How to write a CV profile summary, with examples
The short profile at the top of your CV tells a recruiter who you are in seconds. A simple formula and examples for different roles.
What a profile is for
The profile, or summary, is the short paragraph under your name. A recruiter reads it first, so it should answer three questions quickly: who are you, what are you good at, and what do you want next?
A simple formula
- Sentence 1: your current role or degree, and your field.
- Sentence 2: your strongest skills or results, with a number if possible.
- Sentence 3: the role you want and what you will bring to it.
Keep it between two and four sentences, written without "I". Aim for 50 to 90 words.
Examples
Fresh graduate, business: "BBA graduate with a major in marketing and an eight-week internship in FMCG trade marketing. Comfortable with Excel, field visits and customer surveys. Looking to join a management trainee programme in sales or marketing."
Software engineer: "Junior software engineer with one year of experience building web applications in React and Node.js. Shipped features used by thousands of monthly users and cut page load times by 30%. Seeking a full-stack role in a product team."
Teacher: "Mathematics teacher with four years of O and A Level experience. Known for clear explanations and steady results, with most students achieving A or B grades. Looking for a senior teaching role with exam responsibility."
Banking: "Customer services officer with three years of branch banking experience in account opening, remittances and customer queries. Consistently met cross-selling targets. Seeking a relationship manager role."
Mistakes to avoid
- Vague words with no evidence: hardworking, passionate, dynamic.
- Talking only about what you want from the employer.
- Copying the same profile into every application.
- Writing more than five lines.
Tailor it every time
Change a few words for each job: use the job title from the advert and put the most relevant skill first. The CVfor99 editor checks your profile length and offers example profiles for different roles that you can adapt.