How to Create a Professional Profile

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A professional profile is an important component of applying for jobs and should be well-written to grab the attention of the reader. Since a professional profile is a quick way to introduce yourself to employers, it should consist of your experience, education and achievements. In this article, learn what a professional profile is and how to write an effective profile with examples and tips.

What is a professional profile?

A professional profile, also known as a resume profile, is a short summary at the top of your resume that highlights your experience, education, skills and qualifications related to the job you’re applying to. It includes years of experience, your current job title and mentionable achievements that show your ability to successfully perform the job.

Why is a professional profile important?

Professional profiles are important because they immediately show a hiring manager or recruiter you have the past experience and strengths to effectively execute the tasks of the open position. A great impression in your professional profile increases the chances they will read the rest of your resume and contact you for an interview.

How to write a professional profile

Follow these steps to write a professional profile on your next resume:

1. First, list your years of experience or education

Lead with years of experience to get the attention of a hiring manager. More years of experience means you’ve had time to gain a variety of skills and knowledge related to the position. Make sure to mention the name of your current title. For students or recent graduates that have little to no job experience, lead with the school you graduated from and note any relevant experience you gained from coursework, extracurricular activities or volunteer work.

2. Next, mention your specialty area of experience

Mention any areas of specialty experience you have within the industry you’re applying for. This will help you show you’re an expert in the field. Try to provide any quantifiable achievements related to this specialty if possible. Measurable accomplishments make a bigger impact.

3. Then, include industry-related skills

Include skills you possess directly associated with the specific job you’re applying for. Read through the job description to find particular skills the employer is looking for that you can highlight. Also, do some research on the industry itself. Add any licenses or certifications applicable to the job as well.

4. Finally, point out career achievements

Lastly, you should point out big achievements pertinent to the job. Try to include only one to two major accomplishments to keep the profile fairly short. If you have many notable achievements, you could add these to the education or experience sections of your resume based on type.

Professional profiles vs. other resume intros

Here are the definitions for each of the types of resume introductions:

Professional profile 

A professional profile is more generic and useful when uploading a resume on a job search site. Some online job applications might ask for your professional profile as a separate section from your resume file.

Career objective

A career objective focuses on your interest in obtaining a specific job title and are customized for each specific job you apply to, based on that position’s job description. It generally consists of just two to three sentences.

Qualification summary

A qualification summary focuses more on career achievements. It generally includes a bulleted-list of five to six impressive accomplishments that show your ability to confidently perform a specific job. Make sure to target keywords from the job description to show your qualifications are relevant to the position. 

Resume summary

A resume summary is a bulleted list of four to five points that highlight key characteristics, achievements and compelling statistics of an accomplishment to attract the reader.

Professional profile examples

Here are some professional profile examples that you can follow as guidelines when writing your own:

Administrative assistant example

Here is an example of a professional profile written for an administrative assistant resume:

‘Administrative assistant with over five years of professional experience and a BA in business management, seeking a business administrator position. An expert at preparing complex and sensitive documents and supporting executive staff. Possesses comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft Suite and Adobe, and fluent in English and Spanish. Managed two executive member calendars and organized 12 large events a year for 50+ people. Received The Colleen Barrett Award for Administrative Excellence in 2018.’

Waitress example

Here is an example of a professional profile written for a waitressing resume:

‘Service professional with three years of experience in the food and beverage industry, looking for a managerial career.

  • Successfully trained seven new employees, ensuring proper execution of restaurant best practices.
  • Implemented new menu strategies, increasing appetizer and drink purchases by an average of 12%. 
  • Received Employee of the Month three consecutive months.’

Marketing associate example

Here is an example of a professional profile written for a marketing associate resume:

‘Flexible marketing associate with over eight years of experience managing SEO and PPC campaigns, seeking a position as marketing director. Expert at boosting online presence and website traffic for companies with annual marketing budgets over $300,000. In previous roles, increased monthly website traffic by 400% and increased company sales by 200%.’

Professional profile tips

Consider these tips to write an attractive professional profile:

Address the employer’s needs

Even though a professional profile is more generic, you should still use the job description as a guide. You want to ensure your profile includes details about your skills and experience that target the needs of the employer. A job description will contain keywords you can use in your profile and throughout your resume. Many employers now run resumes through scans to assess it’s relevancy to the open position, so you want to be sure yours will pass and an employer will get to read it.

Quantify your experience

Numbers are attractive to employers. A profile with accomplishments written in numbers shows how impressive the accomplishment is and helps you stand out among other applicants.

Keep it concise and focused

Ideally, a professional profile should be 500 characters or less, This helps keep a potential employer’s attention and helps you focus only on the most important aspects of your skills and experience. Sentences should begin with action verbs such as ‘Possesses…,’ ‘Achieved…,’ ‘Experience with…,’ and ‘Increased…’ to keep statements short.

Know your audience

Think about who may be reading your resume and what style of writing you should use. If your audience understands technical information, feel free to use some technical jargon. If they may not understand that type of language stick to transferrable qualities and skills.

Illustrate with examples

Instead of mentioning generic terms such as ‘strong communication skills,’ give a specific example from a past experience that shows you possess that skill. 

Write your profile after your resume

A professional profile is essentially a summary of your entire resume, so it’s a good idea to write the profile after you’ve completed your resume.

Be clear about what you want

Mention what type of position you’re looking for, such as ‘seeking an executive marketing position,’ to tell employers exactly what you want. This tells hiring managers what you’re looking for and is especially helpful for recruiters to know how to assist you in your job search.