Career Summary
The career summary is the first paragraph in your resume that the probably the most important one. A well-written career summary can either win or break your CV.
A poorly written career summary might discourage the reader from evening reading other sections of your CV. That is why you must spend enough time drafting a bulletproof career summary.
What's in a career summary and how to write one?
A career summary consists of three to four sentences and summarizes the most important aspects of your CV in consensed and highly focused phrases.
You can think of the career summary as a snapshot of your entire resume in just a few sentences. Upon reading your career summary, one should have a fairly good idea of what to expect in the rest of the CV.
Below are a few points to consider when writing your career summary.
- Your Experience: Six years of engineering experience
- Education: Master's degree in civil engineering
- Certifications: Certified National Engineer
- Achievements and Accomplishments: supervised the construction of many buildings and bridges
- Improvements you can bring: Reduce projects cost and time through the use of IDSF.
- Professional Qualities: Dedicated, Customer-focused, Progressive, etc...
- Industry Knowledge: Excellent knowledge of the different construction materials
- Desirable Skills: prominent negotiator
The usage of professional qualities can be very effective in your sentences. We compiled a list of 100+ powerful professional qualities that you can sprinkle all over your resume as needed. Use whatever applies to you and be honest about it.
Personable, Experienced, Confident, Efficient, Skilled, Mature, Competent, Dedicated, Talented, Driven, Progressive, Diplomatic, Enthusiastic, Result-driven, Goal oriented, Qualified, Methodical, Detail-oriented, Dynamic, Organized, Spirited, Customer-focused, Tenacious, Consistent, Cross-functional, Imaginative, Adaptable, Accomplished, Skilled, Veteran, Smart, Intelligent, Creative, Adaptable, Versatile, Qualified, Senior, Reliable, High-tech, Visionary, Ambitious, Reputed, Assertive, Open-minded, Enterprising, Committed, Influential, Diligent, Astute, Flexible, People-oriented, Competent, Talented, Cooperative, All-rounded, Dedicated, Multi-tasked, Established, Profit-driving Methodical, Motivated, Effective, Proficient, Innovative, Intelligent, Trained, Professional, Seasoned, Forward-thinking, Self-motivated, Energetic, Numerate, Rational, Well-organized, Resourceful, Dependable, Articulate, Responsible, Passionate, Goal-driven, Persistent, Hardworking, Proactive, Versatile, Flexible, Results-oriented, Renowned, Devoted.
The Complete List of Transferable Skills for Your Resume or Cover Letter
- Communication: The ability to communicate clearly with others verbally or in writing.
- Computer Skills: Computer skills are essential and the more the better.
- Planning: The ability to plan and allocate resources ahead of time.
- Decision making: Your ability to handle difficult situations and take decisions as needed.
- Problem-solving: How capable you are in finding quick solutions to complex and complicated problems.
- Team player: The ability to work with others in a team.
- Negotiation: Negotiating offers and contracts with vendors, suppliers, and customers.
- Motivation: Do you have the ability to motivate your team and others around you?
- Persuasion: Your ability to influence or convince people around.
- Presentation: The ability to present yourself, your team, and the company in a positive way.
- Conflict and Crisis resolution: How well you handle conflicts between different parties and how well you can find a solution that is accepted by everyone.
- Information gathering: Your ability to do research and dig for details.
- Task prioritization: The innate ability to recognize the most critical tasks.
- Meeting deadlines: A subdiscipline of planning. The ability to meet deadlines and deliver on time.
- Multi-tasking: The ability to handle more than one task at a time.
- Time management: Also part of planning. The ability to properly allocate time to tasks and projects exactly as needed.
- Organization: How organized you are and how much you can project that organization to others around you.
- Leadership: The ability to lead and to positively influence people around you.
- Creativity: The ability to think outside of the box.
- Interpersonal: How well do you deal and communicate with people around you, your colleagues, top management, or customers?
- Lateral thinking: The ability to find solutions in unpredicted or unorthodox ways.
- Profit-driving: The ability to spot revenue and profit-generating opportunities.
- Relationship building: How well you can forge strategic partnerships with others.
- Management Skills: The ability to manage projects, people, and resources.
Achievements:
How to write achievements for your resume?
The formula for writing effective and meaningful achievements is described as CAR = Challenge – Action - Result.
- Challenge: The problem or target you wanted to achieve.
- Action: The set of actions that you took to solve the challenge.
- Result: The result of your actions and how they contributed to addressing the challenge.
An almost complete list of general-purpose achievements for any job.
- Increased profits: Have you managed to increase the profit margin of any product or service?
- Increased productivity: Were you able to increase productivity or output in any way?
- Increased sales or revenue: Were you able to increase sales or revenue?
- Increased product turnover: Have you increased the rate at which products are being sold?
- Increased efficiency: Were you able to make operations more efficient in any way?
- Increased customer satisfaction: Have you found ways to make your customers happier?
- Increased client base: Were able to attract additional customers?
- Decreased staff turnover: Have you managed to reduce the rate at which valuable talent leaves the organization?
- Decreased time: Were you able to find ways to speed up production or operations?
- Decreased risk: Have you reduced the risk level in any measurable way?
- Decreased complaints: Have you taken any precautions that resulted in fewer complaints?
- Decreased problems: Have you implemented any proactive measures to reduce problems at work?
- Decreased costs / saved money: Were you able to reduce operations or production costs?
- Decreased waste: Were you able to alter operations in a way that resulted in a greener company?
- Improved competitive advantage: Were you able to increase the competitive advantage of your company?
- Improved appearance and marketability: Have you positively contributed to the image of the company or brand?
- Improved processes: Have you improved any processes or procedures?
- Improved information flow: Were you able to improve communications across the organization?
- Improved staff performance: Did the employees' individual performances improve as a result of a plan you devised or executed?
- Improved teamwork: Were you able to improve the performance of the task force as a whole?
- Improved relationships: Were you able to forge strategic relationships, affiliations, partnerships, or alliances?
- Improved team effectiveness: Have you managed to improve the effectiveness of your own team?
- Meet deadlines: Were you able to meet time-cramped deadlines of critical projects?
- Achieving targets: Have you achieved any targets or goals set by the company?
- Took initiatives: Have you taken any initiative or assumed responsibilities not part of your job?
- Problems solved: Were you able to solve a complex business problem?
- Awards won: Have you won any awards or accolades from your employers?
- Promotions: Were you promoted?
Actions Verbs
Use action verbs to make your sentences more powerful and effective. The following list is not exhaustive but contains most of the verbs that you will ever need in your resume or cover letter.
Accelerated, Accommodated, Accomplished, Accumulated, Achieved, Acquired, Acted, Activated, Adapted, Addressed, Adhered, Adjusted, Administered, Adopted, Advertised, Advised, Advocated, Affirmed, Aided, Aligned, Allocated, Altered, Amended, Amplified, Analyzed, Anticipated, Applied, Appraised, Approved, Arranged, Assembled, Assessed, Assigned, Assisted, Assumed, Assured, Attained, Attracted, Audited, Authorized, Automated, Balanced, Benchmarked, Boosted, Branded, Bridged, Broadened, Built, Capitalized, Captured, Carried, Categorized, Cemented, Centralized, Changed, Charted, Claimed, Classified, Coached, Collaborated, Collected, Combined, Communicated, Compiled, Completed, Composed, Conceptualised, Conducted, Configured, Confirmed, Connected, Conserved, Consolidated, Constructed, Consulted, Contracted, Contributed, Controlled, Converted, Conveyed, Convinced, Cooperated, Coordinated, Corrected, Counselled, Created, Cultivated, Customized, Decentralized, Decoded, Decreased, Defused, Delegated, Delivered, Demonstrated, Deployed, Designed, Developed, Devised, Directed, Dispatched, Dissolved, Distributed, Diversified, Diverted, Documented, Drafted, Earned, Eased, Elected, Elevated, Eliminated, Embraced, Emphasized, Employed, Empowered, Enabled, Encouraged, Endorsed, Enforced, Engaged, Engineered, Enhanced, Enlarged, Enriched, Enrolled, Ensured, Entertained, Enticed, Established, Evaluated, Exceeded, Excelled, Exchanged, Executed, Exercised, Expanded, Expedited, Exploited, Explored, Exposed, Extended, Extracted, Facilitated, Familiarized, Fielded, Filed, Finalized, Financed, Fine-Tuned, Fixed, Forecasted, Forged, Formalized, Formed, Formulated, Fortified, Fostered, Founded, Framed, Fulfilled, Funded, Gained, Garnered, Gathered, Gauged, Generated, Governed, Granted, Grew, Guided, Handled, Harnessed, Headed, Heightened, Held, Helped, Highlighted, Honed, Hosted, Identified, Ignited, Implemented, Improved, Incorporated, Increased, Influenced, Infused, Initiated, Innovated, Inspired, Instigated, Instilled, Instituted, Instructed, Insured, Integrated, Intensified, Interfaced, Intervened, Introduced, Invented, Invested, Investigated, Issued, Joined, Launched, Led, Lessened, Leveraged, Liaised, Linked, Liquidated, Maintained, Managed, Mandated, Manipulated, Manufactured, Mapped, Marketed, Mastered, Maximized, Measured, Mentored, Merged, Minimized, Mobilized, Modelled, Moderated, Modernized, Modified, Monitored, Motivated, Multiplied, Navigated, Negotiated, Neutralized, Normalized, Nurtured, Observed, Obtained, Offered, Operated, Optimized, Orchestrated, Organized, Oriented, Outlined, Outperformed, Overcame, Overhauled, Oversaw, Partnered, Penetrated, Perfected, Performed, Permitted, Persuaded, Piloted, Pinpointed, Pioneered, Planned, Practiced, Predicted, Prepared, Presented, Preserved, Prevailed, Prevented, Prioritized, Probed, Processed, Procured, Produced, Programmed, Progressed, Projected, Promoted, Prompted, Proposed, Protected, Proved, Provided, Published, Purchased, Pursued, Quantified, Raised, Recognised, Recommended, Reconciled, Recovered, Rectified, Reduced, Refined, Regulated, Reinforced, Released, Relieved, Rendered, Repaired, Replaced, Replicated, Reported, Represented, Researched, Reserved, Resolved, Responded, Restored, Retained, Retrieved, Revamped, Reversed, Reviewed, Revised, Routed, Safeguarded, Salvaged, Saved, Scanned, Scheduled, Screened, Sculptured, Secured, Segmented, Seized, , Separated, Sequenced, Served, Serviced, Settled, Shaped, Shared, Sharpened, Simplified, Solidified, Solved, Sponsored, Stabilised, Standardised, Stimulated, Streamlined, Strengthened, Structured, Summarized, Supervised, Supplemented, Supplied, Supported, Surveyed, Synchronized, Systemized, Tackled, Tailored, Targeted, Tested, Tightened, Traced, Tracked, Trained, Transcribed, Transferred, Transformed, Transitioned, Transmitted, Transported, Troubleshooted, Uncovered, Underlined, Underscored, Undertook, Underwrote, Unearthed, Unified, United, Updated, Upgraded, Upheld, Urged, Utilized, Validated, Valued, Vaulted, Verified, Visualized, Volunteered, Weathered, Welcomed, Widened, Withstood, Won
