Kylie Farmer 
January 04, 2022
Career Guide ArticleYour resume is your future employer’s first impression of you. Sure, you want to show you are professional, but you also want your personality to shine through. “Your resume is you on paper,” said Lexie Lee, lead counselor at the Texas Tech University Career Center.
If your resume is a representation of yourself, how can you show your personality in such a professional document? We spoke to three career professionals in the US and Canada to answer just that. Here are their tips on how to feature both your professional experience and personality on your resume.
All of these career professionals agreed that the structure of your document is a great opportunity to personalize your resume to reflect your experiences. Think about how you spend your time outside of school and work. Activities like volunteer work, hobbies, certifications, and accomplishments are all section titles that can be added to a resume. Another way to find a structure that fits your resume needs is to look at the types of professional experiences you want to list.
“If a student is applying to law school,” Lee said, “she might only list her sales experience and then expand upon her time working at a law firm, because that’s more relevant for her.” Traditionally, entry-level jobs teach job candidates about customer service, sales, and teamwork, and are worth mentioning, but those positions should not overshadow more relevant experiences.
The classes and projects you have completed are unique to you and are worth sharing to employers, especially if you gained skills that an employer is looking for. “Let’s take knowing Excel for example,” Lee said. “If you learned Excel in school and haven’t used it professionally yet, maybe we add relevant projects and classes under education, because you might not have the chance to add that under experience.”
Additionally, many college and university campuses have career services available to students free of cost. These campus staff are specifically trained to help you with all parts of the job search and have seen an abundance of resumes. Take advantage of these experts – especially while it’s free!
The impact of your resume does not have to end with your single page of experiences. Margaret Heard, career advisor at Conestoga College recommends adding the URL of your LinkedIn profile or digital portfolio to the header of your resume. This gives an employer the chance to match your name to your face and browse an in-depth listing of your work and achievements.
“Both types of tools give you the opportunity to be more narrative and creative in the presentation of yourself, your experiences and what drives you,” Heard explained. “Uploading files, videos and pictures can further support the story you are presenting.” Fikrija Skarep, a Canada-based career professional, adds that supplementing your resume with a cover letter is another opportunity to add more of your personality to your first impression. “I once submitted a poem as a cover letter when I applied to a company with a very creative and relaxed environment,” Skarep said. “While that is an extreme example, it shows that you do get to be more creative in how you present yourself in the cover letter.” Since a cover letter is more conversational, you can give an employer their first glance into how you will interact in the interview and as their employee.
Employers are typically more interested in what you can do for their company than what you want to gain from them, so use a profile statement to share that with them. “If you are using a profle statement category,” said Heard, “you can incorporate part of your mission statement and/or values into that area.” Profile statements let your resume’s audience know a lot about you right off the bat, but Skarep warns about making it all about you. “Keep in mind that the resume should not talk about what you want, but what’s in it for the employer,” Skarep said. “That is why you should stay away from the outdated objectives that say that you are looking for a position to grow your skills, to advance your career. Tell the employer what you are bringing to them instead.” The profile statement is your chance to sell yourself. Let your future employer know how you can bring your purpose, passions and skills to fulfill their mission by adding this section to your resume.
While your resume should look personalized to you, you should always keep it easy-to-read and purposeful in design. To be intentional about design, first consider your industry and job position. “As in everything—read the room,” Skarep said. “Depending on the type of position you are applying for or the type of company receiving your resume, your resume should or should not be more creative than usual.” Lee explained that being intentional about the design of your resume requires you to have a reasoning behind your design choices. “Have it for a reason,” Lee said. “Maybe it’s your favorite color, or it matches the colors of Texas Tech and you’re a Tech grad, or this follows the design of the company you’re applying for. You want it to be intentional. Don’t just say ‘I’m going to add color because I want to.’” Even if your industry does not give you a lot of room for creativity, Skarep described how you can use color to create a sense of familiarity and connect with the individual reading your resume. “One of the easy ways to decide on the colors to use is to look at the company’s logo or a color scheme,” Skarep said. “If their colors are blue and white, use dark blue for your headings, it will seem familiar but not overly obvious. Just be sure to avoid bright colors and keep high contrast between the text and the background.” A professional resume should not leave you choosing between design and content, but basic design elements will allow you to represent yourself beyond your word choice.
When drafting your resume descriptions, Lee said to sit down and ask yourself, “How did I add value in this position?” Then, choose wording that represents the value you brought. Often, if a previous employer or advisor saw value in your contributions, the employer reading your resume will too. The following sections dive deeper into choosing words that reflect you.
Accomplishments are a personal element to be proud of. More than likely, no one has achieved the same set of achievements as you. Not only are accomplishments very personal, but incorporating them into your resume is a way to elevate the descriptions of your professional experiences. “Don’t just list the duties you were tasked with,” Skarep said. “List the accomplishments and results.” One example of this format is “exceeded sales target by 60% in October, resulting in the Weekly Sales Champion award.” Like in the above example, Lee said putting a number in your descriptions shows employers the exact impact and value of your accomplishments. You can quantify the number of interactions you have, number of projects you manage, percentage of growth – really, any element of your previous positions. Numbers define your accomplishments and also give your reader a visual break from words.
Accomplishments are an essential part of showing how great you are!
Lee recommends using the combination of an action verb, example, and result in each of your bullet points. Even when using an outline like this, you have the freedom to choose words that sound like you. “You don’t want to just copy and paste the job description, because anyone can do that,” Lee said. However, using singular keywords and short, key phrases can make it easier for employers and Applicant Tracking systems to see that you are qualified for the position. When it is appropriate, follow action verbs with keywords, which Skarep said can be found by highlighting recurring words in the job posting. Keeping these keywords short allows you more room to use language that sounds like you. “Avoid trying to stack your statements with keywords that feel awkward or forced,” Heard said. “Also avoid using what feels like a generic description of a job duty with no refection of how you approach things.”
Resumes use many keywords and action verbs that are not commonly used in everyday speech. Though the tone of resumes is more formal than what you use every day, you still want your resume language to sound like you. “In crafting your phrases, use language that you are comfortable with and is also industry appropriate,” Heard said. “For example, don’t try to use ‘million-dollar words’ that feel forced or get used in the wrong context.” Overall, the use of action verbs and keywords in a resume requires you to balance the formal resume tone with your own personal speaking style. Especially when adding action verbs and keywords, it is important that your resume has a similar tone throughout. If you start your resume sounding very professional and finish the document with an informal tone, it will leave the employer to wonder which one is the real you. Keeping your tone consistent ensures that you are presenting an accurate representation of yourself.
Sometimes, you have spent so much time reading your resume over and over that you miss things. “Having that outside looking in perspective can help you see things that are bigger picture and help you find what you’re missing,” Lee said. Not only can a second set of eyes pick out typos and spelling mistakes, but if they know you well enough, they can also let you know if you are presenting who you are accurately.
A resume is first and foremost a professional document, but it is a window into what kind of person you are. Your resume is your first chance to show your future employer who you are, so be sure to make your resume YOU.
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