When writing your resume, it's important to highlight your relevant skills and characteristics in a short profile at the beginning of your resume. This is typically called a 'summary of qualifications' or a 'skills summary.' Sometimes, this can be the most difficult section of a resume because you have to be targeted and succinct.
Peggy Crippen recently posted an excellent, short article about how to write a summary of qualifications for a resume. Here are some of the most valuable tips that she mentioned in her article:
- Education: You'll want to include a statement about your education, especially if it is relevant to the position you are going for. For example, 'Recent applied psychology graduate' or 'social work student' could be nice starters for the summary.
- Numbers: If you have had years of experience as a camp counselor or working in customer service, and it relates to the field your are applying in, include them! For example, 'criminal justice student with over three years of experience working as Bike Patrol' would be a great way to continue the summary.
- Character: Discussing a positive character trait is always a good idea as it gives employers a feel for who you are and what your work ethic is like. Example: 'hard-working and patient social work student with five years of childcare experience...'
- Technology: The use of computers is present in almost every position now. If you've taken computer courses, include that here! Example: 'Dedicated and analytical applied pyschology graduate with three years of research experience using Microsoft Excel and Access...'
- Goal: You'll want to include your career goal here if you are not including an objective in your resume. Example: 'Education graduate with over fours semesters of student teaching experience at the elementary education level looking to bring her use of technology and passion for learning to your school district as a second-grade teacher.'
Keep it short, sweet, and to-the-point!
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