You may be familiar with the idea of brief personal statements, or professional summaries, included as part of a résumé, but if you still don’t understand what exactly they are or why people are using them, you’ve come to the right place.
Knowing how to write a solid professional summary is a great skill to develop, especially as an undergraduate. If you don’t have the experience in your field that you’d like, or even if you do but you want a space to elaborate on some of your goals, a personal statement can provide that space and let a little more of your personality shine through on your résumé.
So what exactly is a professional summary?
Professional summaries are used to add depth to a résumé, showing detail and personality in a brief, paragraph-style statement that highlights the type of experiences you’ve had as well as those you would like to pursue. It may also include some career goals as well as your particular skillset.
This can be a great tool for undergraduates, as it tells potential employers more about the professional you want to become and what you hope to accomplish after graduation.
These statements are usually about three or four sentences long. Although they are organized in a paragraph structure, you still need to avoid personal pronouns such as “I” and “my” and complete sentences, as with the rest of your résumé.
Even if you choose not to include a professional summary on your résumé, it’s still a good idea to learn how to write one, as you can include it on any professional platform you may use to search for jobs, such as Linkedin.
How do I know what to include?
Just like cover letters or résumés, personal statements will look a little different for everyone. You have to choose which details to include in your statement based on how you want to represent yourself to your potential employer.
Generally speaking, consistency throughout your application is key. So consider which experiences you chose to highlight on your résumé or cover letter, think about why those experiences are important to you, and explain that in your statement. This may change slightly for every application you submit.
Ideally, your professional summary will act as a brief preview of who you are as a professional, showcasing your passion for your field and your level of experience within your industry.
Do I need a professional summary?
The short answer to this question is no. You do not need a professional summary to be successful, and if it doesn’t make sense for you to include one on your résumé, leave it off.
However, there are lots advantages to including a professional summary. Not only do they give potential employers further insight into who you are, but they can also be a good way to compensate for the fact that you may not have as much experience in your field as you’d like at the moment.
Personal statements are the perfect way for undergrads to show employers where they’d like to go and the skills they’ve gained throughout their education, even if it was through experience outside of their desired field.
Additionally, if you have a few blank lines at the end of your résumé, a professional statement is a great way to make your résumé fuller without adding irrelevant or outdated information.
As stated earlier, even if a professional summary does not fit on your current résumé, it’s a good idea to have one prepared for professional networking purposes, especially if you have a Linkedin account.
If nothing else, thinking about what you’d include in your own personal statement is a good way to pause and reflect on your goals and experiences and evaluate the type of professional you see yourself becoming.
