The summary at the top of your resume is the first thing a recruiter reads and the most commonly wasted. Most are a fog of adjectives, "results-driven leader passionate about excellence." That tells a recruiter nothing and burns your best six seconds.
A summary that works has three jobs, in three lines:
Line 1, position. Who you are in market terms: function, level, and domain. "Customer Success leader, Director level, B2B SaaS." This tells the recruiter immediately whether you fit the role they're filling.
Line 2, proof. Your strongest one or two quantified outcomes. "Scaled net retention from 87% to 109% across a 400-account book; built the CS playbook still in use." Numbers, scope, specificity.
Line 3, direction. What you're aiming at and what's distinctive in how you work. "Now focused on leading post-sale orgs through the shift to retention-led growth."
What to cut: "passionate," "results-driven," "proven track record," "team player," and every other adjective a recruiter has read ten thousand times. They add no information and signal a generic candidate.
The test: a recruiter should be able to read your three lines and know your level, your proof, and your target, in under ten seconds. If they can't, rewrite it.
— Dr. Hosney Adel