How to write a CV headline and summary that gets read
The first six lines decide whether the rest of your CV is read. How to write a headline and a summary for a CV in Nepal, with weak and strong examples.
26 September 20262 min read
An employer decides in seconds whether to keep reading. That decision is made on your headline and the three lines under it.
The headline
One line, directly under your name. It needs three things: what you are, how long, and what with.
Weak: "Seeking a challenging position in a reputed organisation"
Strong: "Accountant · 4 years · Tally, Excel, VAT and TDS filing"
Weak: "Fresh graduate looking for opportunities"
Strong: "BBA graduate · Digital marketing · Meta Ads, Canva, content writing"
Weak: "Hardworking driver"
Strong: "Light and heavy vehicle driver · 6 years · Kathmandu–Pokhara routes"
The strong version is also what employers search by, so it makes you findable as well as readable.
The summary
Three or four lines, in plain sentences, answering:
What you do now, and for how long.
One or two things you are genuinely good at, with proof.
What you are looking for next.
Do not write "team player with excellent communication skills". Everyone writes that, so it reads as empty.
An example that works
Accountant with four years in trading firms in Kathmandu. Handle monthly VAT and TDS filing end to end, including the IRD portal, for a company processing 200+ invoices a month. Comfortable in Tally and Excel, including reconciliation and inventory entry. Looking for a senior accounts role where I can take on audit preparation.
Specific, checkable, and short enough to read.
Frequently asked questions
What is a CV headline?
One line under your name giving your job title, years of experience and main tools, so an employer knows what you are in two seconds.
What should a CV summary say?
What you do now, one or two things you are good at with proof, and what you want next. Three or four lines.
Should I write a career objective?
Only in the modern form: a summary that says what you offer, not a sentence about what you hope to gain.
Does the headline matter for search?
Yes. Employers search profiles by job title and tools, so the words in your headline decide whether you appear.
Build it without typing it twice
Alwass has a free CV maker built into your free account. Upload your old CV as a PDF and AI fills in the empty parts of your profile for you to check, or type it in once and download a clean PDF whenever you need it. Employers searching for people read the same profile, so one piece of work does two jobs.
Create your free account, then open My CV.