How to write a resume profile

Many people who have a good resume do not pay enough attention to their personal profile. Sure, if you don’t have the proper experience or qualifications for the job you’re trying to get, your resume profile won’t make much of a difference. However, if you are trying to get your first job, or have similar qualifications to the other candidates, your personal profile can make you stand out and help you a lot to succeed in that important interview. Read on to find out how to build a successful personal profile.

What is a profile on a resume?

The profile of a resume is a personal section to give an idea to the reader about your personality and your values ​​as a person. Generally, a profile is a summary of things about you and your life, but different from a mini-biography. No prospective employer wants a deep analysis of your psychological construction. A successful profile provides the reader with some clear clues about your identity. This should also mention possible conversation topics for when the interview reaches the “get to know you a little more” stage.

Think of a successful personal profile as an opportunity to showcase some of your strengths that will help you create a good first image of yourself in the eyes of the reader. However, you should not give the impression that you are selling yourself too much, if it seems exaggerated it will make you look arrogant, or they will soon discover that it is false during the interview.

What to put in profile section of resume

There are three main elements that you must put in your profile. First of all, it will be very positive that you put some personal characteristics that do not have to appear again in the rest of the resume. A good example would be saying that you are a self-motivated person or that you have a passion for details. Everyone can say this kind of thing about themselves, so make sure you give at least one example where it is evident that you have this characteristic, either from your personal or professional life. For example, you could say that you like to work in a team since you have been successful in teams with other professionals in the past, or that you were an important and valued member of your local sports club.

Second, you should mention some of your skills. Some of these will be indicated by their name, such as that you are a skilled driver when you have already put it in your resume that you have a professional driving license. Use the personal profile to mention other skills that you have apart from the professional and main ones. Finally, your profile should mention any experience you have related to work. It doesn’t matter that you’re open to many different areas of work, mentioning work experiences with transferable skills is ideal. Talk about your past, explain past successes or recommendations to make a good impression!

Tips for writing a resume profile

Read your personal profile out loud. You are selling to an employer in these first few lines of your resume. Be as specific as possible. You can just specify something like you have excellent writing skills, however, the employer will be much more impressed if you can claim that you write for a school magazine or blog with thousands of readers, for example.

Use a checklist. With your personal profile you should be able to answer at least the following questions:

  1. Who am I and what do I want to do?
  2. What qualities and skills do I have that will make me successful in this position?
  3. What are my ambitions and what is my vision for personal development in this role?

Mistakes to avoid when writing a personal profile

  • Write a too generic profile with characteristics that can fit in with any other candidate. The word personal is used for a reason; the statements/characteristics you put in must be specific and not interchangeable.
  • Spelling and grammatical errors. You don’t want any misspellings or grammatical errors in your resume, but especially not in the first few lines! If this is something that is not easy for you, you can ask a friend to help you correct it.
  • Use bullet points (to create lists) or keywords. You must write entire sentences. Notes or bullet points (lists) will do their job in other parts of your resume, but not in your personal description.
  • Use many words that say little. The ornate language is frowned upon.
  • Focus solely on job requirements. This can make you stand out.Recruiters will indeed see that you have the fundamental skills, but you have to give them a little more additional information. Make sure to write at least one item that other candidates don’t have.
  • Mix first and third person. Either one is fine, just make sure you don’t use them at the same time.
  • Do not invent things about yourself or say things that may contradict elements that you have put in the rest of the resume.

What should I not put on my resume profile?

You should not include any information that already appears elsewhere on your resume. If you do, you are merely repeating information and this will make your profile look weak – as if you have little to explain. Focus on your extra skills and not those that are spelled out in the main section of the resume.

It’s okay to explain things that have some implication in your work life, as well as your personal circumstances – like your family situation, for example – but keep these to a minimum. Nobody wants to read a summary of your personal life. The important thing is to show at a glance how and who you are.

Avoid jokes and personal opinions. Although this can happen in interviews and can help you win over other candidates, avoid them in the resume, they are not for professional profiles. Another thing to avoid is negativity. Your profile should give a “high” and generate a favorable first impression, the same as you would want on a first date. Don’t include your personal details either. These should normally be located at the top of the resume.

How long should my profile be?

Once you know what to put and what not to put in your profile, you should think about what its extension will be. There is no exact science, since everyone is different, and therefore each person will want/need to include a different amount of information. A good strategy is to think of a text between 6 and 8 lines in length, with normal font size. This would mean no more than 120 words, ideally a little less.

Without a doubt, the more experience and skills you have acquired during your professional career, the more you want to include. In this case, try to select the most relevant information so as not to overload the reader with information about you. If you’re just starting in your professional career, you may not have much to say about yourself yet. If you are in this situation, focus on personal characteristics rather than your experiences, such as mentioning your ease of dealing with people, giving one or two real examples.

Where to put your profile on the resume?

In these times it is well established that your profile should go on the first page of your resume, near the top. In most cases, resumes begin with your name, address, and contact information, such as your phone number and email address. Your personal profile should follow this, followed by a summary of your personal achievements, details about your education, professional qualifications, and work history. Therefore, your personal profile is in the first sections of your resume, this is something crucial.

Despite the importance of placing your profile in the expected area, some readers may skip it and only return to it once they have read the other sections. However, don’t be tempted to put your personal profile at the end of your resume. This will only make it difficult for readers to find it and give a feeling of confusion and clutter. Potential employers often have hundreds of resumes to review, so you must maintain this structure.