The summary is the only part of your CV everyone reads. It has one job: tell the reader what you are, at what level, and why you fit this role — before they reach your first bullet.
The formula
- 1Line one: your professional identity and level. “Operations manager with nine years in cross-border logistics.”
- 2Line two: your evidence. One achievement with a number that matters to the role.
- 3Line three: your direction. What you are looking for, phrased as what you offer.
Before and after
Weak: “Hard-working professional seeking a challenging opportunity in a dynamic environment.” Strong: “Operations manager with nine years in cross-border logistics. Cut delivery lead times 22% across five EU markets while absorbing a 40% volume increase. Looking to run operations for a scaling e-commerce business in the Benelux.”
Variants
- Career changer: name the new field first, then the transferable evidence, then the bridge — do not apologise for the change.
- Graduate: lead with your field and specialism, cite the project or internship with a real outcome, then the type of role you want.
- Senior hire: lead with scope — budget, headcount, markets — and keep it to two lines.
- Contractor: lead with the problem you are hired to solve and typical engagement length.
Rules
- Three lines, never more than four.
- First person, no pronouns: “Ran”, not “I ran” or “Alex ran”.
- Rewrite it per application — it is the cheapest tailoring you can do.
- Delete every word that would survive on a stranger's CV.