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Job Interviews & Careers vocabulary · CVs & Cover Letters

Professional summary

Meaning in job interviews & careers, with examples

nounCommon term

In job interviews & careers, professional summary means: A short paragraph at the top of a CV that sums up who you are professionally, your main experience and what you can offer.

In Turkish: profesyonel özet, profil özeti, kariyer özeti

How it is used

Usually three to five lines long. It may also be called a profile, a personal profile or, in the UK, a personal statement. Older CVs often had a 'career objective' instead, which focused on what the candidate wanted.

Example sentences

  1. My professional summary says I'm a marketing specialist with six years' experience in e-commerce.

  2. The recruiter told me she only read my professional summary before calling me.

Common collocations

  • write a professional summary
  • CV professional summary
  • short professional summary
  • CVA document that lists your education, work experience and skills, which you send to an employer when you apply for a job. It is short for curriculum vitae.
  • resumeA short summary of your education, work history and skills that you send to employers, usually one page long. This is the usual American word for a CV.
  • tell me about yourselfA common opening request in which the interviewer asks for a short summary of your background, experience and reasons for applying.
  • LinkedIn profileYour personal page on LinkedIn, the professional networking site, showing your photo, headline, experience, skills and education.

More terms: CVs & Cover Letters

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