I want to talk with you today about how to approach your resume summary. I will also be talking a lot about personal branding in this section.  If you are new to this concept, the resume summary goes “above the fold” on page 1 of your resume – after your name and contact information, before your Experience section.  Here’s what DOESN’T go in this space: an old-school objective, which tells a prospective employer what YOU want, rather than how you are uniquely qualified to provide them with what THEY need.  An objective sounds something like this: High-achieving communications professional seeking a mid-level position in public relations that utilizes skills in BLANK, BLANK, and BLANK.  I hate to break it to you, but a prospective employer does not care what YOU want.  Rather, this space should be utilized to lay out your brand differentiators – what you bring to the table that no other candidate likely will.  These brand differentiators are then followed by concrete examples that support your brand.  I see two primary problems with the resumes I look at that aren’t written by me:Either there is no branding at all, or the attempt at branding merely tells the reader that the candidate has the minimum qualifications expected of everyone they would even consider for the role.  If there is no summary or branding, the job seeker hasn’t set the stage for what is to follow in the Experience section – there’s no context for what the prospective employer is reading.  If the attempt isn’t differentiating, the job seeker has wasted valuable space above the fold when they could have provided compelling evidence that the employer MUST continue reading.  How do you know if your branding is differentiating? By looking at what you have with an objective eye. As you read each component, are you merely stating what EVERY candidate should have – or what is unique to you?  The mistake many people make in attempting to brand themselves is to try to appeal to everyone – this is not the purpose. Rather, an effective branding statement will have an immediate polarizing effect – a prospective employer will either know this is not the person for them - or they will be highly interested in speaking with this candidate.   Three Great Examples Remember: The goal here is differentiating and attention-grabbing. Here are three examples from my clients: Transformational Leader, Creative Operations Change Management | Integrated Team Leadership | Content Champion Bringing best practices in content creation and creative production from a wide range of B2B, B2C, and D2C experience spanning financial services, food & beverage, CPG, retail, luxury automotive, OTC pharma, and online media. Global leadership experience includes onshore and offshore teams spanning U.S., Canada, China, and Italy. This is then followed by:  Leadership Highlights: ¨   Increased production capacity by as much as 52% ¨   Generated savings by as much as 50% on contracts  ¨   Reduced expenses by as much as 49% Proven Record of Success in:  ¨   Restructuring creative departments and workflows, achieving greater productivity and efficiency ¨   Negotiating contracts and developing vendor relationships that slash costs and minimize financial, operational, and legal risk  ¨   Optimizing in-house utilization and external resources by creating transparency around demand  From 2021: Chief Human Resource Officer Delivering an executive presence, coupled with a data-driven decision process and willingness to engage in tough conversations Senior HR professional with an exceptional record of improving employee engagement and retention in the high-turnover field of healthcare through a combination of building strategic relationships, gathering data directly from front-line workers, and restructuring hiring, on-boarding, and compensation processes.  Representative Achievements:  »       Transformed perception of HR into a true business partner in support of organizational leadership with an optimal blend