how to write a good job description for a resume

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How to Write Resume Job Descriptions (With Examples)

How to Write Resume Job Descriptions

Focus on skills and achievements, include keywords, be selective about what you include.

• Prioritize Job Descriptions

Quantify Your Achievements

• Emphasize Accomplishments

Make Your Jobs Sound Better

When you think about job descriptions, it's likely that job ads posted by employers first spring to mind. But the most important job descriptions may be the ones you create yourself when you’re describing past positions on your resume.

These job descriptions show prospective employers what you have accomplished in the positions you've held. They also provide a synopsis of your experience and skills.

Well-written descriptions for each job you have held will help get your resume noticed and selected for interviews.

Here’s advice on writing job descriptions for your resume, what to include, how to quantify and prioritize your accomplishments, and examples.

What's the best way to write attention-grabbing job descriptions? Before you start adding job descriptions to your resume, you may want to make a list of accomplishments at each of your jobs. This will prepare you for writing your resume.

After you have written a job description, look for ways to make your explanation more concise:

• Craft effective impact statements.
• Highlight skills and achievements, providing only enough detail to support your premises.
• Edit out pronouns and articles.
• Begin phrases or sentences with verbs.
• Choose strong words— resume action words  like “initiated” and “supervised” are powerful and show that you’ve made an impact on your team.
• Having short descriptions that focus on the most powerful aspects of your role will help recruiters and hiring managers quickly take in and assess your experience. 

If you are submitting resumes to organizations that add them into  applicant tracking systems  (ATS), include as many industry and job-specific " keywords " as possible. When searching databases for potential candidates, employers seek resumes with the greatest number of "hits" on keywords.

Keywords are most often nouns, e.g., “customer service” or “computer skills.” To use keywords most effectively, be specific, use as many as possible, and sprinkle them throughout your resume. 

Your resume isn’t your entire  work history , and you don’t need to include every duty for each role. Determine the most relevant information by putting yourself in your potential employer's position: Will this information help convince the employer that you are a worthwhile candidate to interview?

You do not have to include every responsibility you ever had. Group together similar tasks. For instance, rather than listing "Answered phones" and "Responded to customer emails" in two bullet points, you can combine and say, "Resolved customer issues through phone, email, and chat conversations."

Prioritize Your Qualifications

Next, think about prioritizing the information you provide in each description. Present details that are of the greatest interest to potential employers first. 

Highlight your most relevant qualifications for the job by listing them first in the job description.

For example, consider a candidate seeking a job in interior design. The resume might reflect a retail experience in which 75% of the candidate's time was spent on the sales floor, and 25% was spent designing window and floor displays. Since the design of window and floor displays is most meaningful to an interior design employer, this should be listed before sales. 

Job Description Example

Sales Associate , Retail USA, New York, NY October 2021 - Present

• Designed all large windows using color as the primary focus.
• Created engaging point-of-purchase displays for slow-moving small items; increased sales of these items by 30%.
• Organized floor displays to maximize space and call attention to the latest merchandise.
• Utilized strong interpersonal and communications skills to serve customers; received employee of the month award twice.

Quantify as much information as you can (numbers, dollar signs, and percentages can all help to make your case). 

For instance, a bullet point that reads "Grew traffic 35% year-over-year" is more impressive—and informative—than one that reads simply "Improved traffic."

Employers like numbers. It's much easier to look at signs and symbols than it is to read words.

Nearly any description, for any job, can be  enhanced through the use of numbers . A waitress might start out with the description, "Took customer orders and delivered food." But a quantified description saying, "Served customers in an upscale 100-seat restaurant," provides much more insight.

Waitress, Maxill's Restaurant,  New York, NY January 2022 - Present

• Provided dining service for patrons at an upscale 100-seat fine dining establishment.
• Served meals, cleared tables, monitored five tables, and provided exceptional customer service to up to 30 customers.
• Trained new waitstaff on POS system, guest services, and restaurant policies and procedures.

Emphasize Accomplishments Over Responsibilities

It's important for employees to know you have the necessary experience to do the work required in the position. Still, many candidates will have this relevant experience.

To stand out, emphasize how you added value. Focus on accomplishments, rather than responsibilities.

As seen above, numbers can be your friend when it comes to  highlighting your accomplishments in your resume . As well, numbers provide context. For instance, you might say, "Increased revenue by 5%, after several years of decreasing sales."

Or, rather than saying, "Answered phone calls and dealt with customer concerns," you can say, "Resolved customer concerns, answering approximately 10 calls per hour. Became go-to person on the team for dealing with the toughest phone calls and most challenging complaints."

Employers want to know what you accomplished. Make it easy for them to see what you've done by using numbers and percentages.

While it is important to keep descriptions short, adding details and context can help show employers why you'd be a good match for the position. 

Customer Service Associate,  ABD Company March 2020 - August 2021

• Resolved customer concerns efficiently and expeditiously, answering approximately 300 calls per week.
• Achieved 100% of call performance goals for accuracy, speed, volume, resolution of issues, and customer satisfaction.
• Nominated for employee-of-the-month four times for excellent attitude and exemplary customer service skills.

There are easy ways to jazz up your resume job descriptions to  make your jobs sound super impressive . A few simple tweaks here and there can make your resume much better.

Key Takeaways

• Spend some time writing the job descriptions on your resume, since potential employers will read them carefully. 
• Focus on relevant skills and accomplishments—be choosy about the information you include, and place the most relevant information at the top of the job description. 
• Rather than simply listing out tasks, focus on what you've accomplished in each role, incorporating attention-grabbing numbers and percentages. 

Resume Job Description: Samples & Tips To Help You Enhance Your Application

What is a resume job description?

Responsibilities vs accomplishments: how to enhance your resume job description, how to write your resume job description with achievements if you’re a newly grad, how do i tailor a resume to a job description effectively, looking for a resume job description example.

Getting your resume done is one of the most unnerving parts of the job application process.

Do I have enough experience? Which positions should I list? Can I mention my volunteer work history? Should I or should I not include a photo on my resume ?

These are just some of the questions that ran through my mind when I was preparing my resume.

I spent days researching the best resume practices out there, trying to craft the perfect document that was sure to land me the job.

I wanted my resume to stand out. To make an impact on the hiring managers. I wanted it to work.

And you know what? I made it work.

Surprisingly, all I did was tweak one part that hadn’t crossed my mind before – the job description .

So, stick around and let me tell you the story of how one section can make or break your application.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What a resume job description is and why it’s important;
• How to make sure you write a job description that blows all the other candidates out of the water;
• How to tailor your job description to the specific position you’re applying for.

BUILD MY RESUME NOW

Now, let’s start with the question on everyone’s minds.

To put it short, a job description section on your resume shows the prospective employers your past work experience (paid, internship, and volunteer), as well as your key skills and accomplishments demonstrated at a specific job.

It’s one of the most important resume sections .

It shows a hiring manager what you’ve achieved, what you’ve learned, and how that can be applied to the position they’re offering.

What a well-written resume job description does is highlight the fact that your skills and accomplishments are not only relevant to the job at hand – they’re exactly what the company needs.

When writing about your work history, don’t just list your duties at a past job – that’s boring and, to be honest, recruiters don’t really care.

What’s important to them is that you have the necessary experience, skills, and drive to manage and excel at the task you’ll need to handle.

Hopefully, you now know what a job description section is.

So, to make sure you write one that gets your resume noticed, I’m going to give you some hot tips, coming straight from the experts.

Let’s get right to it!

Focus on your skills and achievements

As I said, recruiters don’t really care about all the daily duties and responsibilities you’ve had before, even if your past job is relevant to the one you’re applying for.

I guarantee, every other applicant that’s held a similar position will have had similar duties. Your job title itself lets the recruiter know what they are.

It doesn’t matter what you did, but how you succeeded at it.

So, what you need to do is highlight your accomplishments and skills while you outline your duties. This shows the hiring manager that you can bring value to the company.

You don’t need to go into too much detail – a simple statement, such as “Created a custom client dashboard that reduced support tickets by 50%” is enough to show what you’ve brought to the table.

However, you can’t just throw any old achievement in there. You need to curate your content. So…

Vet your experience and select the most relevant information

You don’t have to list your entire work history when you write your resume job description, just as you don’t have to list every single responsibility.

What helps is to pinpoint which part of your experience will be the most important to the recruiter and focus on that.

Prioritize the information you include in your job descriptions. You may have achieved tons of things at your past job – but which one is the most relevant? Find out and put it first.

Try and put yourself in the employer’s shoes.

Will a recruiter looking for a web developer be impressed by how you increased Walmart’s Pepper Jack sales by 30% in a week?

Probably not, unless it’s his favorite cheese.

So, research the company, the position, and what is most important to them, and then match it to your skills and accomplishments.

Let the numbers speak for you

Take any achievement of yours. Can the information be represented by symbols and numbers? If yes, then do just that.

People find reading concrete symbols and signs easier than reading words.

Let’s go back to our cheese example from before. Which of the following statements is more impressive:

“Increased cheese sales” or “Increased Pepper Jack sales by 30% in 1 week by leading a successful marketing campaign”?

Even something as ordinary as cheese can sound fancy when you throw in raw data like that.

Be very specific when talking about your achievements and quantify as much as possible.

Make attention-grabbing section headers

Your work experience section is perhaps the most important part of that document. So, make it stand out .

You don’t have to name the section anything specific – Work Experience, Work History, Experience, Employment History – all of these are fine.

Just make sure it’s clearly visible. Go for all-caps, or bold, or add an accent, contrasting color.

The Enhancv resume builder lets you give all your sections custom names, so you can let your personality shine through and better reflect your expertise.

Put your work experience in a visible spot

I’ll say it again – your work experience is one of the most important sections of your resume.

Most recruiters will say that the resume job description is their main source of information on whether the potential employee will do well at a certain job.

So, it makes sense to put it somewhere where it can’t be missed.

Add this section right after your resume summary and before any others, such as Education , Languages , and Skills .

List your resume job descriptions in a reverse-chronological order

This is a very popular and quite useful tactic, and it’s perfect for most resumes, with minimal exceptions.

Start with your current or last job . Move on to the position before that, then the one before that , you get it.

By doing this, you guarantee that the hiring manager sees the best of you and your abilities.

Use between 3 to 5 bullet points for each job

The easiest way for a recruiter to scan through your work experience section is if you use bullet points to list your achievements, skills, and duties.

For each position, use from 3 to 5 bullets. The more recent the job is, the more bullet points you can use. The farther back you go, the fewer you need, and you can only list the most relevant information.

You don’t need a bullet for every single achievement and skill, either. You may have succeeded in a lot of different areas, but not all of them will be important in all cases.

Customize your resume and tailor the information to the job description.

Start each bullet point with an action verb

Eliminate any unnecessary words wherever possible. Hiring managers don’t need all the fluff, and no one wants to read through a 3-page essay about your previous work experience.

Keep it short and sweet.

Start each bullet with an action verb to make it clearer and more powerful.

Another helpful tip is to begin with the successful result of your actions, followed by the action itself.

“Increased Pepper Jack sales by 30% in 1 week by leading a successful marketing campaign”, remember?

Recruiters are more likely to remember the result than the process.

Include the benefit your actions and results had on the company goals

As I mentioned before, you need to decide on what will be most important to the company.

Not only do they want to know that you can succeed at the job, but they also want to know what you can bring to the table, what value you can add.

Give the hiring manager context, too. Show them how your skills can be used in practice.

I understand that it’s easier to write a resume when you have experience. It can be difficult for those straight out of college to figure out what kind of experience they can include.

I’ve been in that position, too.

Just because you don’t have any actual paid work experience doesn’t mean you’ll have to leave that section blank, though.

If you’ve only just graduated and you don’t have that much relevant experience, you can place the education section first, focus on your academic achievements, and put the resume job description after.

In the actual work experience section, you can highlight any other relevant experiences, for example – unpaid internships, volunteer work , student organizations, etc, up to 4 or 5 positions.

For your resume to really succeed, it’s important that you tailor it to the specific job you’re applying for.

You shouldn’t send the same resume with every application, just as you wouldn’t send the same cover letter.

But how do you tailor a resume to a job description ?

Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds!

One of the first things you should do is read the job description that came with the job offer. Read it once, then read it twice, then read it three times.

What you’re trying to do here is identify what’s most important to the company and what they’re looking for in an employee for this particular position. They want to know what you can bring to the table.

Match the content of your resume to the job description. If you’re applying for an engineering job , don’t talk about your time as a cheese salesman, unless parts of what you learned and achieved are really relevant.

A helpful trick is to pay attention to the keywords. Go over the job description and the position requirements and highlight any key ones.

Think of stuff like “detail-oriented”, “resourceful”, and “communication skills”.

Then make a list of all your skills and achievements.

Match those skills to the keywords. The more matches you make, the better your chances of writing a resume that lands you that coveted interview.

Sprinkle those words around your resume, and especially in your work experience section. This will help you pass the automatic sorting system, as well as catch the eye of the recruiter that scans resumes for keywords.

So, follow all the tips from above and you’ll be well on your way to crafting a stellar resume that gets you hired!

I know this can all seem daunting.

So, to help you out, I’ll give you some of our best examples of a great resume job description. And if you want more full resume examples to guide you, I’ve got you covered.

Take a look at this accounting analyst resume.

Now take a look at the following bullet:

“Participated in implementing automated accounting processes that reduced errors of accounting items by 55%”.

It has everything – it starts with an action verb, it quantifies the achievement – overall, I’d say it’s not half bad, wouldn’t you?

Now, let’s switch it up and examine this baker’s resume:

Let’s start with the placement – this resume doesn’t put that much emphasis on the work experience section.

Personally, I’d give some more thought to whether my experience or my education is more important in this case. However, work experience definitely beats the way I spend my time, so surely it should come before it.

Let’s look at the resume job description. Which one of the following do you think is more impressive:

“Ensured all prepared items are appropriately labeled, covered, and rotated” or “Resolved conflicts between kitchen staff which increased the efficiency of the kitchen by 50%”?

Probably the second one, right? So, they probably should have put it first on the list.

Overall, there’s room for improvement here.

And last, but not least, let’s shift the focus to this teacher’s resume:

Here, they’ve got the placement right – experience is important for a teacher, after all.

The bullets following their most recent position highlight their skills and achievements, and they’ve kept in mind what would be important for this job.

I probably would have started with “Contributed to raising retention rate from 75% – 89%”, but other than that – a fine example.

So, there you have it – you now know what a resume job description is, why you need one, and how to write one that skyrockets your chances of success.

To summarise, here are the most important things to keep in mind:

• A job description section on your resume shows the prospective employers your past work experience, as well as your skills and accomplishments.
• When writing a work experience section, focus on your skills and achievements, rather than your duties and responsibilities.
• Keep the information relevant to the position at hand.
• Quantify your achievements – employers like numbers.
• Make your job description section visible, make sure it stands out.
• Use bullet points and start each with an action verb.
• Tailor your resume to the company’s needs and requirements, but keep it truthful.

I hope this post was useful to you. Do you have any other questions? Do you have any experience you want to share? You can do so in the comments!

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How to Write an Impressive Resume Job Description That Gets Noticed (+12 Examples!)

3 key takeaways

• What a resume job description is (and best practices for writing yours)
• How to write your job descriptions with Teal's free AI Resume Builder
• 12 examples of standout resume job descriptions for inspiration

Your resume is your professional narrative. And like any compelling story, each chapter provides depth, giving readers (or in this case, potential employers) insight into your career.

Central to this story is your "Resume Job Description" section. But this section isn't just about listing your responsibilities; it's where your value comes to life.

Your resume job descriptions are a link between your experiences and the requirements of each unique role you apply to. And crafting them effectively becomes the key to framing your experiences in a way that resonates, making the reader eager continue on to the next chapter—and getting you that much closer to landing to an interview.

What is a resume job description?

A resume job description is the work experience on a resume . And it plays a vital role in providing a comprehensive overview of your previous positions, specifically tailored to the job you're applying for.

For every relevant role you've held, think of your job descriptions as concise summaries that highlight:

• Where you worked
• The title you held
• Key accomplishments
• Relevant qualifications
• Your impact
• Skills learned

The best part? By including a detailed job description for your previous jobs, you can effectively communicate the value you bring to the table. It allows you to emphasize the specific impact you've had and how it aligns with the requirements of the job you're pursuing.

Why is a resume job description important?

A resume job description is your specific employment history, and knowing how to write a good one is important because it: 

Showcases relevant experience

Your resume should only showcase the top 10% of your experience that's 100% relevant to the role you're applying for. By  tailoring your resume  job descriptions to each role and incorporating only applicable experience you demonstrate how your qualifications align with the requirements of a specific job.

Provides detailed insight

An overview of your relevant jobs helps a recruiter or hiring manager get a sense of the scope and impact of your previous positions—giving them a look at key skills, capabilities, and potential contributions.

Proves impact

Highlighting  resume accomplishments  with metrics and numbers (like exceeding sales targets by a particular percentage or leading a successful project that increases revenue by a specific dollar amount), provides tangible evidence of your capabilities and impact.

Demonstrates good communication skills

By clearly, concisely, and compellingly presenting your past roles and responsibilities, you demonstrate the ability to articulate information effectively (a valuable transferable skill in most professionals).

Write your job description for a resume with Teal

Your resume job descriptions are important, but writing every achievement doesn't need to be complicated.

Use the Achievement Assistant within the free Teal AI Resume Builder, to quickly craft metric-driven job descriptions for every relevant position you've held.

Interested in building out your job description achievements? Sign up for Teal for free today.

How to write your resume description and achievements

If you're struggling with writing job descriptions and achievements (also known as your work experience) that showcase metrics and impact, the free Achievement Assistant within the Teal AI Resume Builder makes this process easy.  

1. Start by signing up for Teal.

2. Navigate to the Resume Builder in the left panel. 

3. From here, you can click the "New Resume" button at the top right to start a new resume or select the resume you want to add achievements for.

4. Scroll down to the Work Experience section. (This is also known as your Resume Job Description section.) Then click "Add Work Experience."

5. Now add the job you want to create achievements for. Every past job you list (as well as your current position) should be consistent. In this step, input your:

• Company name
• Company location
• End date (if applicable)

6. Next, click "Add an Achievement." 

7. Finally, you have two options. You can navigate to the Assistant tab at the top right to work through what you did, what metric you improved in what time frame, and how your action connects to your strategy. (Or just click the "Generate with AI button if you're stuck!)

Best practices for writing your resume job description

Now that you understand what a resume job description is and why it's such an important part of your professional story, let's dive into some best practices for creating resume job descriptions that accurately represent your experience with clarity and impact.

1. Limit included years of relevant experience

How far back should your resume really go ?

Unless you're applying for a role as a C-suite level executive, it's best practice to limit your years of relevant experience to the past 10-15 years. 

Limiting the number of jobs or years allows you to focus on your most recent and relevant professional experiences, which will likely be the most valuable for potential employers. 

It also helps keep your resume concise and manageable. Remember, unless you're changing careers, recruiters and hiring managers are primarily interested in your recent accomplishments and skills directly related to the position you're applying for. 

2. Include the same basic information for each company 

Including the same basic information for each company in every resume job description maintains consistency throughout your resume. This basic information should include:

• Your position or official job title
• Company location (or remote if applicable)
• Dates of your employment
• 3-5 job description achievements per job title

By presenting information in a uniform resume format , you create a professional and organized appearance, making it easier for hiring managers and recruiters to review and assess your work history. 

Consistency also helps establish a clear career progression and narrative—enabling potential employers to compare your experiences across different organizations easily.

How long have you stayed with different companies? Has your career advanced? Where have you taken opportunities? When presented consistently, these patterns are easier to observe. 

3. Include relevant achievements 

Each of your job descriptions should have around three to five relevant achievements. And they should be formatted with resume bullet points —approximately three to five bullet points for each job description. 

List these achievements based on the most impressive and relevant information, and rather than just listing job duties or job responsibilities and structure your bullet points to focus on specific accomplishments and results.

4. Show metrics and impact 

Adding metrics to the achievements in your Resume Job Description section can help you stand out from other job seekers. They're measurable evidence of accomplishments and impact in previous roles, showcasing your incredible work.

When deciding which metrics to include, consider areas like:

• Revenue increased
• Money saved 
• Process Improvements and the measurable impact 
• Number of employees managed and the retention rate 
• Process refinement and subsequent time saved 

5. Use action verbs 

The best action verbs for resume and work history make your experience more dynamic and engaging because they create a sense of, well, action. 

Instead of using passive verbs, like "responsible for" or "assisted with," try words like achieved, exceeded, generated, improved, or optimized, and connect those verbs to measurable achievements. 

6. Be honest

Being honest about your work experience is crucial. Honesty builds trust. And when you accurately represent your skills, responsibilities, and accomplishments, you establish credibility (and integrity). 

Being honest also ensures a good fit between your qualifications and the requirements found in the job ad. By accurately portraying your previous positions, you offer potential employers a real look at your capabilities. 

Tailoring your resume job descriptions

Your resume should align with the specific job posting of the role you're applying for. This means including relevant skills (hard skills and soft skills) and other important language in the key achievements of your "Work Experience" section.

So how do you find that information?

The Teal AI Resume Builder and Job Application tracker pull the top keywords (as skills and emphasis words) so you can incorporate exactly what hiring managers are looking for into your resume. (And you can do this all in one centralized platform.)

12 resume job description examples

Below are some job description examples that highlight a diverse range of roles and responsibilities across various levels of experience.

These samples offer valuable insights and inspiration for crafting clear and compelling job descriptions—no matter where you are in your career.

Creating resume job descriptions with no work experience

Writing a resume with no experience might seem daunting. But don't get overwhelmed just yet. You don't necessarily need a job title to impress prospective employers.

Think about your life experience up to this point.

Were you involved in student organizations? Did you do any volunteer work? How about unpaid internships, certifications, or projects?

These experiences are fundamental. And the many skills you picked up along the way are transferable—helping get your resume noticed by a hiring manager or recruiter.

So let's take a look at some examples of resume job descriptions with no work experience.

Resume job description examples with no work experience

Project-focused.

Senior Graphic Design Project

• Received a 98% grade by increasing Miami Senior High School Annual Charity Walkathon attendance by 30%. Collaborated with a team of four and designed marketing materials such as posters, flyers, and social media graphics using Adobe Creative Suite to promote the event and encourage attendance.
• Received 100% positive feedback from school administration and attendees.

Volunteer work-focused

Volunteer, Local Humane Society

March 2021 - Present

• Assisted in caring for animals by feeding, grooming, and exercising daily, ensuring their well-being and promoting a positive environment.
• Supported the humane society's adoption events by organizing and maintaining a welcoming and clean adoption area, increasing the chances of successful adoptions.
• Collaborated with fellow volunteers to create engaging content for the organization's social media platforms, promoting animal adoption and raising awareness among the local community.

Internship-focused

Marketing Intern, Katie Rose Boutique

May 2022 - August 2022

• Conducted market research and competitor analysis, providing valuable insights that informed the development of targeted marketing strategies and contributed to a 10% increase in customer engagement.
• Assisted in creating compelling social media content and managing social media accounts, resulting in a 20% growth in follower count and improved brand visibility within the local community.
• Collaborated with the marketing team to optimize website content and implement SEO techniques, leading to a 15% increase in organic website traffic and improved search engine rankings.

Resume job description examples for entry-level roles

Junior business analyst.

05/2021 – 11/2021

InnovateX Solutions

• Analyzed customer needs and developed business requirements documents, resulting in a 10% increase in customer satisfaction and improved alignment with customer expectations.
• Developed process models and workflow diagrams to support business requirements, resulting in a 20% increase in process efficiency and improved overall productivity.
• Developed and maintained project plans and timelines, resulting in a 15% increase in project completion rate and improved project management.

Entry Level Graphic Designer

6/2020 – 6/2022

CreativeCrafters

• Art directed projects and pre-press operations, streamlining file production by 25%
• Developed storyboards and animation graphics for a variety of digital products with compelling visuals
• Created user interfaces, user experiences, and wireframes to ensure products effectively met customer needs

Junior Brand Marketer 

11/2021 – 08/2022 

StrategyWorks Group

• Collaborated with stakeholders to develop and execute comprehensive branding campaigns, resulting in a 14% increase in customer engagement
• Led the implementation of a customer feedback survey process, resulting in a 25% increase in response rate and providing valuable insights that informed brand strategies and led to a 9% improvement in customer satisfaction.
• Developed and presented a series of innovative brand messaging strategies, contributing to a 15% increase in market share.

Resume job description examples for mid-level roles

Human resources coordinator.

6/2022 – Present

• Spearheaded the onboarding process of new hires, reducing onboarding time by 25%
• Assisted in developing a performance management and career development program
• Designed a cohesive employee recognition and reward system for staff retention contributing to a 26% increase in retention.

Full Stack Developer

02/2017 – 03/2019

TechNova Solutions

• Developed and maintained a web application using React and Node.js, supporting a 50% increase in user traffic and a 15% increase in revenue over a one-year period.
• Optimized a web application for performance and scalability, resulting in a 40% reduction in page load time and a 20% increase in application speed.
• Collaborated with a cross-functional team to troubleshoot and debug a web application, resulting in a 90% reduction in application downtime and improved user satisfaction.

03/2022 – Present

Grammar Digital Publishing Co.

• Developed and implemented a new editorial style guide, resulting in a 25% reduction in editing time and an increase in content quality.
• Collaborated with authors to revise and improve content, resulting in a 15% increase in publication rates.
• Managed publication schedules and coordinated with other departments to ensure timely publication, resulting in a 10% increase in content delivery

Resume job description examples for senior-level roles

Senior customer success manager.

3/2022 – Present

• Spearheaded the development of over 700 customer success plans, resulting in an increase of customer onboarding success rate by 23%.
• Designed and developed a customer feedback survey program that generated an aggregate of 5,500+ responses over two months, driving customer satisfaction scores to an all-time high of 93%.
• Created tailored customer success webinars resulting in an 11% increase in product utilization by existing customers.

Senior Front-end Developer

07/2021 – Present

FrontEndGenius

• Spearheaded the successful refactoring of the client-side web architecture to introduce a reliable SPA (Single Page Applications)
• Significantly improved the organization's page speed and scalability through creative combinations of HTML, JavaScript, and AJAX
• Mentored junior developers while implementing cross-browser compatibility at the code level, resulting in a 50% increase in user satisfaction

Senior Growth Marketing Manager

3/2021 – Present

RocketBoost Marketing

• Developed and implemented a successful digital marketing strategy that boosted website traffic, led to a 30% increase in conversion rate, and achieved an average increase of 40% in revenue from organic channels.
• Created and maintained an automated metrics dashboard to track the performance of all marketing campaigns to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Optimized existing campaigns with A/B and multivariate testing, leading to a 25% increase in engagement and a 12% decrease in CPA

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• How to Describe Yourself on a...

How to Describe Yourself on a Resume (With Examples)

8 min read · Updated on January 23, 2024

It doesn't have to feel like nails on a chalkboard when trying to describe yourself on a resume!

How you describe yourself on your resume directly impacts whether you land that interview you so eagerly want. It's essential to describe your qualifications and experience in such a way as to grab the employer's attention without hesitation. 

How do you do that, exactly? By incorporating self-descriptive words on your resume that stand out to hiring teams and showcase that you're the best fit for the job. 

In this post, we start off with tips for developing self-descriptive words for your resume, followed by examples of descriptive words to use and avoid. 

Tips for developing self-descriptive words for your resume

It's not uncommon for individuals to struggle with talking about their accomplishments and strengths. We tend to share about another's skills and abilities easily, but when it comes to describing ourselves, we fall short. Fortunately, below are some steps you can take to boost your creative juices and find the words for your resume to help you stand out from the competition. 

Ask friends and peers for help

One way to come up with ways to describe yourself is to ask your peers, friends, and managers for input. For a comprehensive perspective, ask for feedback from those in your personal and professional lives. Here are some questions you can ask to receive the information you need:

What are three adjectives you would use to describe me?

How would you describe me to a coworker or friend?

If you could sum up my personality in one word, what would it be, and why?

Consider past performance reviews

Another way to develop self-descriptive words for a resume is to reflect on past performance reviews. What did supervisors have to say about you? What about coworkers who provided input? What were some of the strengths and achievements emphasized?

Make a list of your past accomplishments and strengths

Brainstorm to come up with a list of all your strengths, so you can more easily refer to them when describing yourself on a resume. Do this by first listing some of your key achievements and considering what strengths allowed you to achieve them. 

For example, suppose you implemented a new customer service rating system two weeks ahead of schedule, which led to a 10% increase in customer feedback. In that case, you might describe yourself as efficient and productive. 

Refer to the job description

If you're struggling to come up with the best self-descriptive words for your resume, refer to the job description. Highlight any skills, knowledge, and requirements you possess that align with the job. By incorporating these keywords into your resume, you're not only emphasizing that you meet the job qualifications but are also improving your resume's chances of getting past an employer's  applicant tracking system , or ATS.

Think positive

It's good to be humble and clear on your strengths and weaknesses. However, when it comes to self-descriptive words for a resume, you want to focus on the positives only - your strengths. 

Save sharing your weaknesses for the interview, when you'll likely be asked about them. During an interview, you can - and should - give your weaknesses a positive spin with context, which is challenging to do on a resume.

As you develop your list of strengths and how you'd describe yourself, work to develop some unique adjectives to use that are specific to your qualifications. Refer to the list of strengths you've developed, and look up synonyms for those words that could help you to stand out from other applicants. 

For example, instead of incorporating the commonly used term “creative,” you might use words like inventive or prolific. A word of caution is to avoid words that come across as boastful or exaggerating your qualifications.    

Review example resumes

An excellent resource to refer to when you're attempting to craft your own resume is to look at  resume examples  online. The resume examples you review don't need to be specific to your field, since self-descriptive adjectives and descriptive verbs aren't industry-specific, as shown in the examples below. This approach not only helps to generate ideas for self-descriptive words for your resume but also provides guidance on  how to write your resume  as a whole.

Self-descriptive words for a resume - examples

When it comes to self-descriptive words for a resume, technically, we're referring to adjectives, since adjectives describe a noun. However, two additional categories of words are essential to fully describe your abilities and work history: descriptive verbs and skills.  

Powerful adjectives for a resume

Here are only a few of the many adjectives you could use on your resume, with examples of how you might include them in a sentence. 

Adaptable:  Adaptable professional with ability to move from project to project within different departments. 

Compassionate:  Compassionate caretaker with 10 years of experience, working with hospices and providing end-of-life services. 

Knowledgeable:  Knowledgeable mechanic with 3 excellence awards for superb service and quality, earned in less than 6 months. 

Perceptive:  Perceptive speaker with ability to navigate an audience to know where to direct attention to garner the best outcome. 

Tech-savvy:   Tech-savvy Visual Artist with ability to bring together ideas and people to produce valuable and thought-provoking content, including images, videos, and graphics. 

Top tip: For an extensive list of 100 power adjectives, refer to “ 100 Powerful Resume Adjectives that Can Make Your Resume More Compelling .” 

Descriptive verbs for a resume

Action verbs  are vital in really making your work section stand out. Each bullet point you include for the jobs you list should begin with a power verb that emphasizes your role in the activity or achievement. Power verbs are also used in the resume summary to highlight accomplishments. 

Skills for a resume

Skills on your resume  should include a combination of soft and hard skills. In many instances, hard skills are spelled out and soft skills are inferred based on our past achievements. 

Unusual words to describe yourself on a resume

As mentioned, be creative and specific when selecting self-descriptive words for your resume, to help set you apart. A great way to do this is to use a thesaurus to gather synonyms for the list of self-descriptive adjectives you come up with. Some interesting choices that aren't used as often yet can still sound good on a resume include:

Inventive 

Self-descriptive words for a resume: what NOT to use

Yes, there are some words to leave off your list of self-descriptive words for your  resume. These words tend to be overused, generic, highly subjective, or boastful. Here are a few examples:

You might think you're likable, but likability is in the eye of the beholder. Instead of using likable, consider adjectives that refer to being likable, yet add value, such as team player, compassionate, and energetic. 

Intelligent 

Don't flat-out state you're intelligent, at risk of coming across as overly confident. Also, it should be inferred that you're intelligent by the other adjectives and proof you provide to back them up on your resume. Words like big-picture thinker, agile, and quick learner are better word choices.

Saying you're successful is very broad. Instead, you want to narrow your successes to specific skills and strengths with qualifiers and quantifiable data. 

Here are a few more self-promotional adjectives to leave off your resume. 

Got-to-person

Outside the box thinker

Instead of using these types of adjectives, come up with alternatives where you can show results linked to them. A good place to begin is by asking yourself, "What have I achieved that shows I'm a go-getter, the best, and so on?"

Where to incorporate self-descriptive words on a resume

Now that you've seen some examples of self-descriptive words, where do they belong on your resume? There are three main areas to place them:

Resume summary. Your  resume summary  falls just below your contact information and is the main area where you'll incorporate self-descriptive adjectives, with a few skills and power verbs. 

Competencies and skills list. Your  core competencies or skills list  should include the soft and hard skills required for the job, based on the job description. 

Work experience section. The  work experience section  is where you'll include the power verbs that describe what you did on the job, as well as some of the skills that supported you in doing so. You might also include some adjectives in this section, though generally, the adjectives are inferred. For example:

“Motivated team of 10 to implement an enhanced customer booking log project on time, resulting in an 8% increase in positive customer experience ratings”

From this achievement, one can infer that the person is motivational, a leader, and efficient. 

Apply a variety of self-descriptive words on your resume

Now you have some tips to help you discover the best self-descriptive words for your resume, with examples. You also know where to include them. As a final tip, when you incorporate your descriptive words, be sure to use a variety of adjectives and power verbs so your resume doesn't sound redundant. Good luck! 

If you're wondering if you're using the right self-descriptive words throughout your resume, why not submit it for a  free resume review ? Our  TopResume team of experts  will help to ensure your resume describes you in a way that lands you interview after interview!

Recommended reading:

How to List Certifications on a Resume with Examples

What Are the Best Fonts for a Resume

How to Include Relevant Coursework on a Resume (with Examples)

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Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

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How to Write Your Job Description in a Resume

Last Updated: February 23, 2021

This article was co-authored by Colleen Campbell, PhD . Dr. Colleen Campbell is the Founder and CEO of The Ignite Your Potential Centers, Career and Life Coaching based in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. Colleen received her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Sofia University and has been career coaching since 2008. This article has been viewed 5,297 times.

A good resume should always include a description of all your listed jobs. These descriptions help potential employers assess whether your skills and experiences qualify you for the position. Writing an effective job description requires clear and concise language. Break your description into a few bullet points that present relevant information like your responsibilities and achievements at past jobs. Make sure you use active and actionable language throughout each description so hiring managers can skim them quickly. Writing your job descriptions like this helps build an effective resume that will impress recruiters.

Presenting the Right Information

• Start by writing out what you want to say in these bullet points. Then delete all the unnecessary words and phrases. Break the sentence down until it says the same thing in a shorter way.
• Don’t use the word “I” in the description because it takes up space. Stating “Signed up 5 new customers every week” works fine, because it’s already implied that you were the one doing these things.

• If you worked in customer service at one point and are applying for a teacher job, your ability to interact with people and handle complaints is very relevant to teaching. Your ability to assess quarterly sales reports is less relevant, so it’s okay to leave that out.
• If, however, you’re applying for a sales position, then your ability to assess quarterly sales reports is very relevant. Use different experiences from the same job.

• All the information you delete gives you more room to add different information that is more specific to this job.
• If you aren't sure what's directly relevant to this job, go back and check the posted job description. See what the employer is looking for in a job candidate. Then tailor your bullet points to address what this company wants.

• Think about anything that you improved while at your past jobs, even if it seems small to you. You may think “Standardized communication between 4 different departments” doesn’t sound impressive, but a potential employer may like your organization and initiative.
• You don’t need to change the information you present, you just have to write it in a more active way. “Answered phones and responded to customer inquiries” sounds very passive and more like a responsibility. However, “Provided excellent customer service to over 200 callers per week” makes your work sound like a real achievement.
• In some cases, a job title doesn't accurately describe your duties. Use one of your bullet points to give a quick description of your job if it isn't clear from your job title.

• For example, 3 of your bullet points may be “Increased sales by 10% in one quarter,” “Handled customer inquiries,” and “Communicated between 3 different departments.” That first one is the biggest accomplishment since it shows a clear way that you improved the company you were at. It should come first on the list.

• Saying “Signed up a significant amount of new members” is nonspecific and wordy. Saying “Signed up an average of 5 new members every week” quantifies your accomplishments and makes the resume easier to read.
• Don’t make any false claims with these numbers. If you claim you increased sales by 30% but sales actually fell while you were there, your potential employer could find out you’re lying. Getting caught lying will end your chances of landing the job.

Using Effective Language

• If you don’t know where to start, begin by writing a list of good action words. Designed, created, spearheaded, led, oversaw, and words like these are good choices.
• Weaker words include helped, assisted, or worked. They are verbs, but not especially active ones. Replace them with better alternatives.
• Incorporate these action words into your bullet points. Don’t say “Helped on a new program for employee training,” say “Spearheaded and implemented a new program for improved employee training.

• For instance, if you apply for a job in the computer field, specifically list languages you know like HTML, Java, and JavaScript. A recruiter can then easily see that you have past experience in the fields they need.
• If you’re currently working in the industry you’re applying for, then you probably already know the keywords. If not, do some research. Check online or ask someone in the field what recruiters like to see.
• Using effective keywords is especially important because more and more companies are using software to screen resumes before recruiters even see them. You could be a qualified candidate but never get an interview because the software didn’t see any relevant keywords on your application.

• Don’t use a separate bullet point for “answered phones” and “responded to emails.” Condense them by having a bullet point on your communication skills. Then replace that bullet point with a new one listing a different skill.

• Highlighting your top 3 accomplishments in each position is enough for recruiters to decide if they want to interview you.
• If you want to explain some things further, do that in your cover letter. The cover letter gives you more space to elaborate on why certain experience makes you perfect for the job you're applying for. It's better to put this information in the cover letter instead of squishing it into your resume.

• Make your formatting easy to follow. Use clear section headings for Work Experience, Education, and Skills so recruiters know what section they’re in. Use lines to divide sections further.
• If your bullet points are too wordy, break them down even further.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://drexel.edu/scdc/professional-pointers/application-materials/resumes/experience-description/
• ↑ https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6972-resume-mistakes-fixes.html
• ↑ https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-write-job-descriptions-for-your-resume-2063182
• ↑ https://www.charityjob.co.uk/careeradvice/how-to-write-effective-job-descriptions-for-your-cv/

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7 Steps to Writing The Perfect Job Description

A clear job description helps hiring managers and qualified applicants understand precisely what your company needs. An unclear description can scare away top talent and fill your inbox with a flood of unrelated resumes. Avoid a long, winding, and frustrating process by cleaning up your job description and relying on best practices to develop a compelling job description that excites the right readers.

So, how do you keep it clear, and what best practices should you follow?

What is a job description?

In general, a job description is a written narrative that discusses a job’s general duties and responsibilities which will help you evaluate a person for that role. Its purpose is to help find suitable candidates for a position or project, allowing readers to self-select if they’re qualified. It’s important for attracting qualified candidates and helps those not qualified (or over-qualified) to decide whether or not to apply.

Job description best practices

Keeping job descriptions concise while offering a quick summary of daily and high-level activities and responsibilities is how best to help potential candidates understand what you need. It also prevents you from writing a novel that qualified candidates won’t finish reading—writing a concise summary respects the time of candidates you invite to apply, creating a positive first step in your relationship.

While we’ll touch on what to include next, keep your idea of a qualified candidate in mind while we move through each step. This will help you understand how much to explain or when you can rely instead on acronyms common in your industry and more. Say that you’re hiring for a digital career such as a cloud computing engineer or high-level digital marketer. You’ll want to specify the programs these roles use in your company, but you don’t need to ask for proficiency in Outlook or with email.

Overall, you should work to make the job description useful to you and the person reading it.

What are the components of a job description?

The final job description you create will have elements specific to the position, such as requiring a specific certification or degree. However, successful job descriptions also have a core set of items they include no matter what. These items help the reader determine if they might be a good fit or lack what you need.

Here are seven things every job description needs to have:

• The right title
• Employment type
• Overview or summary
• Responsibilities
• Qualifications
• Company culture
• Your contact preferences

These elements ensure that someone reading your job posting knows what they’ll be expected to do and what you think is required for success. You’ll find each in the best job descriptions for local fast-food staff to C-suite placement services.

How to write a job description in 7 easy steps

1. have a discussion with your team.

Before you start typing out that job description or Googling what to name a position, reach out to your HR team and managers and anyone who will work directly with this new hire. Bring them in for a conversation about the job and what it needs.

Discuss the role the person will play on your team.

• Who will they report to and work with?
• What type of information do they need to understand in that role?
• What do they need to be able to do to support their teammates?
• What skills do employees think are helpful for being successful at your company (not just in this role)?

Bring in your staff to help establish parameters for roles and determine what makes someone a cultural fit for long-term growth and success at your company. As a bonus, in many cases, you’ll have an existing job description to use. Unless you’re the direct supervisor for the role, you may not know if this old description is outdated. Getting the team together can help you understand what needs to be updated or added.

2. Spend time on the job title

The job title is the thing that the majority of potential applicants will see. Depending on where you post your job, it might be the only thing that shows up before someone clicks on your specific job post. A useful job title instantly tells the reader what you need and helps them determine if the role, and your company, could be a good fit.

Look at the responsibilities you and your team came up with, plus any past title for this position. Compare it to its current titles of your team and see if you need to update.

A more recent trend is to use “exciting” words as part of a job title to get people interested. Unfortunately, having terms like “guru,” “ninja,” or “warrior” in a job title may harm your talent pool.  Research shows  that these can dissuade professionals worried about what the title will look like on their resume down the road, while some also make it harder to have a more diverse talent pool.

Excellent job titles help because they:

• Are clear and self-explanatory
• Demonstrate seniority of the position
• Use industry-standard language
• Place the role in the context of the company and its growth

3. Create a concise summary

The job summary will give readers a quick overview of the position and hit essential elements, as well as set the stage for your interviews. Summaries should place the role within the company and state main characteristics such as the type of employment (full-time, part-time, contract).

Bullet lists have become the industry standard for requirements and duties, so use this space to discuss the job’s core functions and how it accomplishes company missions. Keep the summary brief, avoid jargon, and limit superlatives. Even if you want to hire “the best customer service agent in the world,” putting that in the summary may cause some talent not to apply because they’re worried that they would be in trouble for having an off day.

One example of a concise summary is:

The Senior Project Manager coordinates activities and people to complete client projects on time and on budget. By overseeing all aspects of projects and managing internal deadlines, this role enables Company X to deliver high-quality applications and custom software to some of the world’s largest enterprises. You’ll lead a team of 12 and work with upper management to develop an ongoing understanding of current projects and identify successes and bottlenecks. ‍

4. Match responsibilities to your plans for the role

Your job responsibilities list provides an overview of the tasks that an employee will perform in their role. The list will help potential employees understand how they’re evaluated and assessed for future promotion and growth. Try to be specific and give people an understanding of the breadth of the work required.

So, if you’re  hiring for a marketing role , don’t just say they’ll be responsible for managing your digital marketing efforts. Note that this will include posting and monitoring on social media, updating the website copy as needed, writing blogs, and measuring email campaigns’ success.

The list should come from Step 1, where you work with the hiring manager and team members to understand the role’s requirements. However, it’s smart to return to that manager and ensure you’ve covered all significant activities.

According to Workable , listing more than 10 responsibilities can signal that your company micromanages employees and makes some candidates avoid applying. So, talk about the most important responsibilities and give applicants space to demonstrate their overall capabilities in their resumes and cover letters.

5. List the needed qualifications and skills

This is another section in which you want to be short and targeted. Most jobs need some specific qualifications, and the “needed/required qualifications” section should be used to identify those. Your marketing team may need to know how to use HubSpot, your team may prefer Procreate over Photoshop, and you likely have chosen one specific project management tool out of the dozens available online. Use the qualifications section to request knowledge in these specific areas.

In this section, you’ll also have an opportunity to list any specific education requirements, language skills, or professional certificates. If you have preferences but something isn’t necessary for the role itself, note that. Saying that you require a bachelor’s degree in English may limit your candidate pool and cause you to miss out on a person well suited for the role.

6. Teach the reader something about your business

Today’s employees want to be part of something larger and culture plays a significant role in recruitment. Candidates are going to ask both if they’re a good fit for you and if you’re a good fit for them. People want to know they’ll enjoy working for you.

Demonstrate who you are and what your company stands for in a short “About Us” section that highlights company culture and activities. Not only can you highlight the benefits and perks you offer but talk about the goals and successes of your company. If you’ve grown 15% in the past year and are expanding to bring that to 25%, say it.

Talk to the employee directly about what to expect and in the way you’d talk with a current employee. If everyone loves “Free Food Fridays” or you give out free coffee gift certificates to make monthly Zoom meetings more enjoyable, let them know. This is your chance to brag a little and get someone excited about joining your company. You want them to feel like this is more than just filling out a form.

7. Explain how best to apply or reach you

The job hunt has gotten confusing in recent years. Most companies post career opportunities on their website and one or two other locations, but many automated services will copy your posting and place it on many more websites. That can ultimately mean someone found your job unexpectedly, and using an “apply” button won’t work because there is no button to click.

Help ensure you get a broad set of applicants by including some contact information in your job description. Tell applicants how they can reach you—an email address is perfect—and that you want them to include a resume and cover letter in your preferred format. Keeping the requirements simple can also help you weed out applicants who don’t follow your instructions.

If you want someone to apply via a specific page, put that in your job description, too. That way, it’s always part of the text shared across other websites.

You want to ensure that the method you’re asking to use is friendly to a diverse set of users. Stick with platforms that  meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements  in the U.S., for example. This not only meets your legal requirements but can demonstrate a commitment to diversity mentioned in your “About Us” section.

Inclusivity in your hiring practices reduces liability, improves the perception of your company, and can help you find the best people for your opening by eliminating unnecessary barriers.

Post it smart

An accurate job description can save you and future candidates a great deal of time. It’ll also improve the quality of candidates that you receive. Just be sure to post it where extraordinary talent lives. 

This article originally appeared on  Upwork.com Resource Center  (Upwork is a company that  helps businesses find talent and people find work )  and was syndicated by  MediaFeed.org .

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5 good work skills to include in your resume in 2024.

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Skills-based hiring is a talent acquisition trend for 2024, which means that when you're creating ... [+] your resume, it should be heavily skills-focused

Skills-based hiring is leading the way as one of the newest talent acquisition trends for 2024. For years, employers and job-seekers alike have been discussing ways in which the candidate experience can be improved, and the talent pool diversified, through focusing on skills rather than the bias traditionally associated with job and educational history.

Now at last, that vision is finally becoming a reality, thanks to the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence within the workforce and particularly generative AI tools assisting the recruitment process. Speaking to the Society for Human Resource Management, Fredrick A. Scott, vice president, talent strategy and inclusion and early in career recruiting said:

"In 2024, the technology is finally starting to catch up, and generative AI will unlock companies’ abilities for skills-based hiring, especially for early-in-career talent.”

What does this mean to you as a prospective candidate?

If you are on the hunt for a new role, either to expand your career to the next level, or simply for a fresh change due to needing a different work environment, you need to ensure now more than ever before, that you showcase your most important skills at key points throughout your resume. Employers are paying close attention to your skills, so finding creative ways to display them is where the majority of your effort should be concentrated.

But what are the core skills employers need you to include in your resume? According to research and reports from the World Economic Forum, FlexJobs, and LinkedIn LNKD , here are a few:

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, 1. communication.

Employers need hires who have solid all-round communication skills. This includes communication at the interpersonal level, as well as other aspects such as presentation skills, being professional in your manner and representing the values of the company when composing emails, or when engaged in other forms of correspondence.

This skill is so critical that LinkedIn reported communication skills as being the number one skill for 2024. It was the common denominator in job adverts and the profiles of those who had been headhunted on LinkedIn over the past year, as per LinkedIn research.

2. Teamwork

Employers are looking for evidence of how well you'll fit in with their company culture. Depending on the role, some jobs may require you to have stronger teamwork skills than others, so it's very important that you make this clear throughout your resume. And at the end of the day, you will need to engage and collaborate with co-workers at some point, so how well you can succeed within a team setting is critical to your career success.

Key skills can be strategically placed at various points throughout your resume

3. Leadership

Leadership skills is one of the core skill sets that you need to prove to employers, whether or not your plan on taking on a leadership-oriented role. This is because more and more employers are becoming aware that employees possessing leadership qualities are needed for organizations to successfully get ahead and remain star players in the competition.

Having leadership skills means taking responsibility for your actions, owning your mistakes, taking initiative, and jumping in where needed to tackle problems.

4. Problem-Solving

Can you demonstrate evidence of where you've put your creativity to work and developed a solution? What were its tangible results within your role, team, project, or department? The ultimate reason why a new employer would hire you is because you are the solution to their problem. If you can show that you think outside of the box and are innovative and unafraid of exploring untapped areas, you're a star candidate.

5. Self-Motivation

How quickly do you quit? Do you have what it takes to face a challenge head-on and keep pushing forward? Employers are looking for candidates like you, who can demonstrate determination in the face of obstacles, and have the drive and will to succeed, because this leads to higher output and performance.

How To Include Skills In Your Resume

Now that you know what skills are needed, where do you place them, and how do you incorporate these skills?

Here are a couple examples of areas within your resume that are most likely to benefit from adding these skills:

First, always include a skills highlights section near the top of your resume, and use this to list your core competencies, relevant to the job role, in bullet points. Try to ensure that you include the above skills, as well as those that are mentioned in the person specification of the job advert.

Another good way to include these skills in your resume is to show them in practice, and include them naturally in sections such as your professional profile or your work experience section. When approaching each section, ask yourself, how can I highlight that I possess XYZ skill in this particular role?

For example, you might decide to include a bullet point in your work experience section, that speaks to how you demonstrated problem-solving ability, by saying: "Formulated strategies which increased overall performance, leading to the team exceeding target by 140% in my first month and over 200% in the second month."

Show employers how you have demonstrated core skills by sharing concise, tangible success stories ... [+] and results

Using numbers as above helps to quantify your skills and strengthen the impression that you are confident with them and can provide value to your new employer.

As employers adapt to the needs of the current job climate and begin preparing their systems, policies, and technology for skills-based hiring, what are you doing? How will you prepare yourself—and your resume—for the skills trend?

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