Write About Your Professional Background So You Stand Out

If you want to progress and excel professionally and are interested in learning about how to do that, we can help. Knowing how to properly include a professional background section on your application for jobs, school programs, and more will make your resume stand out. 

Hiring managers are looking for a thorough description of your past and want to find out what you have done to qualify you for their job. Taking the time to create a professional background section will help your resume stand out from the crowd. 

This article will tell you everything you need to know about creating a professional background, whether it is for students, a job application, a fellowship, or more. 

When interviewing for a job, one of the first questions you are likely to be asked is, “tell me about your professional background?” You need to have a solid answer to this question to impress your hiring manager and land the position. 

If you are asked to please describe your professional background (sample), you can simply reiterate what you have compiled for your background summary. This will highlight everything important and relevant that you need to share. 

Your professional background summary is a section on your resume that will tell the person interviewing you about where you have worked in the past, how you performed at your previous jobs, and your primary duties and achievements at each place. 

This section is made to show a hiring manager why you are the perfect candidate. You can show your relevant work experience, your volunteer work, your wide range of knowledge, your ability to stick with companies for long periods, and more. 

Having a solid background summary will show your employer that you can organize information well, explain your value clearly, and display your achievements in an impressive and easy-to-understand way.

Your professional background summary needs to show where you worked, how long you worked, and relevant information about each job you held. Here is a list of information to include in your professional background description: 

• Where You Worked – The first thing you want to mention is the company that you worked for. 
• Position Held – Next, you want to mention what precisely you did for the company.
• Dates You Worked – Next name when you started the job and how long you worked there for. 
• Your Duties– Describe what you did at your job, including your primary duties and who reported to you.
• Training and Certifications – Describe what training you had to go through or what certificates you had to receive to get the job.
• Achievements – Describe any awards, promotions, accomplishments, or recognitions you received while at that job.

It is best to keep your professional background section brief and only include the most crucial information. You do not want to overload this section because it will turn employers off and deter them from even reading it. 

You can either put your professional background in chronological order, showing where you worked most recently, and so on. You can also organize it so that you highlight the most relevant and important positions you have held related to the job you are applying for. 

Whether you are writing a professional background for students or a professional background for a job, there are a few things to remember while writing it.

Consider who will be reading your resume and what the position is that you are applying for. Be professional and try to cater specifically to that reader. Leave off details that do not pertain to the job you are applying for. Aim to be concise.

For many people, bragging about themselves is not comfortable. However, this is the time to do so. You want to show the hiring professionals how incredible you are. Talk about the most successful projects you have completed, the promotions and awards you’ve gotten, and anything else that you feel makes you exceptional. 

As you write your resume, ask your friends, family, past coworkers, and old bosses for help. Ask them what they thought you did best at your job. Ask them what they think you can work on. Ask them what they think your strengths are and what projects you did best. 

Getting an idea of what other people saw in you is a great way to really understand your workplace strengths and discover what you can improve on. Additionally, once you have drafted your resume, ask friends and family to help review it and send you feedback. If you do ask for feedback, take it as a suggestion and use it to make your best judgment moving forward.

You want to try and include your professional background at the top of your document so that hirings managers see it quickly and can easily notice you will be a good candidate. Put it below your contact information and objective if you chose to include one. 

If you are a student applying for a school or a related role, you may want to put your list of prior education above your professional background or intertwine them into one section. 

Here are links to some professional background samples to give you an idea of how you should be constructing your work history section on your resume. 

• Professional background sample for students
• Sample professional background 
• Describe your professional background – Sample templates

Finally, found your dream job? Now all you have to do is make yourself stand out from the crowd with your well-constructed resume. Having the perfect professional background section can make you look like an ideal candidate, even if you do not have an extensive work history. It is all about highlighting what is important, bragging about your achievements, and organizing it all professionally and impressively.