Writing your resume
Career objective vs professional summary, with examples for every level
When to write an objective, when to write a summary, and ready examples from 10th pass to senior manager.
The two or three lines under your name are the most-read part of your resume. Many people fill them with a sentence copied from somewhere: "Seeking a challenging position in a reputed organisation where I can utilise my skills." Every recruiter has read that line thousands of times, and it tells them nothing about you. Here is how to write something better, whatever stage you are at.
The difference, in one line each
- A career objective says what job you want and what you bring to it. It suits people with little or no work history: students, freshers, and people changing fields.
- A professional summary says what you have already done and what you are good at. It suits anyone with a year or more of relevant experience.
In practice the two have moved closer. A good fresher objective also mentions skills and proof, and a good summary still hints at the role you want next. What matters is that both are specific.
A simple formula
Use three pieces, in this order. Keep the whole thing to two or three lines, about 40–60 words.
- Who you are: your qualification or your current role and years of experience.
- What you are good at: two or three skills that match the job advert, with proof if you have it.
- What you want: the role you are applying for, named plainly.
Write it last. Once the rest of the resume is done, you know what your strongest points are, and the summary simply points to them.
Examples by level
Adapt these; do not paste them as they are. Replace every detail with your own.
12th pass (Commerce) with good typing speed (35 wpm), working knowledge of MS Excel and fluent Hindi and English. Looking for a billing or data entry assistant role where accuracy and punctuality matter.
ITI Electrician (NCVT, 2025) with one year of apprenticeship in panel wiring and motor maintenance at a manufacturing plant. Trained in safety procedures and lockout-tagout. Seeking a maintenance electrician role in a plant or facility team.
B.Sc Computer Science graduate (CGPA 8.1) who built two full-stack projects in React and Node.js, one used by our college fest team for registrations. Looking for a junior web developer role.
Customer support executive with three years of handling escalations, now moving into data analysis. Completed a six-month course in SQL and Power BI and built a ticket-trend dashboard for my current team. Seeking an entry-level analyst role.
Sales executive with five years in FMCG distribution across Tier 2 towns in Madhya Pradesh. Grew my territory's monthly billing by opening new retail outlets and kept distributor relations steady through two price revisions. Looking to step up as an area sales manager.
Operations head with 15 years in warehousing and last-mile logistics, currently running a team of 120 across three sites. Known for cutting delivery delays through better slotting and shift planning. Open to regional or national operations leadership roles.
Numbers make it believable
Where you can, use a real number: team size, years, marks, typing speed, outlets handled, machines maintained. Only write numbers you can explain in an interview. A specific number you cannot back up does more harm than no number at all.
Words to cut
These phrases take space and add nothing. Recruiters skip past them:
- "Hard-working, dedicated and sincere" (show it with what you did instead).
- "Seeking a challenging and rewarding position".
- "Reputed organisation".
- "To utilise my skills for the growth of the company".
- "I" and "my" at the start of every sentence. Resume lines usually drop them.
Match it to each job
You do not need a new resume for every application, but you should adjust the summary. If one company wants a "customer service executive" and another a "relationship officer", use their words. The summary is the cheapest place to make the resume look written for that job, and it is also where applicant tracking systems often look for the job title. Our ATS guide explains how.
Quick check before you finish
- Is it under about 60 words?
- Does it name the role you want?
- Does it include at least one thing only you could have written (a project, a number, a place, a tool)?
- Would it still make sense if someone read only this and nothing else?
If the answer to all four is yes, you have a better opening than most resumes on the recruiter's desk.