Summary Statements

Our staff was fortunate to meet with a group of employers this week to learn their preferences regarding resumes. One of the first topics that came up was objective statements. These employers had this advice for you – ditch your objective and replace it with a summary of experience.

One healthcare employer receives almost 20,000 resumes a month. Another employer from the banking industry received 200+ resumes a week. Of course, that means they don’t have much time to spend on any one resume. However, all agreed that a well thought out and well prepared summary statement gets their attention and “directs them to the rest of the resume”.

What is a well thought out summary statement? Answer = one that uses important keywords and points out accomplishments and achievements, and shows what you can do for the employer to whom you are sending your resume. A summary statement needs to be targeted for a specific job, so if you have more than one job you are targeting, you will want to tailor a summary statement and resume for each job.

A sample summary statement follows:

MBA graduate with PHR certification and more than five years experience in human resources. Handled all human resource functions for financial institutions of more 100 to 150 employees. Recruited and hired employees to staff five branch locations in addition to filling positions at corporate office. Contributed to 20% reduction in employee relations issues and 15% decrease in turnover for two year period. Involved in community with leadership roles in Society of Human Resource Development, American Society of Training and Development and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

One more thought: be sure you proof your summary statement. Just as this information can influence an employer to keep reading, a typo or grammatical error can stop him on the spot.

Come back to this blog for more information regarding resumes next week. Straight from employer’s mouths to your eyes--how much better can you get?