A resume is a written summary of your career history and your marketable skills and strength. They serve as an introduction document to help generate an interview, help prepare your interviewer with a brief background, and helps springboard questions during the interview process. To say a resume is important is an understatement.
Throughout this article, we are going to focus on the introductory statements of a resume.
Heading
Your heading should include your name, address, phone number(s), email address, and LinkedIn profile link (if applicable). There are a variety of ways to display your heading information. On your first page, ensure you have listed all your information, on subsequent pages, your name and page number will suffice.
Objective
Your objective statement tells a potential employer that you are seeking one position exclusively. The advantage of having this statement is that if your job objective matches the company’s opening and your credentials are strong, you will be perceived as a good fit. However, there is a disadvantage of using an objective statement. Using this statement may restrict you to a specific position and may disqualify you from being considered for other positions or functions the company may have.
Sample Objectives: A position as Sales Manager utilizing a strong background and experience in domestic and international chemical markets.
Career Summary
A Career Summary is a preferred introduction to your resume. Your Career Summary sets the tone and organizes the information for the reader in advance. This summary helps draw from the body of the resume keywords, industry-specific terms, and core skills. Your Career Summary is a brief and powerful statement of your professional brand, value, and credentials. This summary should mirror your “:30 Branding Statement”.
Sample Career Summary: Inside sales professional with ten years of experience in telemarketing and customer service in the publishing industry. Detail-oriented with strong skills in supervision, communication, and problem-solving.
Accomplishments Statement
Clearly stating your accomplishments is a great way to get your resume noticed. Employers want to know what problems or issues you can address, and your accomplishments give them an indication of your ability to solve their problems. They want to see your results and the measures of your success.
Sample Accomplishment Statement: Authored and implemented marketing plans for new software applications; plans were adopted worldwide and referenced for all related products.
Creating a solid introduction into your resume will help set you apart from other candidates. Your potential employer will quickly understand your capabilities, and the remaining portions will help deliver the data to solidify your experience needed to perform the job duties.
