Professional summary: how to write yours

The professional summary (or profile) is the paragraph at the top of your resume that says who you are professionally. Many recruiters decide whether to keep reading based on it. A good summary is three to five lines long, sticks to facts and matches the job.

What to put in it

Answer three questions, in this order:

1. Who you are professionally: your role or field and how long you have worked in it.
2. What you do well: two or three skills or results that matter for the job.
3. What you are looking for: the kind of job or your next step.

The CurrículoRaiz editor recommends 400 to 600 characters: enough to say what matters without turning into a wall of text.

Professional summary examples

• Customer service: "Customer service agent with three years of in-store and phone experience. I handle complaints calmly and help the team hit its satisfaction targets. Looking for a contact center role."
• Office work: "Administrative assistant experienced in accounts payable, invoicing and filing. I use Excel every day. I want to grow in finance."
• Construction: "Site foreman with eight years on residential projects. I lead crews of up to 15 people, track materials and schedules, and put safety first."
• Technology: "Front-end developer with four years of React and TypeScript. I have built screens used by thousands of people and care about accessibility and performance."
• Sales: "Sales associate with five years in fashion retail. Top seller in the store for two quarters; I also handle visual merchandising and stock."

Facts instead of adjectives

Replace words anyone could use with something only you can say:

• instead of "proactive", mention something you fixed without being asked;
• instead of "experienced", say how many years and in what;
• instead of "people person", say how many customers you served or what team you led.

Tailor it to the job

Read the posting and notice the words that come up most: they are what recruiters and screening systems look for. If they are true for you, use them in your summary. Do not copy the whole ad: pick two or three.

No experience yet?

If you are just starting, write a short summary focused on your education and courses, as explained in Resume with no experience. See how it looks in the Ana Oliveira example.