BUSN449 WEEK 5 DISCUSSION

Consider the Executive Summary as the Abstract for your portfolio. It may be the focal point during your employment review. Discuss how to prepare the Executive Summary. What are the important items to include in your summary? Are there any items you should not include in the summary?

Executive summary is a way to bundle hard hitting information about yourself in brief format that leaves an impact on the reader. Part of the reason for this summary is to summarize your resume in a way that after reading it employers should have a decent idea of who you are and what you are capable of. This going to basically be your elevator pitch for yourself. Things you should not add on to your executive summary would be anything that does not add value to the reader such as personal information. As I mentioned earlier this is your sales pitch, if an employer likes your pitch they will ask for personal information. Things that also shouldn’t be on the summary would be anything that might hurt your reputation or would be frowned upon by others. No need to highlight that time you hacked into the schools database to change your grade, might just want to mention you are really good at finding holes in company’s firewalls.

Executive summary is a short document that summarizes the important details or key points of the portfolio, which gives the employers a brief knowledge about the content of the whole portfolio. The good thing about the executive summary is that it highlights the applicants' credentials and works that make them attractive and competitive in the application process (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). It enables them to get a good impression from their prospect employers. This is why it is very important that applicants or students make sure that their executive summaries are clear, understandable, and well written.

To prepare the executive summary, the first thing to do is to review the whole portfolio to determine the key points that must be highlighted in the summary ("Writing an executive summary," n.d.). It is very important that applicants or students focus on the relevant details and must stick with conciseness as executive summaries tend to be short and brief. After reviewing the key points, construct the purpose and the scope of the portfolio, followed by the major points and a brief background that could showcase your capabilities, experiences, and advantages. Then proofread the content to check its quality and if it perceives impact ("Writing an executive summary," n.d.). Executive summaries should be appealing because the more it attracts and gets the interest of the employer, the higher the chance is to proceed in the next step of the application process.

The executive summary must include the purpose of the portfolio, relevant works and achievements of the applicant, experiences and certifications, and skills and strengths. It is also important to briefly discuss why you are a good candidate for the open position because that is the reason why you are applying to them (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). When it comes to the items that must not be included in the summary, applicants should avoid putting personal information like address and contact information because they are not relevant to the summary. Also, avoid using clichés or buzz words because this may lose the interest of the employer in reading the whole portfolio (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). Any inappropriate content on the executive summary may reflect or impact the entire portfolio.

References

Indeed Editorial Team. (2021, December 9). How to write an executive summary on a resume. Indeed. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/executive-summary-on-resume

Writing an executive summary. (n.d.). UAGC Writing Center. Retrieved from https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/writing-executive-summary