A summary sits at the top of your resume and answers one question: why should this person read on? Two to three lines is enough. Longer and nobody reads it.
The formula
- Who you are: your title and years of experience, or your field if you are starting out.
- What you are good at: two or three skills that match the job post.
- Proof: one result with a number, or one concrete project.
Fresher or student
"Computer science graduate with a final-year project that moved a campus bus tracker from spreadsheets to a live map used by 600 students. Comfortable with React, Node.js and PostgreSQL. Looking for a junior full-stack role."
You have no job history, so the project is your proof. Name it, size it, and say what you used.
Mid-career
"Accountant with six years in accounts payable and month-end close. Cut close time from nine working days to six by moving reconciliations into a shared checklist. Skilled in Tally, Excel and GST filing."
Career changer
"Former classroom teacher moving into instructional design. Built and ran a 40-lesson curriculum for 120 students, then trained eleven colleagues to use it. Now completing a certificate in e-learning tools."
Lead with the skill that transfers. Do not apologise for the old job title.
What to cut
- "Hard-working team player" and similar phrases. Every resume says it.
- First-person sentences. Write "Built", not "I built".
- Objectives that describe what you want. Say what you offer.
Check it against the job
Copy two or three phrases from the job post into your summary where they are true. Then run the resume through the free ATS scanner. Read how to pass an ATS resume scan if the report shows parsing problems.