How often do you actually read every word on a CV? If you’re anything like the majority of recruiters — the answer is no, never. That’s because hiring managers only look at a resume during an initial scan for 6 to 8 seconds. In those all-too-few seconds, your professional summary or objective statement is usually the very first thing they’ll look at.
That puts this very short and often-overlooked paragraph—your resume summary—among the most influential weapons in your resume arsenal. It’s your first impression, your value proposition, and your elevator pitch — all wrapped up in one short video. Too many job seekers squander it with overused buzzwords such as “hard-working team player” or lofty aspirations such as “seeking a challenging position”. Let’s face it — recruiters don’t like generic. They need certainty, and they need to be certain. Above all else, they want confidence. They need to see, in just a few seconds, what you’re all about, what you bring to the table, and why you are the best candidate for the job.
We’ll look at the ways to write an irresistible summary or objective that catches an employer’s eye for all the right reasons. In this JobsBuster blog post we’ll guide you through the most important tips for creating it to be most effective, what mistakes to look out for, and how to customise it to any job posting. If you want to give the top lines of your CV a fighting chance, continue reading.
What Is a Professional Summary?
A professional summary is just what it sounds like — a concise paragraph — usually 3–4 sentences — that summarises your career experience, skills, and most notable accomplishments. It’s the contemporary replacement for a career objective, and it explains the benefit you offer a future employer. Instead of telling employers what you want, a summary shows potential employers what makes you a great fit for their position.
This is perhaps the most helpful section for those new contributors who are still young in their craft. Most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to front with your best professional bona fides – years spent in the industry, types of companies you’ve worked at, large and significant projects, and measurable successes. Your job is to make the employer feel that you are far and away the best solution to their problem — someone who has done this job before and will do it again, successfully.
Consider it your elevator pitch. Especially with one of the most highly competitive job markets in U.K. history, employers are looking to hear immediately what differentiates you. A concise and compelling professional summary is probably the best way to quickly demonstrate that you meet or even exceed what the job requires and compel the hiring manager to keep reading.
What Is a Career Objective?
A career objective is a forward-looking resume statement that outlines your career objectives and what you hope to accomplish in the position or industry. Where the professional summary is retrospective in nature, centred on what you’ve already done and intended as a snapshot of your prior accomplishments, an objective is prospective. It’s a natural fit for anyone starting out in their career or making a change to a new one.
Especially for recent grads or people with little work experience under their belts, this part is a chance to convey your enthusiasm, dedication, and trajectory. It provides you an opportunity to speak CV for a work history that likely isn’t there yet but has the potential to be. A strong objective signals clarity of purpose and signals to employers that you’ve considered what direction you’d like to take. Career changers are another group that can gain from this advantage. It gives you the opportunity to elaborate on your desire to pivot to a new role or sector and your transferable skills being an added benefit. By framing your experience so that it best suits the job you’re applying for, you’ll make your move to the new field look purposeful and strategic.
An interesting side benefit of this objective is that it can help you identify and address any gaps in your CV. For example, if your past work experience isn’t directly aligned with the position you’re seeking, a straightforward objective statement can alleviate that gap by honing the reader’s focus on your goals and potential.
Which One Should You Use?
The decision between a professional summary and a career objective largely comes down to where you’re at in your career. For these reasons, if you’re an experienced career professional targeting jobs in the same or closely aligned field, a professional summary is the way to go. It showcases your worth, and it feeds recruiters one quick bite of your career progression and accomplishments.
A career objective is better suited for recent graduates. This allows you plenty of room to demonstrate your passion and explain how your experience, training, or transferable skills apply to the position. It can further assist in bridging the divide where experience may be lacking.
Personalising the objective or summary to reflect the specific role you are applying to will make sure your CV is off to a good start and hooks the employer right away with what they are looking for.
Tips to Write a Strong Summary or Objective
- Tailor it to the job description.
Generic statements often feel flat. Instead, carefully study the job advert and use the same language and keywords the employer uses. For example, if the job emphasises “client relationship management” or “cross-functional collaboration”, make sure those phrases show up in your summary or objective. This not only shows you understand the role but also increases your chances of passing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which scan for keyword matches.
Tailoring your CV like this will also demonstrates effort and attention to detail. It shows you’re not just firing off the same CV to every job — you’ve taken the time to align your strengths with what the employer is looking for.
- Keep it concise and impactful.
To be of use, your executive summary or stated goal must be no more than 3–4 sentences. Consider it like the film teaser for your CV — it needs to lure in the recruiter, not put them off. Avoid flowery, wordy writing or copying and pasting your entire cover letter into this section.
Write powerful, concise copy that leaves little doubt about the value you provide. “Digital marketing specialist with 5+ years’ experience driving ROI through paid campaigns and SEO strategies.” Concise, plain language is attractive to readers and prevents your important message from becoming obscured by unnecessary detail.
- Use strong, specific keywords
Use specific action verbs and quantifiable results in your professional summary. Verbs such as “increased”, “led”, “developed”, and “delivered” convey you’re more than experienced — you’re results-orientated and you get things done. In a career objective, focus on what you’re looking to do as it relates and aligns to where the company could be heading.
The right keywords help boosts visibility. Considering how many companies use Applicant Tracking System (ATS) tools which filter applications even before a human ever sees them. Using some of the exact phrases from the job listing increases your odds of getting past that initial first hurdle.
- Focus on the value you bring
A summary or goal statement isn’t just about you — it’s about how you will help that company make money. Discuss how you’re addressing challenges, fuelling innovation, or advancing important business objectives. Even in an objective, if you can tie in your long-term career goals with what the company is trying to accomplish, do it.
- Avoid vague or cliché phrases
Try to avoid stock phrases like “I’m a hard-working team player” or “seeking a challenging career”. Unfortunately, these have become white noise to recruiters, as they appear on nearly every resume. Instead, try to punctuate your general high-level expertise with some specificity around your industry and what you’re trying to accomplish.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Writing in the first person
Avoid writing CVs in explicit first-person terms, such as “I am an excellent designer” or “My objective is…” CVs should be written in implicit first person; you don’t use “I” or “my”. For example, “Led a team”. This allows you flexibility in how you say things.
However, try not to fall into overly conversational language that lessens the effect of your CV because it starts to feel like less informal. Stick with the conventional — recruiters are looking for a refined, professional tone.
- Being too generic
Vague phrases like “looking for an opportunity to better” provide little direction. Recruiters don’t want to be bombarded by unclear candidates. They need to understand what kind of role you’re seeking and how you see yourself fitting into their organisation. Lofty, general goals won’t convince them that you’re serious about their very specific opportunity.
Being specific doesn’t have to be formal or rigid — just ensure that your language shows you’ve gained clarity on where you’re heading and how this position will help you get there.
- Using long paragraphs
Large blocks of text are hard to scan, especially for recruiters who spend just 6–8 seconds on a first pass. Limit each sentence or point of your abstract/objective to one or two concise, readable sentences. Think with readability in mind — white space and proper formatting make a big difference.
If your introduction is off-putting, unclear or overwhelming, the audience is just going to scroll right by you. A simple, well-organised format helps ensure that reviewers can quickly locate and focus on your strongest arguments.
- Including irrelevant or personal goals
Don’t include things like “looking for work-life balance” or “wanting to travel with the firm”. Though these objectives may be personally meaningful, they fail to convey how you’ll bring value to the prospective employer. When it comes to the CV itself, the top of your CV should be 100% focus on what the company needs — not what you need. You can definitely test for cultural fit, work-life balance, etc., in the interview stage. When it comes to your CV, it should be all about your skills and experience and how they align with the role you’re applying for.
Conclusion
How you open your CV matters; a strong CV opening can set you apart and establish the tone for how recruiters perceive your value as a candidate. Whether you use professional summary or career objective will depend on your level of experience, type of industry, and job target. The purpose for each of these sections is the same—provide a quick and clear picture of your value and fit for the role. Hook them from the beginning, communicate in simple, straightforward terms, and most importantly, make it relatable. Your opening lines may be the key to land on interview opportunities.
Next time we’ll cover how to turn your work experience into standout accomplishments that recruiters won’t be able to look away from.