An impactful experience summary can help your CareerCircle profile show up to hiring managers and make sure that your resume highlights the most important experience for a role.&nbsp;But it can be difficult to get started trying to condense all of your skills and experience into a couple of sentences.
In this blog post, we&rsquo;re going to take you through what makes an effective experience summary and the 3 step framework you can follow to write your own. 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">What Is an Experience Summary?</h2>
 Sometimes called a <a href="https://novoresume.com/career-blog/resume-summary" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">resume summary</a> or executive summary, an experience summary is a 2 - 5 sentence synopsis of your work experience, achievements, and top skills. It is a paragraph at the top of your resume to help recruiters and hiring managers contextualize your experience.&nbsp;It is often responsible for piquing the interest of the recruiter/hiring manager enough to get them to continue reading.
Talent platforms, like CareerCircle, also use experience summaries as part of your candidate profile which helps hiring managers find you on the platform. 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">What Makes an Effective Experience Summary?</h2>
<h3> Keep It Short</h3>
Keep your summary around 2 - 3 sentences. If you have a lot of experience, you can go up to 5 short sentences. Remember, you don&rsquo;t need to follow particular grammar rules so feel free to edit the sentences down to their bare essentials.
<h3> Embrace Keywords</h3>
Keywords are the words or phrases that people use to search a database (like Google or an ATS).&nbsp;Using <a href="https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/resume-keywords-and-phrases" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">keywords in your experience summary</a>, and throughout your resume, helps your resume show up better when a recruiter is searching an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).&nbsp;
To brainstorm the keywords you should use, look at the requirements on the job posting. Chances are there are keywords hidden in plain sight like, &ldquo;budget management&rdquo; or &ldquo;digital marketing.&rdquo;
<h3> Tailored and Optimized</h3>
When you are working on tailoring your resume, make sure to optimize your resume summary for the particular role, too.&nbsp;You don't need to take a lot of time! Your summary should include things like 5 years of experience if the posting calls for 5 years of experience, any software tools that are specifically mentioned, languages, etc.
Remember: Your CareerCircle profile is the perfect place to house your experience summary. When you are applying for a new job you can simply copy, paste, and edit it onto your resume as needed! 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">How to Write Your Experience Summary</h2>
 Let&rsquo;s go step-by-step through writing your experience summary. In this example, we&rsquo;ll be building a summary for an implementation manager who has about almost 5 years of experience in the software-as-a-service industry, but you can apply the framework to any profession.
<h3> Start with the Basics</h3>
In the opening sentence, mention your job title or the one that&rsquo;s on the job posting, your years of experience, and a quick overview of what you do. 
<blockquote>
Resourceful implementation manager with 4+ years of experience onboarding SaaS users.
</blockquote>
<h3> Highlight Certificates and Skills</h3>
Move on to sharing any appropriate education and certificates you have (especially if the job posting calls for something specific) and showcase a technical skill or two. 
<blockquote>
Resourceful implementation manager with 4+ years of experience onboarding SaaS users. Bachelor&rsquo;s degree in Computer Science and a Google Career Certificate in IT Support with extensive experience in Microsoft Office and SQL.
</blockquote>
<h3> Wrap Up with Achievements</h3>
Pull the most impressive achievements from your resume to close out your summary. 
<blockquote>
Resourceful implementation manager with 4+ years of experience onboarding SaaS users. Bachelor&rsquo;s degree in Computer Science and a Google Career Certificate in IT Support with extensive experience in Microsoft Office and SQL. Career highlights include building an automation process to track and organize support requests resulting in a 95% customer satisfaction rate and improving retention by 54% YoY.
</blockquote>
 Don't have quantifiable data? Applying for an entry-level position? Focus more on some extra skills you can bring to the role. This can be a great time to mention softer skills like time management or communication. 
<blockquote>
Resourceful implementation manager with 4+ years of experience onboarding SaaS users. Bachelor&rsquo;s degree in Computer Science and a Google Career Certificate in IT Support with extensive experience in Microsoft Office and SQL. Skilled at managing multiple competing priorities at one time and bringing strategy to ambiguous situations.
</blockquote>
 Remember: If you find yourself at a loss, you can always start by using a tool like Bard AI. Feed in the prompt, &ldquo;Create a 3-sentence summary of this resume:&rdquo; and then copy in your resume. For more tips on how to use AI in your job search, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/careercircle/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">check out our LinkedIn</a>.
 Ultimately, your experience summary is another opportunity to highlight what you&rsquo;ve done in the past and how it relates to what you can bring to the role.&nbsp;
By taking the time to create an impactful summary, you can feel confident that you are proving your worth to every job you apply for!

In this blog post, we’re going to take you through the 3 step framework to write your own experience summary.

How to Write an Impactful Experience Summary

In this blog post, we’re going to take you through what makes an effective experience summary and the 3 step framework you can follow to write your own.

We recently sat down with recruiters from Google, Publicis Media, and our own team to learn more about what jobseekers need to know when creating their resumes.
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-alberto-montoya-63458278/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Juan Alberto Montoya</a> from Google shared with us, &ldquo;You need to look at your resume as a representative of who you are, so treat it as if it&rsquo;s speaking on your behalf.&rdquo;&nbsp;
If your resume is your story, you need to consider, &ldquo;How do I want to tell my story?&rdquo;
We&rsquo;ve pulled the 5 most important resume tips that recruiters want you to know when you&rsquo;re applying for a new role. Get out that resume of yours and let&rsquo;s make sure that it&rsquo;s polished to perfection! 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The 5 Resume Tips Recruiters Want You To Know </h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Cover The Basics</h3>
The number one thing the recruiters recommended was making sure that all of your contact information was up-to-date.&nbsp;
Make sure you have your first and last name, email address, and phone number. But it&rsquo;s not enough to just have a phone number&hellip;you need to make sure that your voicemail is available for recruiters to leave a message. As <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobschulzsa/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Jacob Schultz</a> from Publicis Media shared, &ldquo;Yes, recruiters still do pick up the phone and call candidates!&rdquo;
Beyond your contact information, your resume should always have your work experience and certificates you&rsquo;ve completed, like a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/why-you-should-earn-a-google-career-certificate" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Google Career Certificate</a>, and any technical skills you have, including, but not limited to, particular software you know how to use or programming languages.
<h3> Focus on Relevance AND Impact</h3>
When you&rsquo;re building your resume, be critical about what work experience and skills you add to it. Keep it relevant to the role you&rsquo;re applying for. Many people find it worthwhile to have a main resume that lists out all of their work experience, certificates and credentials, skills, etc. and then pull data from that main resume to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7065399789189750784" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">build a more tailored resume</a> for each role you apply for.
Remember: If you no longer feel confident using a skill, like a second language or a program you haven&rsquo;t used in years, take it off of your resume. You never know when an interviewer will start asking you questions in Spanish when you haven&rsquo;t actually used your Spanish skills in years, which is what happened to CareerCircle Customer Success Manager, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyjleung/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Emily Leung</a>!
Outside of relevance, you need to show the impact that you&rsquo;ve had in your previous role.
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-alberto-montoya-63458278/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Juan</a> shared what&rsquo;s called the XYZ format. It&rsquo;s a way of reframing how you think about what you do on a day-to-day basis and how you can contextualize it in a resume to build a story.
When you&rsquo;re thinking about a task or project you manage, frame it as &ldquo;I accomplished X as measured by Y by doing Z.&rdquo;
For example, &ldquo;I increased productivity by 15% quarter over quarter as measured by completed projects by implementing an Agile project management framework.&rdquo;
Using the XYZ format helps you to showcase what you did, how you did it, and what impact it had to make sure that every bullet point on your resume contributes to your story effectively.
<h3> Simple Is Better</h3>
While those elaborately designed resumes are certainly beautiful, there&rsquo;s no need for colors, fancy fonts, or photos. In fact, some of those designs could make it more difficult for recruiters to find you in their <a href="https://www.jobscan.co/blog/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Applicant Tracking System</a> because the software isn&rsquo;t able to parse (or extract the data from) it effectively.
Your resume should be:
<ul>
<li>Single column</li>
<li>PDF or doc file, depending on what the application calls for</li>
<li>No more than 2 pages</li>
</ul>
And have:
<ul>
<li>An easy-to read font like Times New Roman/Arial/Calibri/etc.</li>
<li>At least size 11 font</li>
<li>Clear headings for each section</li>
</ul>
If you want to highlight your creativity, instead of building a graphically designed resume, build a portfolio! This is especially helpful for anyone who is in the creative industry, like web designers or content writers.
<h3> Use the Lingo&hellip;Correctly</h3>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobschulzsa/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Jacob Schultz</a> of Publicis Media shared with us, &ldquo;I switched from being a career coach to a recruiter and my resume was filled with jargon from my career coach days. I often referred to working with students in my resume, but in recruiting, the people we serve aren&rsquo;t students, they&rsquo;re potential candidates. So I had to learn how to translate my resume and change some of those keywords. Once I started using that HR lingo, I started getting interview requests all over the place so sometimes it&rsquo;s just about changing your language.&rdquo;
When you&rsquo;re looking for a role in a particular industry, and especially if you&rsquo;re transitioning into that industry, learn the terminology they use so you can reflect that language on your resume. Then when a recruiter is using keywords to search their ATS, you&rsquo;ll come up as a candidate who knows what they&rsquo;re talking about!
<h3> Highlight Your Professional Development Efforts</h3>
One of the most frequently asked questions we see is, &ldquo;How should I talk about my Google Career Certificate on my resume?&rdquo;
For most people, you&rsquo;ll have a section on your resume for &ldquo;Education&rdquo; or &ldquo;Certificates&rdquo; and your Google Career Certificate would fall under that category. Some people like to put this section at the top of their resume to make sure it stands out at first glance and that can be a great option if you don&rsquo;t have a ton of work experience in your chosen field.
You can also take time to highlight the particular skills you learned. For example, if you have completed the Google Data Analytics Career Certificate, consider adding skills like:
<ul>
<li>SQL</li>
<li>Data Visualization</li>
<li>Predictive modeling</li>
<li>Statistical Analysis</li>
</ul>
You can also format the project you completed during your program into a portfolio on a website or in a PDF deck to help support your skills.
When we talked to one of the Google Employer Consortium members, they told us that they love seeing who has completed a Google Career Certificate because it shows them that these people have dedicated themselves to their professional development and gained the skills needed to be successful&hellip;so don&rsquo;t be afraid to highlight that certificate on your resume!

If you&rsquo;re feeling overwhelmed even getting started, we&rsquo;ve got your back. Our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/resume-builder" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Resume Builder</a> will get you set up with a professional resume in minutes!

We recently sat down with recruiters from Google, Publicis Media, and our own team to learn more about what jobseekers need to know when cre

The 5 Resume Tips Recruiters Want You to Know

Your resume is one of the most important first steps in your job search journey so take the time you need to polish it to perfection with these tips.

The 5 Resume Tips Recruiters Want You To Know

When it comes to job searching, your resume plays a crucial role in nailing your first impression. It's the first thing that hiring managers and recruiters will be looking at, which means your resume must be a strong and accurate representation of your experience.
If you can make a great first impression with your resume, you have a better chance of moving on to the interview phase and, eventually, your first day on the new job. Your resume should show your excitement for finding a new role and correctly summarize the past education, skills, and experience you have.
Here are five resume 101 tips to help you make a lasting impression on hiring managers and take you one step closer to your dream job!
<h2>1. Tailor your career objective to each role.</h2>
Chances are, you are probably applying and interviewing for several different types of roles. Since each position is slightly different from the next, tailor your &ldquo;Objective&rdquo; to match each job you're applying for.
Typically, your objective consists of 1-2 sentences that summarize your current experience and explains the types of roles you&rsquo;re are looking for. It gives you an excellent opportunity to grab the hiring manager's attention and show your passion and excitement for getting a new role to <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/your-career-transition-how-to-conquer-change-with-confidence" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/your-career-transition-how-to-conquer-change-with-confidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">advance your career.</a>
Remember, your objective section shouldn't just be a summary of you. It should connect the dots between your skills, passions, and expertise as they relate to the job you're looking to land. <a href="https://www.careerbuilder.com/advice/these-5-simple-mistakes-could-be-costing-you-the-job" data-gc-link="https://www.careerbuilder.com/advice/these-5-simple-mistakes-could-be-costing-you-the-job" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">84% of resume rejections </a>occur when recruiters come across generic, impersonal applications. So as you apply to specific jobs, take a few minutes to review and tweak your objective as needed to be sure it fits the application, role, and company you're applying to.
<h2>2. Keep it clean and simple.</h2>
The easier it is to read your resume, the better &mdash; that's resume 101. Stick with one type of font and make sure that formatting is streamlined throughout the entire document. You'll likely want to avoid bright, contrasting colors or artistic fonts that are tough to read. Be sure your margins line up and include standard formatting elements that will make your resume informative and scannable, such as:
<ul>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">A header section with your contact information and career objective</li>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">Subsections for skills/certifications, experience, education, and awards/honors</li>
<li data-gc-list-depth="1" data-gc-list-style="bullet">Bullets underneath each subsection to keep information clear and concise</li>
</ul>
Many candidates are concerned with the popular &ldquo;rule&rdquo; about resume length and whether it is frowned upon to go beyond one page. While your resume shouldn't end up looking like a manuscript, you shouldn't limit yourself to an unofficial rule or leave off value information to keep your resume down to a page. Instead of focusing on length, focus on content.
Someone with two years of work experience might only need a one-page resume, but someone with 20 years of experience will probably need more space to include their lengthy experience. As a general rule of thumb, if you have experience that aligns with your future goals, include it on your resume!
When <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/how-to-inventory-your-skills" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/how-to-inventory-your-skills" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">determining the essential skills to include on your resume,</a> you should ask yourself, &ldquo;will this add value to my profile as I apply to this new role?&rdquo; If the answer is yes, then include the experience in your resume!
<h2>3. Give Recruiters a 360&deg; view of you.</h2>
<a href="https://hiring-assets.careerbuilder.com/media/attachments/careerbuilder-original-3319.pdf?1499451537" data-gc-link="https://hiring-assets.careerbuilder.com/media/attachments/careerbuilder-original-3319.pdf?1499451537" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">61% of employers</a> believe <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/how-to-uncover-the-hidden-soft-skills-you-already-own" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/how-to-uncover-the-hidden-soft-skills-you-already-own" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">soft skills</a> are just as important on a resume as hard skills. So while it's essential to include past experiences and relevant certifications, you shouldn't be afraid to put adjacent skills or personal passions on a resume, as long as you can relate them back to the job you're applying for.
For example, if you're a parent, you've probably picked up project management or conflict resolution skills in your daily life. These skills could be beneficial in your next professional endeavor, especially if you're looking for a management or upper-level position.
You can also highlight significant achievements, <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/upskilling-in-progress-3-steps-for-highlighting-your-proactivity-before-youre-fully-certified" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/upskilling-in-progress-3-steps-for-highlighting-your-proactivity-before-youre-fully-certified" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in-flight certifications</a>, and experiences gained throughout your career up to now, even if they don't directly relate to your desired role or new industry. Showing a complete picture of your past experience and expertise gives recruiters an idea of your passions and motivation.
Your varied experiences and skills demonstrate your willingness to pursue opportunities and employers you'll be more likely to go above and beyond in your new role.
<h2>4. Consider your audience.</h2>
As you refresh an existing resume or create one from scratch, consider your audience and their objectives along with your own. If you're applying for a job in the IT field, you'll likely want to prioritize your <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/upskilling-yourself-for-tomorrows-economy" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/upskilling-yourself-for-tomorrows-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">relevant certifications and upskilling courses.</a> Alternatively, candidates in a creative field like design may choose to highlight their portfolio of past work rather than a list of technical skills.
Think about the industry you're entering and conduct a quick Google search to see what hiring managers in that space are most interested in, then make sure to include those elements in your resume. As you learn what "must-have" information to include, be sure to consider the flip side. If you've included filler information to bulk up your resume in the past, now is a great time to remove it so your unique skills can shine.
Just as you'll tailor your objective section to each specific role or application, be sure to take a pass through your entire resume to ensure it aligns with the job posting. If you also want to <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/candidates" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/candidates" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">post your resume on a job board</a>, create a 'standard' version without specific company or role information, then continue tweaking more specific versions for each application.
This will help ensure you put your best foot forward to each potential employer, and it shows you've taken the time and consideration to learn about their company and open roles before clicking "Apply."
<h2>5. Bring it along to job interviews.</h2>
When you are selected for a job interview for a job, you can be confident that your resume was the deciding factor. That means the hiring manager or interviewer reviewed the information within it and couldn't wait to learn more about you!
But even if the interviewer looked through your resume, cover letter, and other information, you shouldn't expect every detail to be fresh in their mind, especially since they receive an average of <a href="https://www.ere.net/why-you-cant-get-a-job-recruiting-explained-by-the-numbers/" data-gc-link="https://www.ere.net/why-you-cant-get-a-job-recruiting-explained-by-the-numbers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">250 resumes per open job posting</a>.
Hiring managers are usually pulled from one meeting to the next, and they are probably short-handed if they are interviewing you to join their team. The likelihood of them having the time to print your resume before the interview is pretty slim!
Resume 101: when <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/five-tips-for-interview-success" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/five-tips-for-interview-success" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">prepping for an interview</a>, always print out a couple of extra resumes to bring with you. This will help remind your interviewer why they liked you so much and will ensure everyone is on the same page &mdash; literally &mdash; throughout the interview. And if an interviewer who's never seen your resume shows up to the interview, you can get them up to speed quickly with a fresh new copy for their review.
They will be grateful for the help, and you will score extra points for being prepared. Plus, having a paper copy in hand makes it easy to reference specific past experiences or relevant certifications as you chat.
-
Whether you're starting from scratch or ready to revamp your resume in line with a career change, CareerCircle can help. If your current resume doesn&rsquo;t accurately reflect your current skillset and the holistic talents that can help you stand out to hiring managers, check out our free online Resume Builder.
Craft a <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/top-five-resume-tips?utm_campaign=Members&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Ql9y4WbVidQ2j9IanHphEXnb-athmmbOZYMsjt1Puak9G2RV8VrTWLqPXlHXA56jUR7hK" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/top-five-resume-tips?utm_campaign=Members&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Ql9y4WbVidQ2j9IanHphEXnb-athmmbOZYMsjt1Puak9G2RV8VrTWLqPXlHXA56jUR7hK" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">polished, professional resume</a> in minutes, upload it to your CareerCircle profile, and save a digital to use on future applications.
Ready to create a standout resume that will help you get noticed by hiring managers?
[<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/resume-builder" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/resume-builder" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Get Started</a>]

When it comes to job searching, your resume plays a crucial role in nailing your first impression.

Resume 101: Five Ways to Level Up Your Resume

When it comes to job searching, your resume plays a crucial role in nailing your first impression. It's the first thing that hiring managers and recruiters will be looking at, which means your resume must be a strong and accurate representation of your experience.

*UPGRADE IN PROGRESS* -- CareerCircle platform upgrades will occur between Monday June 27th 10PM Eastern Time through Tuesday June 28th 4AM Eastern Time.&nbsp; The system may be intermittently unavailable during this timeframe.&nbsp;&nbsp;

*UPGRADE IN PROGRESS* -- CareerCircle is upgrading its capabilities and as a result the system may be temporarily unavailable as we bring new capabilities and infrastructure online to better serve our members.&nbsp; If you receive an error during this timeframe please bear with us as we're working to improve our system and you may need to retry that operation at a later time.&nbsp; &nbsp;

resume prep

4 Articles

How to Write an Impactful Experience Summary

The 5 Resume Tips Recruiters Want You To Know

Resume 101: Five Ways to Level Up Your Resume

Tags