Writing a Compelling Qualifications Summary for Your Resume

You have different options in terms of how you kick off your resume to grab the attention of prospective employers and help you land interviews. One of those options is a qualifications summary. 

If you choose to include a summary of qualifications on your resume, you want to ensure it’s written in such a way that it grabs an employer’s attention. In this post, we cover:

• What is a qualifications summary?

• Why include a qualifications summary on your resume?

• What’s the difference between a resume summary and a qualifications summary?

• Under what circumstances should you include a qualifications summary?

• How do you format a qualifications summary?

• Tips to write a resume qualifications statement

• Qualifications summary template

• Qualification summary for resume examples

What is a qualifications summary?

A summary of qualifications concisely represents your key skills, achievements, and experience. Unlike other required resume sections, a qualifications summary is optional, though it can be an excellent way to show hiring managers you’re a viable candidate for the job. It’s generally placed at the top of your resume, just below your contact information and includes your top qualifications for the position. 

Why include a qualifications summary on your resume?

We know recruiters and hiring managers only spend seconds on a resume before deciding if they want to learn more. A strategic summary of qualifications allows resume readers to quickly assess whether you’d be a good fit for the job based on the first round of screening criteria. This increases your chances of landing in the “yes” pile vs. your resume going into the trash, assuming you’ve included the best information possible with the proper formatting. 

What’s the difference between a resume summary and a qualifications summary?

Many confuse a qualifications summary with a resume summary. The confusion is understandable since a qualifications summary and a resume summary are both essentially a summary of your qualifications. However, how they're written differs, and what they include can also vary slightly. 

A resume summary is three to five brief sentences that highlight your key skills, education, and experience that align with the job description. It's written in paragraph form and placed at the top of your resume, just below your contact information. A resume summary should include at least one key accomplishment and three to five skills from your relevant work experiences. For more information about writing a resume summary with examples, refer to “30 Resume Summary Examples that Work in 2024.”

A qualifications summary also summarizes your key skills, education, and expertise, primarily focusing on the critical qualifications required for the job. The goal is to highlight a diverse range of examples to showcase your abilities and skills. You do this using a bullet-point list with three to seven direct and concise statements. These statements provide room for a few more details front and center on your resume compared to a resume summary. As discussed in more detail later, a qualifications summary includes at least two key accomplishments and relevant skills. It can also include awards, education, and more. 

Under what circumstances should you include a qualifications summary?

Now that you know you have options to kick your resume off with a bang, like a resume summary and qualifications summary, which should you choose? Great question.

You might opt for a qualifications summary if you fall under any of these scenarios:

Using a qualifications summary is also a personal choice. If, for some reason, you believe that a summary of qualifications stands out better or adds more value to your resume than a resume summary, that's ok, too. Or, if you're on the fence, you can also seek guidance from an expert resume writer. 

How do you format a qualifications summary?

A bulleted list is the standard formatting for a qualifications summary. Each bullet should include a significant detail or qualification, like a certification, skill, accomplishment, or project. At most, one to two lines should be used for each bullet, and you don't need to use complete sentences.

Tips to write a resume qualifications summary

So, how do you craft a stellar summary of qualifications to land interviews? Consider the following strategies to help.

Select the right qualifications

The first step in crafting your qualifications summary is selecting which items you’ll include. To do this, first review the job descriptions and make note of the required qualifications - skills, education, experience - that you have. From there, make a list of your achievements, awards, education, and anything else that you might want to include on your resume that’s relevant to the job and highlights your uniqueness. It’s from this list that you’ll pull items to include in your summary of qualifications. 

As you develop your list of three to seven items to incorporate, you’ll want your final list to be a combination of:

• A description of your overall expertise and years of experience.

• Relevant skills and abilities.

• Pertinent awards.

• Relevant education, certifications, and training.

• At least two top work accomplishments using quantifiable data, when possible, as discussed in the next section. At a minimum, you should include the results achieved from the actions you took. 

Use numbers

It’s one thing to say you did something, and it’s another to actually show what you did with results. As with your Work Experience section that outlines your historical achievements and accomplishments, you want to use as much quantifiable data as possible when crafting your qualifications summary. 

Results backed by data show the value you added in the past and the value you have the potential to add in the future. Include numbers that indicate things like how many you led on a team, the percent increase you achieved for a particular result, the dollar amount saved through an activity, the value of a project, the level of the budget you worked with, and so on.

Begin each achievement with power verbs

Use powerful action verbs to begin your qualification statements that outline achievements. Power verbs, like created, designed, and led, speak to resume readers and showcase your confidence. 

Examples of power verbs include:

For an extensive list of power verb examples, refer to “101 Resume Power Verbs.”

Incorporate keywords

Keywords are beneficial to include in your summary statement for two primary reasons:

1. They help to increase your relevance to an employer’s ATS, or applicant tracking system, meaning it’s more likely to actually land in the hands of a human reader.

2. They grab the attention of human readers since the keywords you use should align with key job requirements.

To identify keywords to incorporate in your qualifications summary:

• Refer to the job description and highlight the necessary qualifications. Include some of the ones you align with in your qualifications summary. 

• Consider industry lingo that might make sense to include. When using acronyms, use both the abbreviation and the spelled-out word. 
  

Be active vs. passive

It’s generally better to use active vs passive language for any type of writing, and the same holds true for your resume. Active voice speaks to what you do, is direct, and clearly highlights your accomplishments. Using a passive voice tends to speak to what happens to you, is indirect, and comes across as weaker than the active voice in terms of accomplishments. Here are a couple of examples of each:

Example 1

Active Voice: Reduced costs by 18% over six quarters

Passive Voice: Costs were reduced by 18% over six quarters

Example 2

Active Voice: Led team of 10 HR Trainers and achieved 10% increase in training engagement within six months

Passive Voice: A 10% increase in training engagement was achieved within six months while leading a team of 10 HR Trainers

In each example, both sentences convey the same information, but which ones sound more powerful and “active?” The active voice examples include clearer, more concise language and stronger verbs. 

Include what makes you unique

 As you craft your qualifications summary, ensure you incorporate factors that highlight the unique career history and achievements you bring to the job. For example, if you were a teacher, instead of saying something like you’re a “dedicated teacher with five years of experience,” say something like, “Five years of experience educating over 1000 students with a combined 22% increase in standardized test scores in English and Math.” 

In this example, anyone can be a dedicated teacher with experience, but only the individual submitting the resume has the ability to lead and educate 1000 students to achieve a 22% increase in test scores. 

Qualification Summary for resume sample template

Below is a qualifications summary template to guide your list development. You’ll want to begin your list with a description of your expertise, followed by any of the following items listed in the template. Aside from including a description of your expertise and listing at least two accomplishments with the results you achieved, the rest are optional. It’s up to you to determine what is relevant and will speak most to the hiring team based on the guidelines provided above. We also have qualification summary examples to help guide you in the next section.

Qualification Summary for resume examples

Below are some qualification summary examples to help you get creative and craft your own. 

Example 1: HR Generalist 

• Eight years of experience in HR operations enhancing employee relations and compensation design

• Master of HR in Human Resources and Industrial Relations

• SHRM-CP and PHR certifications

• Spearheaded and launched new performance appraisal program, resulting in a quicker turnaround time and 15% improvement in satisfaction ratings

• Designed and presented 10 monthly employee reports for executive team focused on employee retention, recruitment, morale, and career development

Example 2: Sales Representative

• Seven years of high sales experience in regional B2B sales for IT sector

• Certified Sales Development Representative

• Led region in corporate software package sales by 9% over a 12-month period

• Landed the two highest-value accounts, increasing company’s revenue by 17%

• Managed portfolio of 76 software clients, holding a 95% client satisfaction rating

• Elected Sales Representative of the year for two years in a row

Example 3: Communications Manager

• 10 years experience navigating organizations’ internal and external communications challenges, presenting innovative solutions for brand growth and awareness

• Launched first sales funnel for organization, generating a 33% increase in leads over a 5-month period

• Managed team of 7 to support marketing department’s communications efforts

• Corporate Communications Certification from University of Kansas

Example 4: Qualifications summary for students and recent college grads

• Graduated with a Bachelors in Counseling, earning a 3.9 GPA

• Administered over 50 clinical assessments and counseled 20 young adults under supervision during behavioral health internship 

• Secretary of Alpha Chi Omega sorority

A qualifications summary can add value

Depending on your circumstances, as noted above, including a qualifications summary on your resume might add that final boost you need to land those sought-after interviews. Use the tips and guidance found here, along with the many examples provided, to help you craft a qualification summary that grabs the attention of hiring managers.

Wondering if a qualifications summary is right for your resume? Or are you unsure if your current resume has all the necessary elements? Why not submit it for a free resume review?

Recommended reading:

• How to Tailor Your Resume to Different Positions

• 19 Essential Skills for Resume: Examples Included

• Email Subject Lines for a Job Application (Examples + Tips)