How long should a resume summary be?

Aim for three to five lines, or roughly 40 to 80 words. That is long enough to state your role, your experience and two or three strengths, and short enough to read at a glance.

Signs your summary is too long:

• It runs past five lines on the page.
• It lists duties that already appear in your experience section.
• It contains more than one or two adjectives about your personality.

Signs it is too short:

• It is a single vague line such as "Hard-working professional seeking growth".
• It does not say what job you do or what field you work in.

Senior candidates sometimes write a slightly longer summary, but even then a tight five lines usually works better than a block of text. If you have more to say, move it into your experience bullets or a key achievements list.