One perk of having a profile on Nexxt is the opportunity to receive a free resume critique from our team. If you haven’t already done so, you can submit your resume for evaluation and we will grade it, provide our first impression, and offer solutions or suggestions for areas that need improvement.
The first area we consider is whether or not our members have a Career Summary or an Objective Statement at the top of their resume, just below your contact information. There has been a lot of discussion in the job search community about when to use each and what to include, so I thought I would share a tried and true formula we recommend as you make edits to your resume.
- First and foremost, a Career Summary is the recommended choice for most job seeking candidates. The only exceptions are if you have less than 5 years of work experience or if you are changing careers. In that case, you will want to have a one to two sentenced objective statement that describes the type of industry or position you are targeting.
- A Career Summary should be a snapshot of your work experience and offer insight into the skills and attributes you have as an employee. It will typically be in a block paragraph format and run about 3 to 5 sentences long.
- Make the summary act as an attention-grabbing first impression that markets your strengths. You want to make sure it is concise, but also detailed enough to make the recruiter or hiring manager want to keep reading.
- If you get stuck, try to incorporate a combination of value-added skills and attributes, special accomplishments, or years of experience to encompass the section.
With such a competitive job market, it is crucial to prepare an impactful Career Summary and showcase what you have to offer. With these tips, you will put yourself in the best position to succeed!