Qualification Summary: Is It Enough?

A summary of qualifications can indeed be used if you don’t yet have extensive professional experience in your desired career. In Business Communication Essentials: A Skills-Based Approach, Courtlan Bovée and John Thill state that “if you have a reasonably focused skill set but don’t yet have a long career history, a qualifications summary is probably the best type of introductory statement for you” (366). Even though you may not have extensive professional experience in your desired career, a summary of qualifications can certainly highlight your abilities and make you a considerable candidate. 

Qualification summaries can be tailored to help boost your chances of getting an interview, because “the goal is to let a reader know within a few seconds what you can deliver” (Bovée and Thill 366). Like extensive professional experiences in a desired career, a summary of qualifications can showcase the same ideas, and that is to show employers your capabilities. Bovée and Thill also mention that “if you have one dominant qualification, you can use that as a title,” to further highlight your “educational preparedness” (366). 

Of course having a background of extensive professional experience in your desired career can place you at an extremely favorable end, but don’t feel discouraged if you haven’t yet received such experiences. Take advantage of the qualifications summary in your resume to produce honest qualifications that will encourage employers to seriously consider you as a candidate. And be sure to showcase your passion/dedication in the field to help further increase your chances.

Works Cited

Bovée, Courtlan and Thill John. Communication Essentials: A Skills-Based Approach. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., 2014. Print.