I remember the first time I nervously stepped out for a job interview with a leading company in my locality. Except for stellar college grades, I had nothing much to boast of in my ‘anything but perfect’ resume. For some odd reason (of which I am still not sure) I decided to skip the elegantly printed professional resume everyone preferred and instead presented a hand-written resume in the calligraphy writing I was famous for since school days.
Even Freshers Can Flaunt while Writing their Professional Resume
Yes, I handwrote my resume at the dawn of the digital age.
I got the job too, simply because my resume stood out from around thirty others due to its vague resemblance to some ancient relic of the Middle Ages. Perhaps, at that specific phase of my employment search, my cursive writing was the only virtue I could think of that would help my half-page professional resume get a second glance or at least, a raised eyebrow.
Don’t get me wrong. I am in no way trying to insinuate that you grab your Grandpa’s fountain pen and handwrite your professional resume in Royal Blue ink for that upcoming interview. In this post-Covid era of virtual hiring and applicant tracking systems (ATS), that’s just not going to work in your favor. My whole point in reminiscing is to get across the blatant truth that even those who are fresh out of college DO have something absolutely valuable to flaunt on their professional resume that would catch the attention of the recruiter.
Resume Summary for Freshers: Here is where you brag about what makes you unique
If your professional resume is a reflection of who you are, then your resume summary is the sauce and garnish that tempts the recruiter with the delectable possibilities of what you could offer and bring to the table for the greater good of the organization.
Very few candidates realize the absolute power the resume summary has in influencing the recruiters’ decision to pick or toss a resume. Many brush aside the resume summary as an irrelevant strip of information on the professional resume of a fresher. Fortunately, with more and more recruiters placing greater emphasis on the individual attributes and behavioral traits of candidates they wish to hire, the resume summary is a prime spot on the resume; a spot that is most likely to catch the eye of the hiring manager.
What Counts as a Good Resume Summary for Freshers?
As a fresher with jam-packed academic achievement but trifling work experience to brag about, your career trek could be daunting but definitely, not futile. So, if you are wondering where to start, your best bet is to pen a good resume summary while writing your professional resume.
The whole rationale behind a Resume Summary for freshers is to make an impact. The challenge lies in how best you can achieve this by quickly communicating your qualifications, individual attributes as well as transferable skills in less than three sentences. Might sound like a tall order but it is certainly, achievable!
A good resume summary will do what it is designed to do: grab the interest of the recruiter, tempt them to seize the moment and do a double-take before scheduling a screening round with the candidate who managed to surprise them.
A word of caution though: you need to understand that the recruiter will definitely ask you about whatever you have mentioned in the Resume Summary. So, just make sure you don’t put anything there that you don’t want to be questioned about. Stick to the essentials while writing your crisp and concise resume summary for freshers.
Essentials to Keep in Mind While Writing an Entry Level Resume Summary
It is always a good practice to first draft your professional resume and then go for the Resume Summary. This will give you a holistic view of your capabilities which, in turn, will help you sift the top-notch qualities you wish to highlight in the resume summary section.
Once you start penning your resume summary for freshers, it is vital that you keep the following essentials in mind:
Position of a Resume Summary: In order to serve its true purpose, the resume summary must be strategically positioned right below your name and contact details in the professional resume that you are drafting.
Ideal Length of a Resume Summary: Short and crisp is always better when it comes to writing a resume summary for freshers as well as experienced professionals. Any more than three sentences would be a sheer waste of effort and time.
Keywords in the Job Posting: Every job posting you see and apply for will have a unique Job Description (JD) that is jam-packed with keywords and phrases specifically put in there by the recruiter. Make sure you add the most relevant keywords in your resume summary that relate to your topmost skills.
Gently Brake on the Buzzwords: Try not to create chaos by adding too many overused metaphors to show how motivated and driven you are. Most recruiters have been brain fogged by seeing these buzzwords in almost every single resume that comes their way. Use a few but relevant buzzwords that reflect the real you and state what you are capable of, if hired.
State your Point of View: Recruiters would do anything to lay their hands on a candidate who comes with ideas that identify and address opportunities for organizational growth. In your resume summary, subtly mention how your skills set could bring about upward growth for the organization and its processes.
As a seasoned recruiter with one of the topmost tech companies, here is what Kari Gallagher, VP – Oracle says about their hiring strategy, “Regardless of the career level or experience of candidates, recruiters are looking for candidates who approach us with a point of view; those who come with ideas not just for identifying an opportunity but for addressing opportunities; those who demonstrate on their resume what they are going to add to the greater good of the organization.” Watch Kari’s entire video here:
Highlight Transferable Skills: Usually transferable skills are acquired competencies that you pick up from one professional setting and carry along with you to the next organization. For a fresher, transferable skill can be those acquired during their internship, summer jobs or volunteering, regardless of the industry. Some of the most sought-after transferable skills include Problem Solving, Analytical Reasoning, Critical Thinking, Adaptability, Relationship Building, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Creative Thinking and Project Management among many others. Before you add these transferable skills, make sure it complements the job description that you are applying for.
Internship/Volunteering Experience: Make up for the dearth of professional experience by mentioning any internship or volunteering experience you may have gained while pursuing your education.
Resume Summary Examples for Tech Graduates
If you are a recent tech graduate looking for a great opportunity to prove your skills, take a look at these examples of a resume summary for freshers that you can include in your professional resume.
Of course, if you need personalized assistance in building your Resume Summary, HiCounselor can help you get started on the right track. Click on the link below for unlimited access to HiCounselor’s Resume Builder where you can accelerate your employment search and make use of pre-written examples to pep up your Resume Summary.
Click here to build your Resume Summary for Freshers
Resume Summary for Freshers: Software Engineer
Example 1:
A competent individual passionate about software development, proficient in mobile/desktop development environments and equally adept at using HTML5, JavaScript and other programming languages to produce clean code. Well-organized and collaborative team player with strong communication and analytical abilities.
Example 2:
Exceptionally skilled and diligent individual with internship experience in [Type] and [Type] programming and knowledgeable about a wide range of development languages/methodologies. Bright, critical thinker with proven talent in learning quickly in a result-oriented environment.
Resume Summary for Freshers: Business Intelligence Analyst
Example 3:
Well-organized, systematic and meticulous individual eager to contribute to an Entry-level position with the skillset gained in imputation methods for filling in the missing values such as kNN Imputation and MissForest. Worked closely with senior management to ensure the deliverables within stipulated deadlines, adhering to quality standards and customer expectations.
Resume Summary for Freshers: Data Analyst
Example 4:
Extraordinary ability to analyze and interpret data for improving businesses and decision-making levels. Successfully formulated a comparative study of Business Intelligence Tools such as Tableau, Yellowfin, QlikSense, setting up an automated system for data analysis and also presented area-specific recommendations based on local factors, which could lead to a [NUMBER]% increase in usage of SNAP.
Example 5:
Critical thinker and problem solver with strong intuition in terms of metrics that affect the performance of a product. Interned in identifying defects as well as errors in data prior to data processing. Effectively used SQL to analyze datasets for case studies, which includes identifying what proportion of products from [Company] marketplace are from [Company] and understanding the average duration of a product on the platform.
Resume Summary for Freshers: Data Scientist
Example 6:
Extraordinarily talented individual passionate about data, having played a responsible role in validating and accessing activities to ensure that solutions fulfill customer requirements. Successfully consolidated Excel reports into a single Jupyter Notebook with Python, reducing the person-hour needed for data analysis by [Number]% and interned to rebuild Front End with proper user interface and framework.
Resume Summary for Freshers: Software Developer
Example 7:
A lifelong learner and diligent individual well-versed in CSharp, MySQL, IIS Server, COBOL Plano, TX and with a superior understanding on improving frameworks by developing JAVA based utilities and framework development for Cocos2d based applications. Assisted in accomplishing the digital transformation of legacy application to modern architecture by transforming, debugging and testing a high volume of code from COBOL to C# and AngularJS.
Example 8:
Creative and innovative team player, passionate about software solutions and always willing to address opportunities for business growth through technology. Underwent rigorous training on HTML, CSS, TypeScript, React and MuleSoft technologies. Successfully improved business productivity by [NUMBER] through data migration from Excel spreadsheets to MySQL and also created a front-end using HTML, CSS to access the data.
Looking for more ideas for your Professional Resume?
If you need more ideas or personalized assistance to prepare a professional resume, HiCounselor can help you get started on the right track. Click on the link below for unlimited access to HiCounselor’s Resume Builder where you can make use of pre-written examples of resume summaries to pep up your Professional Resume.
Click here to build your Professional Resume.
HiCounselor makes career dreams come true for job seekers as well as recruiters. While job seekers benefit from HiCounselor’s career accelerator program along with the coaching services from industry leaders employed at FAANG companies, recruiters join hands with HiCounselor to empower their hiring strategy and zero in on the best candidates. Learn more about HiCounselor here and reach out to us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
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