Right after your contact information and your name, the very first thing your resume should list is your resume summary. A well-written resume summary is one of the most effective ways to stand out in front of the hiring manager. A strong summary is where you hook the hiring manager from the very start and push them to continue reading your resume.
But what can you do when you don’t have enough experience to begin crafting a compelling resume, let alone a resume summary?
Today, we will explain what a resume summary is, what goes into it, and how you can create an impressive resume summary without any prior experience. We will also share some helpful resume summary examples for young adults.
What Is A Resume Summary?
A resume summary, as the name suggests, is a summarized statement at the very top of your resume that tells at a glance the hiring manager all he needs to know about your profile. The resume summary usually covers just around two to three lines and will typically describe your experience, qualifications, and skills. It basically allows you to put your most vital assets at the very front of your resume. If your resume is not compelling enough, the manager may barely skim through your resume. A simple way to get started with your resume summary is to think about how you would describe yourself through your professional qualifications in three sentences.
Of course, creating a resume is much more challenging when you don’t have any relevant experience as a young adult. But worry not because we will cover more on how you can create one, even without experience. You can check our resume summary examples for young adults for inspiration.
Why Do You Need A Resume Summary?
There are several benefits of including a summary in your resume. The very first thing is to help yourself get noticed faster. A strong summary statement at the top of your resume will hook your hiring manager. What a summary does is that it highlights your key skills early on so the employer pays your resume more attention. In contrast, if a resume did not highlight the required skill sets, the employer would simply discard it. It also tells the employers that you have carefully observed and analyzed the job ad and understand why you make a good fit.
Read More :- Resume Summary Examples For Multiple Jobs
How To Create A Resume Summary Without Experience?
As a young adult, it is incredibly difficult to have any relevant experience without having stepped into the professional field. Hiring managers understand this as well, and despite what you might think, you can land a good job even without the necessary experience. It all depends on how well you craft your resume summary.
Research The Job Position
The first thing you need to do is to carefully observe and study the job advertisement and understand the key requirements and skills that are considered necessary for the role. This is because even if you don’t have any experience, you need to position yourself as a skilled individual. Would you be able to showcase these skills practically? This will allow you to determine if you are suitable for the role as an entry-level candidate.
For example, applying for a managerial role in marketing without having ever administered a team is perhaps not the right approach. Instead, you can enter an entry-level sales position to begin your career. The point here is to be realistic in your job search. It is great to aim for a higher role but stick to one where you can actually perform well.
Consider The Soft Skills
Now, if you don’t have the relevant hard skills at all, you should consider working on your soft skills. Again, you should go back to the advertisement and assess the soft skills necessary for the role. Even experienced individuals are encouraged to add at least one to two key soft skills to their resume summary. Think of soft skills such as communication, adaptability, problem-solving, and leadership. These are all excellent skills that can be applied to nearly all types of positions as they are transferable across several industries.
For example, if you are applying for a customer service role, consider adding problem-solving and communication skills. Similarly, if you are applying for a data analyst role, include skills such as attention to detail and strategy building.
Read More :- Soft Skills For Resume
Add Relevant Academic Qualifications
The next step is to add your relevant academic qualifications. Alongside your education, you can also list your relevant certifications. These are the main drivers; when you don’t have any practical experience in the field, employers expect you to have a solid education listed on your resume. Your academic qualifications showcase that while you may not have the practical skills, you have all the necessary theoretical skills. This shows that you understand the technical aspects of the work they require. This is even more important in technical fields that demand understanding and knowledge of the industry terminology and processes.
For example, if you want to apply for a role in marketing, the hiring manager will expect you to understand key aspects of branding, consumer behavior, and journalism. In the same way, if you are applying for a role in the data analyst field, you are expected to understand key aspects such as data collection, data cleaning, and data interpretation. In some cases, the employee might even have you showcase the skills through a practical exam to make up for the lack of experience.
This process will allow you to better understand how you can align with the role and recognize what skills will allow you to land that position. With the right skill sets in mind, you can now begin drafting your very first resume summary.
What Should A Resume Summary Include?
As you have discussed thus far, a good resume summary should consist of two to four sentences. The summary must include your years of experience, job title, some of your most significant achievements to date, and a few of your most essential skills that are relevant to the role you are applying for. The experience and skills you enlist may include certifications, soft skills, technical skills, and even accolades.
When putting together the summary, make sure you use the active voice and include key action words to describe yourself.
Creative graphic designer with three years of experience working with top brands like Nike, Jordans, and Mattel. Professionally skilled in content creation, using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and other Adobe Suite software to deliver custom creative assets.
Notice how the summary begins by describing the applicant as creative, then follows up with her relevant experience working with leading brands, and finally, it highlights a few key skills relevant to a graphic designer.
Professional Resume Summary Examples for Young Adults
The summary example given above is for an experienced individual, but you can still craft an equally compelling resume summary even without experience. Here are some resume summary examples for young adults to inspire you:
Customer Service
Passionate about improving the quality of people’s lifestyles through unmatchable care and service. Seeking to leverage my experience and studies of conflict management and communication to empower consumers within a people-driven organization.
This is one of the best customer service resume summary examples for young adults who do not have any practical experience but do have the academic qualifications necessary for the role. At the same time, it highlights some of the skills the employee brings to the table, such as conflict, management, and communication.
Junior Marketer
Fresh graduate with a degree in marketing seeking the opportunity to bring relevant experience in social media marketing to improve the social media and public relations efforts at XYZ company as a junior marketer.
This resume summary example for young adults is a great way to introduce yourself as a fresh graduate, particularly when applying for a junior position. It suggests that you are knowledgeable in social media marketing, and it also pivots into what you can do for the company.
Salesman/Saleswoman
Energetic and persuasive retail sales associate seeking an entry-level sales position at XYZ company to leverage my foundation in market analysis, team collaboration, and sales strategies to help your company expand its market presence and successfully deliver data-driven solutions to its clients.
This is one of the good resume summary examples for young adults incorporating a mix of hard skills, such as market analysis, with soft skills, such as team collaboration.
Content Writing
Highly motivated and skilled writer pursuing a bachelorette in Journalism. With my excellent communication, research, and professional writing skills, I seek experience as a junior content writer in your organization.
A content writing position values communication, research, and writing skills above all else. This is one of the well-crafted resume summary examples for young adults with no experience, highlighting those exact skills while also highlighting the individual’s academic background.
Server
Dedicated service-oriented individual aiming to employ my skills in team leadership and volunteer work to contribute to the team’s success while embracing and promoting the restaurant’s ethos of quality. I’m keen to deliver attentive customer service and provide an unforgettable dining experience at XYZ company.
This is a wonderful resume summary example for young adults. It highlights your skills as a team leader and ensures that the hiring manager knows you have relevant experience in volunteer work.
Teacher
Recently graduated teacher motivated to support students and improve their test scores and academic achievement at XYZ Elementary. Ready to inspire students through my honed skills in classroom management, curricular development, and interactive learning.
This resume summary is a great example for anyone applying for an entry-level teacher position. It showcases the hard skills necessary for any teaching role and also displays the individual’s drive and commitment.
Business Analyst
An ambitious business analyst, hoping to apply my skills in data gathering, market analysis, and documentation to contribute to ABC companies, business growth, and system efficiency. I am also a fully certified business analytics professional from IIBA and highly skilled in data management systems.
This is a good summary for an entry-level business analyst who wants to apply their in-demand hard skills such as data gathering and market analysis in their role. As business analysis is a very technical role, mentioning such hard skills will increase your chances of landing a position.
Nurse
A licensed residential nurse experienced in pediatric and geriatric care. Hoping to apply my one-year experience as a medical receptionist, leveraging my client care and medical expertise skills.
In medical fields, your license is highly valued. This resume summary example for young adults does a fine job of illustrating that the individual is not only licensed but also has the relevant skills needed for the role.
Administrative Assistant
A detail-oriented administrative expert seeking a role where I can employ my customer service skills, planning abilities, and communication skills. Motivated to apply my customer support experience and proficiency in collaboration tools such as Google meet.
An administrative assistant is generally expected to know the basics of customer support, planning, and communication. It also helps if you have relevant experience or a general knowledge of collaboration tools. This summary covers all these aspects, making it one of the well-crafted resume summary examples for young adults.
Junior Graphic Designer
Fresh graduate from XYZ University with a specialization in graphic design. I seek to employ my skills in Adobe illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and my creativity in a reputable organization where I can learn more about honing my graphic design skills on digital platforms.
This is simply one of the best resume summary examples for young adults with no experience. It explains that as a recent graduate, you have the necessary experience in the basics of software design and are a creative individual.
Final Thoughts
The resume summary replaced at the very top of your resume is critical to the success of your job search. This is because a well-crafted resume summary can hook the hiring manager early on and tell them all they need to know about you as a candidate. Even without relevant experience, you can write a compelling resume summary. Go through the examples provided above and the guide to help you create an impactful resume summary of your own and begin applying for your dream job today!