A Resume is an important element in every job application. It is one or two pages in length document that includes the applicant’s qualifications. Since resumes play an important role in every job application, this article offers all about resumes in terms of meaning, summary, and objectives.

1. The Definition of a Resume

A resume is a marketing tool that applicants provide in every job search. This document follows a specific format to list the applicant’s most important information, such as qualifications, training, and skills.

An average resume organizes the applicant’s information under specific headings such as "Summary of Qualifications," "Professional Experience," or "Education." Let’s see the composition of a typical resume.

1.   Contact information: they consist of the ways through which employers reach their applicants, such as Job name, address, phone numbers, and email.

2.   Objective or Summary of Qualifications:  they include the relevant qualifications for the desired position, which are usually presented at the top of the page, directly after the contact information.

3.   Work History: they include relevant work experience with reference such as dates, companies, job titles.

4.   Education: this section contains completed academic achievements.

Depending on the field or the job, a candidate can add it can add extra information under such headings as Achievements, Licenses, Computer Skills, Professional Affiliations, and Related Coursework. If you are worried about further elements, read this:

Do I need to Put Interest in Resume?

2. Resume  Templates

There are many types of resume templates. Here is a list of the top three prominent formats:

• Chronological: it’s a traditional type that lists information in reverse chronological order from recent to old.
• Functional: it focuses on skills and accomplishments instead of dates and titles. This format classifies your qualifications into useful categories, such as Administrative, Marketing, or Project Management.
• Combination/Hybrid: this format is based on a mix of elements from both of the above resume types.

For more information about the different resume types, check this article

4 Types of Resume with Practical format, Pros ,and Cons

3. A Resume Objective Statement

A resume objective statement is a short paragraph that grabs the attention of hiring managers. This statement usually summarizes the objective of this resume. It clearly states the job title and the purpose of the application. This statement is written at the top of a resume.

Traditionally, a resume objective statement introduces the applicant and his career goals as follows:

·         Human Resources Manager is applying for this job position. My objective is to handle responsibilities, provide more plans for opening new opportunities for career development, guaranteeing high standards of hard work.

You may also read:

What are Career Objectives on a Resume?.

Some applicants wonder whether it is necessary to write this statement or not. In fact, the resume objective statement is very brief. It would not be a hard task in writing a few lines to describe career choices and goals. Those statements should include the keywords of the job description. However, some applicants view this section very similar to a resume summary statement.

How to Write an Objective for a Resume

There are three important criteria in a resume objective statement.

•    It should be very short
•    It should be aimed at a specific job position
•   It should include what the candidate can do

In brief, this statement should include your goals, which would match the needs of the company.

4.  A resume  summary statement

A resume summary statement is also a short paragraph. It is written at the beginning to give a small description of the candidate’s professional skills and experience. The summary statement is typically placed below contact information and right above the body of the resume. As it tells from its name, a resume summary statement gives hiring managers an idea about the candidate's expertise before reading the rest of the details. The purpose of putting a summary statement is to show the applicant’s skills in advance.

A resume summary statement can also be referred to as follows

• Career summary
• Personal statement
• Professional summary
• Summary of experience
• Summary of qualifications
• Qualifications summary
• Competencies

Since the number of applicants is very huge, a summary resume statement is can help to hire managers to earn time by reading the important description of each candidate. Instead of reading hundreds of resumes, a summary statement can be enough to give a hint about the candidate.

Besides, this type of introductory statement is not a must-have in a resume. It is true that it is an optional statement. However, if you didn’t include such a summary inside your resume, it won’t be a strong one, since other resumes include this statement.

If this statement is confusing and some applicants might be hesitant about which states they should include a summary statement? or an objective statement? Let’s see the difference between them.

Resume Objective vs. Resume Summary Statement

Although both are introductory statements,  the resume objective differs from a resume summary statement.

On the one hand, a resume summary statement highlights hard skills and accomplishments in the active voice rather than passive voice. example, 

I designed a website instead of a website is designed. There is a huge emphasis on the person who did the task.

On the other hand,  an objective resume statement is more concerned with the job position in general terms. Unlike a summary statement that describes more accomplished tasks, an objective statement just highlights the subject of the candidate’s application. For example:

• Traditional Objective Statement: “To obtain a position in a call center.”
• Modern Summary statement: “Call center agent with 3 years of experience, working with multiple software and dealing with service issues. Maintained a 90% customer satisfaction rating.”

These were the major elements of a strong resume with the different statements that can draw the lines between applicants.

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