Resume Summaries for Fresh Graduates with Examples
A resume summary is a short description at the top of your resume that briefly describes your experience, skills and why you’re an ideal candidate for a job. Using a resume summary can help recruiters decide whether they want to give your resume more attention or not. In this article, you can review various examples of resume summaries for recent graduates with explanations for each sample.
Resume summary examples for recent graduates
Here are some examples of resume summaries for recent graduates that you can use when writing own resume:
Retail Associate
Example: ‘Aspiring Retail Associate with strong interpersonal and communication skills. Goal-oriented individual with a strong understanding of how to treat customers. Participated in skills development workshops at Boston College.’
This example begins with a statement of your career goals backed with soft skills needed for the job. As a recent graduate, it can help to focus on what you can offer to the recruiter rather than your specific experience.
Customer Service Representative
Example: ‘A former part-time shop attendant with a basic understanding of customer service looking for an opportunity in sales. Hard-working, proactive individual with strong problem-solving and communication skills and the ability to learn new concepts fast.’
When writing a resume summary as a new graduate applying to a Customer Service Representative position, focus on soft skills that are important for the job. Hiring managers in the customer service industry often focus more on a candidate’s experience and skills related to the job rather than the educational background. Start the resume summary by mentioning previous work experience relevant to customer service before describing your soft skills.
Sales Assistant
Example: ‘Recent graduate with a degree in business administration and a GPA of 3.5 looking for a position as a Sales Assistant. Reliable communication skills, both oral and written, with a basic understanding of sales and marketing. Capable of working in a fast-paced and demanding environment.’
Highlighting your achievements relevant to the job no matter how small they might be can be very useful in giving your resume an appeal to recruiters. Emphasizing GPA, academic training and responsibilities in school can give an impression of how responsible you are with fulfilling tasks. Soft skills necessary for the job are also important to include in your resume summary.
Nursing Assistant
Example: ‘Nursing student with a passion for helping people looking for a position as a Nursing Assistant. Demonstrated strong communication and leadership skills through volunteering with Red Cross International.’
This example is brief but informs the hiring manager about the individual’s background by highlighting skills and interests. It also shows that this is the right career path for the applicant because the interests and skills align well with the industry.
Gym Instructor
Example: ‘Health Science student with a major in Fitness and Nutrition. Highly motivated to work as a fitness instructor to demonstrate communication, time management and problem-solving skills. Physically fit to serve as a role model to new clients.’
If you have no experience working in the field, it is recommended that you focus on your coursework to give recruiters an idea of your educational background. You can also add important skills and characteristics that can show recruiters what you can contribute to the position and why you are an ideal candidate.
Medical Scribe
Example: ‘Recent graduate with technical knowledge in computing, data entry, communication software and databases. Interned as a clinic assistant at St. Luke’s Medical Center. Self-motivated, eager to learn, can work in a fast-paced environment and effectively communicate with other people.’
This resume summary for a Medical Scribe started by emphasizing technical skills fitting for an ideal candidate. It also indicated an internship experience which most recruiters prefer from fresh graduate applicants, and soft skills ideal to perform the tasks.
Information Technology (IT)
Example: ‘IT graduate major in computer programing with a background in Java application, HTML, CSS, Python, Tomcat, MySQL and Oracle database. Experience working in an IT company as software support as part of on-the-job training. Highly analytical, motivated and skilled at solving programming problems. Can work well both independently and in a team.’
When making a resume summary for the IT industry, you have to be specific with your skills. You need to emphasize which area you are most capable in to make sure that recruiters know that you are qualified for the job. Both technical and soft skills are important in the IT industry, so it is ideal to highlight them first in your resume.
Finance
Example: ‘Recent graduate with a degree in finance and knowledge of data management and cost and performance analysis. Skilled in identifying and resolving wash sales and share quantity discrepancies. Knowledge in virtual portfolio management, stock valuations, financial statement analysis and business management. Excellent problem-solving skills and experienced with using the latest financial software.’
A powerful resume summary understands the importance of providing specific information to readers. It should be able to cover a wide range of skills and background for the job and include enough information to highlight the strongest points of your resume to capture the attention of hiring managers.
Accountant
Example: ‘Recent college graduate with an internship at Wall Street Financial Group. Seeking an entry-level accounting position to demonstrate accounting skills and knowledge. Highly competent, hardworking and detail-oriented with the capacity to go beyond what is expected to achieve higher career goals.’
This is an example of a resume summary that is brief but shares enough detail to encourage the hiring manager to read the resume more. In this example, the academic background is not mentioned. Instead, it focuses more on skills, experience and goals.
Primary Teacher
Example: ‘A recent graduate with a degree in primary education and a teaching certification, capable of teaching math to children between the ages of seven and 12 years old. Highly adept at various teaching techniques and ensures quality teaching by following education board standards, while making the learning environment fun and conducive to learning.’
This is an ideal resume summary for applicants applying to a teaching position because it highlights teaching skills and academic background. In your summary, you should mention specific credentials, such as the teaching certification, and show positive and nurturing characteristics, as well as other soft skills, to assure the recruiter that you work well with children.
Math Teacher
Example: ‘A highly organized Math Teacher with proven skills in teaching through teacher certification, academic awards and on-the-job training as a teacher’s assistant in a private school. Ability to work in a team, solve problems professionally and create a nurturing environment. Skilled at communicating complex ideas in a simple but entertaining manner. Looking for an opportunity to share my knowledge and skills in a school that offers career progression.’
This resume summary is very informative about the applicant’s background. It highlights academic achievements and skills that are ideal for a teaching position. It also sounds professional while highlighting a career-driven goal.
Secretary
Example: ‘Graduate with a degree in office administration experienced in handling calls and organizing schedules. Possesses strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and takes a practical approach in handling different tasks. Looking for a position as a Secretary in a fast-paced environment.’
Recent graduates applying for secretarial jobs whether entry-level or not, should focus on highlighting their specific skills related to the role. Showing the capacity to fulfill the job is ideal to observe in resume summaries, especially that a secretarial job requires strong organization and communication skills aside from having a good credential. It is also advisable to include how an applicant deals with the day-to-day tasks of a Secretary.
Receptionist
Example: ‘Highly-skilled hospitality management graduate with various on-the-job training in a hotel, restaurant and office setting. Friendly and works well with customer concerns and has strong interpersonal and communication skills. Looking for a position as a Receptionist in the hospitality industry.’
Ideally, a resume summary for a Receptionist role highlights your educational background, experience in the industry (if available) and most importantly, the soft skills. It is highly recommended to indicate a customer-friendly and inviting personality in your resume summary.
Logistics Clerk
Example: ‘Recent graduate with strong attention to detail and organization skills looking for an entry-level job as a Logistics Clerk to build a career in the logistics industry. Can handle large amounts of information, multitask, answer calls and perform data entry jobs.’
While highlighting experience is ideal, resume summary for logistics focuses more on the skills required to function on the job. It would also help to express the kind of personality fitting for the job as well as the career goals.
Human Resources Assistant
Example: ‘Goal-oriented Human Resources recent graduate with experience as a Human Resources intern in an outsourcing company to assist in training and skill development. Highly adept in developing training programs and has excellent oral and written communication skills.’
This resume summary for an HR Assistant focuses mainly on academic background, work experience and specific skills gained from previous first-hand experience in the field. This is one way to emphasize how prepared you are for the job which can leave a good impression on recruiters.