Recruiters often skim a CV for a few seconds before deciding whether to read on. The summary at the top is the only part they are sure to see, so it has to do two jobs: say who you are professionally and give a reason to keep reading.
The three-line formula
- 1Who you are professionally. Your job title and your years of experience, in plain words.
- 2What you are best at. Two or three skills the advert asks for, in the advert's own words.
- 3One proof point. A result, a scope or a number you can explain in an interview.
A worked example
Credit analyst with six years in Lagos retail and microfinance banking.
Skilled in loan appraisal, portfolio monitoring and IFRS 9 provisioning.
Reduced overdue loans in my portfolio by a quarter over eighteen months.
Replace every figure with your own. Never keep a result you could not explain to the interviewer in two sentences.
What to leave out
- Adjectives you cannot prove. Hardworking, passionate and detail-oriented tell the reader nothing.
- Objectives such as “seeking a challenging role”. The recruiter already knows you want a job.
- Personal details that do not help the decision, such as your date of birth, marital status or religion.
Match it to the advert
Keep one master CV with every role you have held, then copy the summary and reorder two or three skills for each application. A summary that names the advert's own skills is easier for both a parser and a person to match.
Tailor the summary for each application
One summary does not fit every advert. If you are applying for a sales role and an operations role, keep the core facts the same and change the emphasis. The first line can name the job title from the advert, and the second line can lead with the skills the employer lists first. This takes about ten minutes per application, and it is one of the few edits that changes how a recruiter reads the rest of the CV.
- Keep one master summary with every fact you are proud of, then copy and trim it for each sector.
- Change the emphasis, never the facts. If you lack a skill the advert asks for, leave it out of the summary and address it in your cover note.
- Check the summary against the advert's first three requirements before you send the CV.
A summary that reads the same for every job is the most common reason a good candidate is passed over. The recruiter cannot see a reason to act, so they move on to the next CV.