginners in the field with no relevant experience, there may be no relevant information to put into a whole section. In case there is no relevant experience, then a summary can actually backfire on the job seeker.

If you are writing a summary, then the best way to do so would be to draft together the answers to the six questions that are given here. These answers will enable you to put together a document which will reflect your experience, qualifications, and suitability for the job.

• How long have you been working in this field using the skills required to perform necessary tasks?
• If your best friend is talking to a prospective employer on your behalf, what would be the 1 thing he or she would say that would make the employer call you back for an interview?
• How do you measure success and do you think you are a successful professional?

• What are the best qualities about you that make you the perfect candidate for this job?
• What are the passions that you have that would make you a valuable asset at the workplace?
• Are there any other talents that you possess that would be a welcome talent for the job you are applying to?

Any sample will show you that these summaries are very brief; only about five to six sentences. The summary should encapsulate your skills and qualifications well, especially focusing on traits like punctiliousness, honesty, etc. The skills to put on a resume should reflect especially well in context with the job you are applying to. 

When you are still drafting the resume and writing the summary, list out all your skills and then cross out the ones which you think are irrelevant in the present context. Make a comparison between your skill set and your work experience and then further narrow down on what should be included. 

By the end of this process of narrowing down, you should be able to draft a summary that is only about three to five sentences long. Make this summary the first section of your resume so that the recruiter knows what to expect from you as a candidate.

Now that you know how to draft such a summary for your resume, make a list of all your skills and draft one for your resume that will create a good impression on a prospective employer.