How To Write A Resume Profile (With Examples)

When writing your resume, you will typically consider the top portion as either an overview or profile. This section is incredibly significant on your resume, as it’s the first thing your potential employer will read. It gives them a good indication of who you are as a professional and a person.

You will want to give this part a good amount of consideration when crafting your resume. You may even choose to write different profiles for different job opportunities, depending on the role and qualifications. Below, we discuss more about resume profiles.

Key Takeaways:

• A resume profile is a brief summary of qualifications, experience, and goals found at the top of the resume.

• A resume profile helps capture the reader’s attention and entices them to learn more.

• A specific job title, experience, hard skills, and soft skills should all be found in a resume profile.

• A resume profile is different from a resume objective, which focuses more on the the type of position you want to obtain.

What Is a Resume Profile?

A resume profile is a part of your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) that provides a brief summary of an applicant. This section can include skills, qualifications, experience, and goals related to the job opportunity. The resume profile is sometimes called a resume summary or overview.

You may also choose to include a headline indicating what your job goal might be, where you include the number of years you’ve been in the industry and any specific qualifications you might possess. This can sometimes help get your potential employer’s attention.

Resume profiles are typically short, kept to two to five sentences. These can be in a bulleted form or a brief paragraph, depending on your preferences. The summary should be a quick snapshot of your skills, experience, accomplishments, and specific knowledge.

Why It’s a Good Idea to Use a Resume Profile

As mentioned earlier in this article, a resume profile is typically the first thing your potential employer or hiring manager will see when they pick up your resume. When done effectively, this portion of your resume will be designed to capture the reader’s attention. You should consider customizing your profiles for each job you apply for, or at least for specific job titles.

For example, suppose you are in marketing, and you possess a wide range of skills. In that case, you can create a few different resume profiles, such as one for digital marketing, social media marketing, product marketing, and more. Doing this will help you stand out from the competition, especially if many applicant resumes are more generalized.

What to Include in a Resume Profile

Your resume profile should be a few sentences, either in bulleted form or a short paragraph. This part will summarize your goals and ambitions for the next job you hope to land. This is your selling point and should include all of your relevant qualifications, skills, and experience in your field of expertise. Here’s what to include in your resume profile:

• Title. Be sure to title your section. You can choose from “Overview,” “Qualifications Profile,” “Professional Summary,” or “Qualifications Summary,” depending on which fits you best.

• Specific job title. When crafting your profile, be sure you give yourself a specific job title in the career field of your choice. This should be as specific as you can get without going overboard. Terms like “business development representative,” “guidance counselor,” or “digital marketer” are appropriate terms.

• Experience. Be sure to include the number of years of experience you have under your belt in your field in your first line. Use it in conjunction with your job title and write something like, “Social media marketer with 10+ years experience.”

• Hard skills. The reader of your resume wants to be sure they’re not wasting their time by looking through your resume. This means you should surface your important hard skills upfront in your profile to give them a good indication of your experience and skills. Something like “crafting effective digital campaigns and strategies” is appropriate.

• Soft skills. You’ll want to balance your hard skills with soft skills, especially if you’re applying for a customer-facing or management position. Employers require hard skills, certainly, but soft skills shouldn’t be overlooked.

  Something like “skilled at both written and oral communication and effectively managing large and diverse teams” can be appropriate here.

Your resume profile should sound something like this:

Resume Profile vs. Resume Objective

You may hear resume profile and resume objective used interchangeably. It may not seem like it, but there are differences between the two terms. It’s important to understand the meaning of each so that you consider which is more appropriate to use on your resume.

A resume profile is essentially a summary of your work history. Typically the job seeker will do this by identifying their years of experience, a description of their skills and abilities, and a summary of any relevant qualifications. The profile should be focused on experience, so if you have many years in a specific field, using a resume profile is your best bet.

A resume objective is more focused on what type of employment position you are looking to obtain. The objective will specifically call out what you’re searching for while listing some key skills and accomplishments that may let the hiring manager know that you’re the right fit for the job.

Tips for Writing a Resume Profile

When you’re writing your resume profile, think of it as a short pitch you might make to someone to convince them you’re right for the job. What are the key things you can surface that might convince them that you’re the right fit for their team? Consider asking yourself some of the questions below to build out an effective resume profile.

• How many years of experience do I have working in this career field? In this industry?

• What skill sets do I have that may be beneficial to this specific job or the company?

• How would I describe myself to a hiring manager in under 60 seconds?

• What is my proudest professional accomplishment?

• Is there an example of previous work experience I can include in my profile to make it stand out?

After answering those questions to yourself, consider the following:

• Keep it short. A resume profile should grab the reader’s attention. Only give the information you need to make the reader want to learn more. Too many words and you risk losing the reader and you will waste valuable space that could be used elsewhere on your resume.

• Use action words. Make your profile stand out with some authority. Use vocabulary that highlights who you are and declares yourself to be an exceptionally qualified candidate.

• Be specific and use quantifiable achievements. A vague profile is just a waste of space. Make sure your profile clearly makes you unique.

• Avoid cliches. While using action words and listing specifics are important, avoid presenting them in a manner that sounds just like everyone else, or worse, amateur.

With these in mind, you can be sure to make an impactful resume profile.

Example Resume Profiles

1. Accountant

   Certified Public Accountant with 15+ years of accounting experience in real estate and ten years supervisory experience in financial reporting/general ledger. Fully knowledgeable in SOX work, financial reporting, budgeting, developing and maintaining accounting policies and procedures, and journal entry preparation. Passionate about client satisfaction and team growth.

2. Retail

   Customer services specialist with ten years of management experience. Strong communication skills with certifications in employee mediation and team-building strategies. Proven efficiency and effectiveness as a manager in over three stores, most recently by implementing new service strategies to increase customer satisfaction by almost 50%.

3. Education

   Passionate educator with six years of economics teaching experience and a Master’s degree in Business. Certification in teaching business, economics, and social studies in K-12 schools. Certified in the state of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.

4. IT

   Focused information technology professional with sixteen years of experience as a software support specialist for top software companies. Skilled at multitasking and handling a multitude of platforms. Quick learned with a passion for technology. Capable of explaining complex software features in broad terms.

5. Marketing

   Product marketing director with 15+ years of experience in field and product marketing. Successfully create strategies and execution plans to increase sales by as much as 50% in some markets. Excellent management skills. Effective communicator with a knack for copywriting.

Resume Profile Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you write a personal profile on a resume?

Write a personal profile on a resume by concisely describing your qualifications. You want your profile to be a hook that entices the reader to learn more about you. Therefore, keep your profile short and interesting with specific information unique to you. Gear your profile specifically to the job you are applying to.

2. Are resume profiles helpful?

Yes, resume profiles are very helpful. Resume profiles give you the chance to highlight some of your qualifications and advertise to the reader that you are worth their time. Resume profiles are also great to help you understand what are your goals and qualifications.

3. Where does a resume profile go?

A resume profile goes at the top of your resume. In this way the resume profile acts as a preview about yourself. The quick summary gives the reader an idea about what is to follow and can help determine whether or not they wish to continue reading.

Author

Caitlin Mazur

Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research. Caitlin holds a degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.