"I am not a boastful person. I feel uncomfortable talking about my successes and accomplishments. I don't think I'll be okay with boasting on my resume."
We've seen the resumes of highly accomplished candidates, who cloak their achievements in modest and drab words. Sometimes, they don't even mention some important events of their career, either thinking that it is not important or that it sounds too grand. And the result? A skilled, experienced worker, a great catch for any company – going around knocking on doors endlessly just because of an unimpressive resume.
A little bit of "boasting" or "bragging" is essential on a resume. But the key is to ensure that it does not sound like boasting. In fact, a resume that is overly boastful in nature, something that trumpets the candidates skills in your face, is viewed negatively by most employers.
So where do we draw the line between modesty and boasting?
- When you are writing your resume, if you know that you are not giving enough credit to yourself, but are afraid to go the other way for fear of sounding arrogant and pompous, relax. A resume has to be impressive and assertive for it to be of any use at all.
- Just tell the truth. Just as you wouldn't inflate your resume, you mustn't even downplay it. List down everything you've ever done in your career before you start on your resume. And then you'll know what is the most important, and what is less important. Work that into your resume accordingly. That way, you'll be sure that you haven't missed anything.
- The easiest and best way to put across your abilities without sounding pompous is to get rid of all the superlatives, the unnecessary adjectives, and instead, just quantify your achievements.
Example: A Boastful statement would look something this: "Took charge of department, successfully motivated employees and singlehandedly raised profits, thus exceeded by far the performance of predecessors."
Now look at this: "Initiated improvements in the new department, which resulted in increasing employee productivity by 30 % and a turnover of 1.5 Mn USD, up 40 % from previous quarter."
In the second example, you are stating the plain facts, but are not using words that sound like you are boasting. In addition, you are quantifying – two advantages in one!
- Employers and recruiters can recognize fluff and hot air when they see it. They would have gone through so many resumes that they will know immediately if a resume has any substance or not. If you are truthful, and have enough proof to back up your claims, you need not worry about coming across as boastful or arrogant.
- Use "bold" and "italics" to highlight the important parts of your resume – the skills and the achievements you feel are likely to best recommend you for the job.
- Use separate sections for a group of important skills, for example, computer skills, so that they don't go unnoticed, clubbed with all your other skills.
- Have a different section for your Awards, Honours, and Recognition.
So go ahead and give your resume the ego boost it deserves. All you need to do is show how your actions made a difference. And if any time you are not sure whether your resume has the right tone, get the help of professional resume-writers.
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