One of the most common questions I’m asked is, “How do I write a resume intro - and do you have any resume introduction examples I can use for inspiration?”
The answer is, a resume intro has a straightforward, concise format you can easily adapt for your own resume. In this article, I’ll show you exactly how to craft it, and share examples to help you get started.
But first, why does a resume introduction matter so much? Recruiters receive a mountain of applications per role and make yes/no decisions in seconds. Many will read your cover letter, but that’s not guaranteed - so the resume summary is your backup: a short, snappy intro that stands on its own.
Fact: I read a resume’s first few lines before anything else. By the time I hit your work history, I’ve usually already decided whether the rest is worth reading.
Those two to four lines under your name go by a lot of labels - summary, profile, introduction, “About Me”, opening statement. No wonder so many people find this topic confusing, even though it’s actually simple.
In this guide, I’ll walk through what a resume introduction is for, the difference between a summary, an objective, and an “About Me” section, the four-part formula I use to write one from scratch, and 11 examples covering everything from a first resume with no work history to a career change to twenty years in the same field (plus 3 “About Me” examples).
Want to skip the formatting? Our free resume builder puts the introduction section exactly where it belongs, so all you have to do is write the two to four lines that go in it.
Whatever you call it - introduction, intro, summary, professional summary, profile, “About Me,” opening statement - you’re talking about the same two to four lines under your resume header.
Different resume templates and different recruiters use different labels, but the content underneath is nearly identical.
It sits directly below your contact information, before your skills or work history. Two - maximum four - sentences are the right length. Any longer, and it starts competing with your work history instead of nudging me to it.
Note: Some people refer to the note introducing yourself to a new networking contact as the “resume introduction”: this is a resume introduction letter, not a resume introduction (they sound similar but “letter” points to something different). In this article, I only refer to the latter to avoid confusion.
A summary generally consists of your (target) job title, your length of expertise, and your key areas of experience, and an (ideally quantifiable) result or scope. Its point is to convince the reader right away that you’re a close fit for the job they’re screening for. So the summary should always be tailored to this - factually, of course. I’ll share examples in the following section.
In the past, an objective statement was more common, but this has gone out of fashion and shouldn’t be used in a modern resume. An objective statement told the reader what you were looking for, rather than what you were: “Seeking a new Technical Project Manager opportunity in the games development or entertainment industries, ideally one that pays really well and that can be done remotely” versus “Technical Project Manager with eight years of full lifecycle experience in the games development and entertainment industries, directing teams of 50+ and projects up to $4M”.
The only time an objective statement is used nowadays is to explain a career change, long employment gap, or for someone with no experience who wants to explain what they’re looking for. Even then, it’s incorporated into the summary rather than being a separate format: “Technical Project Manager with eight years of experience in games development and entertainment, now focused on training and developing industry software engineers.”
As for the “About Me” section? This is just a summary with another name, often a little more conversational. See the “About Me” section below for more insight.
A good resume intro is direct, clear, and concise. It’s an introduction, not a novel.
A very easy 4-step formula to follow is:
This helps avoid bland introductions like “Detail-oriented professional with a strong track record in sales” that tell the reader virtually nothing unique about you. Specifics are proof (and interesting).
What to cut: the adjective that opens most first drafts - result-oriented, dynamic, motivated, dedicated, passionate. Delete it and start with what you actually do. The above example might then become:
Sales Manager with twelve years of experience driving technology sales through robust client relationship management, generating $600K in revenue annually.
The introduction only has room for one or two skills. For a fuller list to draw on elsewhere in your resume, see our guide to highlighting your skills.
Legal Assistant with 12 years of experience providing administrative support to managing partners at top-tier global law firms. Recipient of Employee of the Month award for implementing digital documentation efficiencies that slashed retrieval time by at least 70%.
Real Estate Broker with over 20 years of experience and an MBA, specializing in commercial leases across the Toronto area. Closed $715K+ in commercial transactions in the past year.
Multilingual Project Manager with a PMP qualification and 5 years of experience leading cross-functional teams across North America and Europe. Delivered 45 projects in under 12 months on time and significantly under budget, including a flagship cell phone launch campaign.
Graphic Designer with four years of freelance experience creating brand identities and marketing collateral for small businesses. Delivered 60+ projects for clients across retail and hospitality, including a full rebrand that helped a local café chain expand to three new locations.
Tip: No need to draw attention to short-tenure jobs in your resume - leave explanations for the interview, if asked. Short jobs are not uncommon these days (e.g. freelance, contract, restructuring, etc.), so one on its own is unlikely to be noticed. Lead entirely with your expertise, so a screener’s attention is focused on what you do, not how long you stayed.
Operations Analyst with 5 years of expertise in inventory forecasting and supply chain reporting. Built an AI-based demand-forecasting model that reduced stockouts by 28% and was subsequently adopted company-wide after a successful pilot.
Tip: Whether you’re moving from teaching into corporate training, or retail management into HR, lead with the transferable skill and name your change of direction clearly and unapologetically.
Former high school teacher pivoting into corporate training, bringing eight years of curriculum design and classroom facilitation expertise. Recent achievements include designing and leading a peer-mentorship program for 15 new teachers, slashing first-year attrition by 35%.
Before: Motivated and hardworking recent graduate seeking an entry-level marketing position where I can build my skills.
After: Marketing Communications graduate with experience running Cavendish University’s social media pages, growing followers by 41% over one semester. Focused on entry-level social / digital marketing roles applying data-driven content strategy.
Tip: Whenever possible, pull from volunteer work, coursework, or a specific project – i.e. anchor your summary to something concrete you’ve actually done.
Before: Reliable and enthusiastic individual with strong communication skills, seeking my first job in customer service.
After: Junior Customer Service Representative with experience resolving visitor questions and complaints as a front-desk volunteer at the Narnia Animal Shelter, supporting up to 150 visitors per weekend. Recently completed a customer service fundamentals course covering conflict resolution and CRM software basics.
If you’re building your first resume from little or no experience, our guide on what to do with limited work experience walks through more ways to fill this section.
Marketing Coordinator returning to work after a two-year family leave, bringing five years of prior experience managing social media and email campaigns for a well-known retail brand. Recently completed a Hootsuite Social Marketing Certification (HSMC) to stay current with campaign automation tools.
If you have a gap in your employment history and aren’t sure how to address that in your resume, our employment gaps FAQ guides you through the process.
Tip: No need to mention unemployment, lay-offs, being fired, quitting because of a toxic boss, etc. in your resume. If relevant - particularly if the employment gap is 6 months or longer - you can mention it constructively in your cover letter.
Customer Service Associate returning to the workforce after a career break, with six years of experience in resolving inquiries and complaints across phone, chat, and email channels for telecommunications customers. Consistently maintained a 95% customer satisfaction rating and regularly received praise from leadership. Recently completed a Zendesk certification to stay current with support platforms.
Before: Seasoned executive leader with a proven track record of driving organizational success.
After: Executive Director with 17 years of banking industry experience leading teams of 100+ while managing multi-million dollar budgets and driving $50M+ in annual revenue.
As mentioned earlier, but worth repeating for clarity: “About Me” is a label, not a different format.
Instead of “Summary” or “Professional Overview”, some resume templates - usually ones that are geared towards a younger or more creative crowd - call the resume introduction section “About Me”.
If your resume template uses it, write the same summary content, just in a slightly more conversational tone to reflect the template type. This is where first-person direct versus first-person implied may be suited, but only if you’re deliberately writing toward a personality-focused audience.
Some examples:
Digital Marketing Specialist who loves turning data into stories that move and excite audiences. Four years of experience running social media campaigns for consumer brands, most recently growing a TV station’s YouTube channel from 13,000 to 220,000 subscribers in 6 months. Always looking for the angle nobody else has come up with yet.
International Business graduate with a deep curiosity about tourism and intercultural communication. Spent one year managing front desk operations for a 40-room boutique hotel serving celebrities and VIPs, and implemented a digital advance arrival form that slashed check-in time by 90%, which virtually eliminated paparazzi exposure upon arrival.
I build things that people queue up to buy. I offer nine years of expertise as a designer of innovative electronic toys craved by adults and kids alike. I’m happiest when I’m the person asking “but why does it have to work that way?”
If you’ve heard your resume introduction called an “opening statement” or a “first line”, it’s the same section, just using a different name.
The 4-step summary formula applies exactly the same way - who you are, what you do, how you do it, what it produced.
Opening with a generic adjective. “Dynamic”, “motivated”, “results-driven” - I’ve read all three hundreds of times and they tell me nothing about you.
Writing in the first person (outside the summary). Job descriptions and every other section stay in first-person implied - ‘Managed team of...,’ not ‘I managed a team of...’ The summary is the one place opinions differ - and mostly when it comes to resume templates using an “About Me” label. First-person direct “About Me” sections are trending, and they can work for companies that seek personality, like innovative startups. But since you can’t always tell how a company will perceive that choice, first-person implied is the safer default.
Writing about what you want instead of what you offer. “Seeking a challenging role where I can grow” tells me very little about you (and is an objective, not a summary), and even less about the value you bring.
Resume intro sentences that could describe anyone in the field. If you could swap in a competitor’s name and it would still read true, it’s not doing its job.
Reusing the same resume introduction for every application. Tailor it to each posting’s own language to enhance your fit. Our guide to choosing the right keywords covers how (and then running your draft through a resume keyword scanner will catch any you’ve missed).
Once you’re happy with your introduction, revisit the rest of your resume to make sure everything below it supports the claims you’ve just made. Our tutorial on how to write a resume walks through each section in order.
A good resume introduction follows four parts: who you are, what you do, how you do it, and what it produced. That last part is what separates a strong introduction from a forgettable one. A specific result beats a string of generic adjectives every time.
You introduce yourself through a short block of text under your resume header, not a greeting or a “Dear recruiter” line. It’s two to four sentences stating your title, what you do, and a result that proves it. No salutation needed.
“About Me” is just a label some templates use for your summary. Write the same four-part introduction (who you are, what you do, how you do it, what it produced) in a slightly warmer, more conversational tone - especially if you’re applying to a personality-driven company such as an innovative startup.
Not in the body of your resume - job descriptions and other sections should always stay in first-person implied. The summary is the potential exception: first-person direct is trending in “About Me” sections and suits companies that value personality, like startups. For all other templates and companies, first-person-implied is the safer default.
Two sentences are good, four at most. Any longer, and it starts competing with your work history instead of pointing to it.
That’s a different document - a note introducing yourself to a new contact, not the summary section on your resume. See our guide to writing a networking or introduction letter instead.