How To Write a Qualifications Summary on a Resume
The achievements that make you stand out
As an introduction to your resume, the qualifications summary is an excellent option to make sure your application stands out and grabs the attention of a potential employer.
Having an attractive, optimized resume introduction like a qualification summary, demonstrates your strengths in a short, clear section to quickly capture the hiring manager’s interest in functional or combined resume structures.
To help you write the perfect qualifications summary, we’ll go over:
- How to write qualifications in a resume introduction
- A summary of qualifications example
- Different resume qualifications
- Why qualifications in a resume is beneficial
Keep reading to get these helpful tips, and use our AI resume builder to get tailored suggestions to help you quickly and neatly add your qualifications effectively.
What Is a Qualifications Summary?
A qualifications summary is one of three options for a resume introduction that begins by showing off the most relevant and influential aspects of your experience, such as major achievements, skills, and qualifications.
Contrary to the resume objective or summary statement, a qualifications summary is written in bullet point format, highlighting the most impressive elements of your professional profile and ensuring to focus on the position being applied to.
The qualifications summary on a resume is a useful tool for resumes reviewed by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), as it makes sure keywords related to your industry, such as relevant skills, are seen right away.
In fact, around 99% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS to hire their employees, and 65% of small businesses in the US use HR software, according to BusinessDasher.
Hiring managers save time and energy usually spent reading through the entire resume by reading the highlighted qualifications in the summary and are able to get a basic understanding of what you can offer the business.
Benefits of Adding a Summary of Qualifications to Your Resume
Including a brief summary of your professional qualifications in your resume offers several advantages that can help you stand out and create a strong first impression.
- Quickly highlights your top achievements: By placing your key accomplishments and skills at the top of your resume, recruiters can immediately see your key contributions.
- Stresses transferable skills: It allows you to show off relevant skills and abilities that can be applied to the role, making it useful for career changers.
- Presents potential: A qualifications summary helps entry-level candidates focus on academic achievements, internships, and other relevant accomplishments.
- Improves visibility: By adding keywords from the job description, this section helps optimize your resume for the ATS.
- Provides a brief overview: A concise summary tailored to the job highlights how your skills and achievements align with the role’s requirements.
A qualifications summary is a powerful tool that captures attention, saves recruiters time, and helps your resume communicate your strengths.
Key Qualifications to Include on Your Resume
The following are qualifications you can add to write your summary for your resume and stand out to hiring managers off the bat.
1. Expertise
Begin by introducing your years of experience in the field or in similar positions for professional resumes.
You can indicate a general overview of your responsibilities in these jobs. Mention here any special courses, projects, or training you have undertaken, especially if you’re a recent graduate.
2. Creativity
Explain an instance in which you have introduced, implemented or created a program or practice or found a new solution which has been beneficial to the company or association in some way.
3. Efficiency
Include an example of when you have increased productivity or revenue for the company by any means such as using resources well, personal effort, saving time or energy, updating, renewing or improving practices.
4. Management
Describe any positions of leadership you have held, if any, including the number of people under your supervision, or ways in which you have managed a project or assignment and seen it through to the end.
5. Interpersonal skills
Finally, also include an explanation of your interpersonal skills and communication. This can allude to relationships with coworkers, junior or senior staff, customers, clients or suppliers.
Remember, if you need extra guidance, you can also use our online AI resume builder to help you add relevant keywords with tailored suggestions for your qualifications summary to construct an effective resume for your ideal job.
Tips for Writing a Good Qualifications Summary
Whether you’re just learning how to write a qualifications summary for your resume or you just need to give it a new spin, these top tips will help you make the most of this all-important resume tool.
Making a strong qualifications summary can set your resume apart by highlighting your most impressive qualities and accomplishments. Here are some tips for creating an impactful summary:
- Tailor it to the job: Customize your qualifications summary to match the specific requirements listed in the job description by using keywords from the description.
- Focus on measurable achievements: Highlight key accomplishments with numbers, percentages, or specific results. For example, “Increased sales by 20% within 6 months.”
- Keep it concise and relevant: Limit your summary to 4–6 bullet points that emphasize your most relevant skills, achievements, and experience.
- Lead with your strengths: Start with your professional title and years of experience, followed by your strongest accomplishments, leadership roles, or specialized skills.
- Use action-oriented language: Begin each bullet point with powerful action verbs such as “led,” “developed,” or “achieved” to establish a proactive tone.
- Avoid personal pronouns: Write in a professional, third-person format without using “I” or “my” for a clean, polished look.
- Keep an easy-to-read format: Use bullet points and keep each statement around a single line. Place the qualifications summary at the top of your resume, right below your contact information.
With our AI builder and resume templates, you can easily create bulleted points that highlight your achievements and expertise with data in an organized format.
Examples of Qualifications Summaries
To be able to create an effective qualification summary introduction, check out some of these examples to grasp the structure and style of qualification summaries.
Key Account Manager Qualifications Summary Example
- Sociable – Organized – Goal-oriented
- 5 years experience in customer and client relationship building.
- Exceeded sales targets by more than 60% two years running.
- Landed and managed several individual client accounts worth $100,000+.
- Effectively trained and led a team of 8 Sales Executives.
- Spearheaded new marketing plans with research and media strategies which have improved profits by $2.6 million gross per annum.
Executive Chef Qualifications Summary Example
- Creative – Team player – Excellent time management
- 12 years experience in Michelin star restaurants in NYC and Paris.
- Prepared between 700-1000 covers daily.
- Reinvented menu to improve attendance by 110% and profits.
- Specialist knowledge of FDA requirements.
- Catered for a wide range of 3 and 5-course fine dining galas, fundraising events and festivals.
Entry-Level IT Associate Qualifications Summary Example
- Analytical – Resourceful – Flexible
- Two years experience in Library Helpdesk Technical Assistance.
- Graduate of BSc in Computer and Information Technology with 3.50 GPA.
- Exceptional troubleshooting skills, resulting in an improvement of 30% in issue-resolution.
- Accustomed to fast turn-around times for maintenance and technical tasks.
Key Points
While in certain situations, a summary may be a better choice to start your resume, a qualifications summary can clearly and concisely communicate to a hiring manager your top skills and achievements.
If you decide to add an introduction like this to the beginning of your resume, simply remember the tips in this article, such as:
- Add qualifications that demonstrate your creativity, expertise, interpersonal skills, and more.
- Remember the benefits of a qualifications summary, especially if you are transitioning fields.
- Tailor the section to the job description.
- Mention your achievements with quantifiable data and lead with your strengths.
Also, take advantage of our resume editor, which can give you helpful ideas on what to add and make sure you include valuable keywords and information.
With all of these tips and tools, your summary will grab a hiring manager’s attention and help you land your next job.
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