When applying for jobs, your resume is your best chance to make an impression. How you describe yourself can help hiring managers understand your unique skills, contributions, and achievements.
With the right words, you can give employers a convincing reason to call you for an interview. In this article, we’ll share how to describe yourself on a resume with helpful tips and examples.
What to say about yourself on a resume
Your resume doesn’t need to provide employers with your life story, but it should make a clear case for your skills, experience, and professionalism. It should highlight your greatest strengths and career achievements. When you describe yourself positively, you show prospective employers that you’re a confident, accomplished candidate who’s worth interviewing.
The way you describe yourself on a resume should reflect your talents and abilities in the workplace. Your resume should celebrate all that you’ve achieved professionally, so don’t shy away from shining a spotlight on yourself!
Where to describe yourself on a resume
Admittedly, it’s harder to describe yourself on a resume than in a cover letter or during an interview, where you can naturally expand on your skills and qualifications. But there are a few places where you can add some personalization to your resume.
In the resume summary or objective
A resume summary is the best place to describe yourself on a resume. In this short paragraph, introduce yourself to employers using notable adjectives and strong verbs to describe your career. Your summary should highlight the top skills you can bring to a new role and the results you’ve achieved in other positions.
If you’re just beginning your career or transitioning into a new field, you can write an objective statement instead of a summary. Mention your transferable skills and describe your career goals.
Creative and driven digital marketer with over five years of experience leading strategic online campaigns across multiple platforms. Proficient in driving engagement and boosting organic traffic to strengthen brand awareness, with a record of increasing conversions by 14% on average. Known for clear, persuasive communication that builds trust with clients and team members.
How do you refer to yourself in a resume summary?
When describing yourself in a resume summary, avoid using personal pronouns, like “I” or “my.” Start your summary with your professional title and years of experience. Include an adjective that describes your experience or work ethic.
For example, you can write, “Diligent software developer with three years of experience working on mobile app development for healthcare companies.”
In the work experience section
Your resume bullet points are a good place to describe your work history and accomplishments. Start each bullet point with a powerful verb that details what you did in the role. You can also highlight your skills in this section by describing how you completed a task or achieved a result.
Registered Nurse | Lake Area Hospital
June 2023–Current
- Train new nurses and nursing assistants, using leadership and mentoring skills to offer guidance and support.
- Deliver compassionate, patient-centered care to patients in a 14-bed medical-surgical unit.
- Coordinate with multidisciplinary healthcare teams and remain calm under pressure, providing lifesaving care in critical situations.
In the skills section
In the skills section, you can describe your top talents relevant to the new role. Include a mix of hard and soft skills to show employers both your technical abilities and your interpersonal strengths. If you want, you can also highlight your proficiency level to show your expertise in each skill.
- JavaScript (advanced)
- Python (intermediate)
- Agile and Scrum methodologies (advanced)
- Problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Effective communication
- Team collaboration
How to describe yourself on a resume
For many people, it’s tough to talk about themselves without feeling boastful or arrogant. But there are ways to describe yourself on a resume that sound confident, and not cocky.
Follow these tips and ideas for good things to say about yourself on a resume:
Brainstorm descriptive words
Before you start writing, brainstorm some descriptive words to use on your resume. Think about the unique talents or strengths that set you apart from others. For example, do you rarely get flustered at work, even in stressful situations? You might describe yourself as “composed,” “poised,” or “calm under pressure.”
If you need inspiration, here are some other good descriptive words for a resume:
- Adaptable
- Analytical
- Charismatic
- Creative
- Customer-oriented
- Dependable
- Driven
- Motivated
- Passionate
- Proactive
- Resourceful
- Results-focused
- Strategic
- Trustworthy
List your accomplishments
On a resume, accomplishments speak louder than words. Make a list of all the achievements you’d had in your career. These might include major projects you’ve completed, awards you’ve won, or promotions you’ve earned.
You can also include smaller wins on your resume. For example, did you find a faster way to complete a task, or become an unofficial mentor for new hires? Achievements like these are also worth mentioning, because they show employers the type of employee you’d be in their organization.
Keep a master list of your achievements
As you progress throughout your career, it’s a good idea to keep an up-to-date list of your workplace achievements and contributions. Keep this list in a note on your phone or in a file on your computer.
Every time you do something worth celebrating, add it to the list. The next time you’re applying for jobs, you’ll be glad to have this list handy.
Look at the job description
If you’re not sure how to describe yourself on a resume, look at the job description for guidance. Highlight the words and phrases an employer uses to describe the ideal candidate, like “creative thinker” or “analytical researcher.” If the same words can also describe you, include them on your resume.
Not only does this show an employer why you’re perfect for the job, but it also helps your resume pass an applicant tracking system (ATS). These systems scan and rank resumes based on specific keywords and parameters.
Use power verbs
The words you use on a resume can also say a lot about your professional persona. Choose some strong action verbs and include them in your resume summary and work experience section. These words convey your potential for success in a new role.
Some strong power verbs for a resume include:
- Accomplished
- Advised
- Empowered
- Executed
- Implemented
- Initiated
- Optimized
- Resolved
- Shaped
- Spearheaded
- Strengthened
Include metrics
It’s one thing to say you can do something, but another to back it up with the data to prove it. Including quantifiable metrics can give your skills and accomplishments more weight. For example, instead of saying that you developed lesson plans for students, say that you implemented lesson plans that led to a 24% increase in student test scores.
Here are some common metrics to use in describing yourself in a resume:
- Sales or revenue growth
- Cost savings
- Customer satisfaction or retention rates
- Productivity or workflow improvements
- Quality improvements
- Team/project size or number of people led/helped
Tips for prompting good things to say about yourself on a resume
Struggling to think of some good things to put on a resume about yourself? Consider these tips:
- Ask your friends or co-workers. Sometimes, it’s easier to trust others’ opinions of yourself. Ask your friends or co-workers how they would describe you to someone you’ve never met. Note the words and phrases they use, especially the ones that come up repeatedly.
- Look over your past performance reviews. How have your past supervisors described you and your work? Go through past performance reviews or evaluations and look for phrases that describe your strengths, skills, and contributions.
- Talk to yourself like a friend. Practice talking to yourself the way you’d talk to a friend in the same situation. Give yourself a compliment when you deserve it, such as, “You did a great job on that project.” While it may feel awkward at first, this practice can help you get better at acknowledging and even celebrating your well-deserved wins.
- Use a resume tool for writing. Online resume tools, like resume.io’s resume builder, can be helpful if you get stuck on how to describe yourself on a resume. These tools can provide suggestions about what words to use and how to spotlight your achievements.
