APU Careers Careers & Learning

Your Resume Personality

resume-portfolioBy Rowe Leathers
Contributor, Career Services

A recent conversation with a client prompted me to contemplate how resumes reflect our personalities. Potential employers can garner a lot of important information about candidates by merely reading between the lines. Our resumes are not just a list of our life’s work, but a documentation of how we have performed in our careers and often times can be an indication of how well we will do in future job roles.

A resume communicates more than just your skills and experience; it is an extension of you as a potential employee and as a person. Your accomplishments in previous roles can provide insight to your future. From your document, employers may be able to surmise if you will be a motivated contributor to the organization, fit within the office culture, as well as whether or not you will have longevity in the position.

Your resume communicates not only your work experience; it conveys your work style, motivation, and ambition. Your careful choice of words, font, and formatting styles say volumes about the type of candidate you are. Each sentence conveys more than just the information it is stating; it conveys your energy as well.

As an example, a resume which is formatted with bullet points can easily be scanned, conveying a personality that is straight forward. On the other hand, long descriptions that cover every detail of your tasks suggest that you are meticulous to a fault. While we are not able to adjust our personalities, we can adjust our resumes to reflect our personality, work style, and interests.

Before sending out your resume, consider reviewing it with a few questions in mind:

•    Is my choice of words conveying the energy of a successful candidate?
•    What message am I sending with my choice of format and descriptions?
•    Are my previous accomplishments coming across?

By taking a few minutes to contemplate the message you are sending, as well as taking the extra time to adjust your message, you are ensuring that you are presenting yourself in the best light possible.

Comments are closed.