Are you struggling to write a professional resume summary that will grab the hiring manager’s attention and convince them to keep reading? We’ve put together a guide to help get you on the right track and included some examples below. 

What is a resume summary?

A resume summary is a professional statement at the top of your resume that gives a short description of your relevant experience, skills, and achievements. This helps to grab the hiring manager’s attention and position you as a great candidate for the role. 

You can choose not to include a summary but having one can only increase your chances of being called for an interview. 

What should you include in your resume summary?

• Core strengths and skill sets most relevant to the role you’re applying for 
• Past relevant experience with key functions mentioned in the job posting 
• Notable accomplishments you can use in the next role 

Try to keep your summary to about four sentences, because you’re going to go in-depth in the rest of your resume. Use this section to demonstrate how you would add value to the company while tailoring it to the specific job listing. This might mean changing the summary slightly for each job you apply to. 

Avoid mentioning skills that all candidates will likely have, such as Microsoft Office, or overused words like organized. If applicable, use an accomplishment with numerical data, such as increased bookings by 5%. 

Putting together your summary 

• Think of three or four things that define you as a hospitality professional. This could be strong guest reviews you’ve earned, the ability to manage a team, or creating a process to make work more efficient. 

Entry-level candidates and graduates can include academic training or experiences related to the hospitality industry. 

• What have you enjoyed the most in your current or previous roles? Use this to inform what you’re good at, or what you would like to do in your next job responsibilities. 

If there are things you’re really good at but don’t enjoy doing, leave those out of your statement to avoid those being part of your next role.

• Most importantly, align your summary with the job posting. Take the information from the two steps above and line them up with the job postings you are researching. 

Examples

“Experienced front desk agent focused on providing exceptional customer service and maintaining positive relationships to increase retention. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to multitask. Earned multiple 5-star guest reviews, heling to increase the overall property rating and repeat guest reservations.”

“Hotel professional with 10 years of management experience in the housekeeping and maintenance department. Strong team management capabilities with experience streamlining processes to increase department efficiency and productivity.”

“Passionate Chef with 5+ years in award-winning restaurants. Experience in openings that required a strong entrepreneurial spirit and organization. Creativity to create menus and passion in mentoring team members to increase team member retention and performance.”

Think of a resume summary as your elevator pitch for the hiring manager. Include what you want to get across to them in a very short amount of time that will make them want to know more.