Function of the statement is to frame yourself in terms of how you wish to be seen, beyond the obvious facts of your experience.
The statement serves as a summary of your background and strengths.
By taking the functional format, but condensing it into a tight statement summarizing the strengths of an individual and attaching it to a chronological resume that stresses results and accomplishments, the best of both styles can be maintained.
Since it is designed to sell your most marketable abilities and experiences, the statement must catch and hold the reader’s attention or it will be skipped.
Write your qualifications section last. Once you have the employment section completed you will know better what needs to be included in your qualifications statement.
The length of your qualifications sections will depend on the strength of your resume. If you have a strong background that is well demonstrated by education and employment, include a brief qualifications statement so the reader can quickly get to the heart of the resume. Career changers or those with weaker backgrounds usually will need longer qualifications sections. If you are seeking to break into a new field, qualifications statements are usually the best vehicle for bringing in related experiences and selling your potential to an employer.
Begin writing your statement by listing the strengths and assets that you want to share with an employer.
Make sure that you can verify anything you say.
Key Items for Inclusion
Cite number of years of experience
Cite type of experience, such as “direct,” “related,” “diversified,” “increasingly more responsible,” “business,” “contributed services,” “avocational,” “intern,” etc.
Cite key skills and tasks that constitute themes in your qualifying experience and that support your objective
Cite specialized studies, if applicable, referencing details later in the education category
Optional Items for Inclusion: Cite relevant attitudes and personality traits that contribute to your superior performance.
For Example:
Commitment to carefully checking details to support product quality.
A leader in managing change and providing personal support in adapting to related stresses and challenges.
Summary of Qualifications Examples:
Qualifications Summary
A management professional with 5 years of strategic planning of sales and marketing activities. Expertise in market and competitive analysis and commercialization of new products. An effective combination of analytical and interpersonal skills has lead to increased responsibility and professional growth.
Qualified By
Five years of corporate experience using analytical, planning, organizational and computer skills to track financial activity, administer salary planning, and audit expense accounts.
Performance oriented manager, driven by goals, time frames and quantifiable benchmarks
Summary of Qualifications:
Over 15 years of progressively responsible experience in non-profit administration. Extensive experience in budgeting, program planning and management, development of funding proposals, hiring, training, and supervising professional and support staffs, evaluation of vendors for contracting out-of-services, negotiation of contracts, review of performance to insure compliance with program goals, management and operational auditing, preparing management and financial reports. Chaired a coalition that consisted of 49 employment and training agencies.
Professional Profile
Approximately 10 years of experience in computers and telecommunications which has involved supervising a corporate telecommunication department, conducting corporate traffic studies and making equipment purchasing recommendations. Broad familiarity with microcomputer equipment. Developed applications for MS / DOS, helped integrate CP/M system with hard disk. Experience with Xerox 860 & 850, Sidereal Micro net 8 & 6, and Group I through IV fax equipment.
Final Thoughts
Summarize the most important skills, experience and personality traits you have to offer a prospective employer. For maximum impact, it should be tailored to the specific job you seek. Before you begin writing your qualifications, determine what you most want an employer to know about you.