How to Describe Yourself on a Resume (With Examples)

The words you use to describe yourself on a resume can dramatically impact your ability to make the right kind of first impression on prospective employers. As a result, it’s critically important to know how to describe yourself on a resume in a way that immediately captures an employer’s attention. 

But what’s the best way to accomplish that goal?

In this article, we’ll explore some vital resume tips that can help ensure your resume stands out from the competition. We’ll also show you how to use your resume summary as an “about me” presentation and provide examples of the types of words you can use to effectively describe yourself for employers.

How to describe yourself on a resume: top tips 

If you’re someone who struggles to talk about your positive traits and achievements, you’re not alone. Many people feel more comfortable praising other people but have a difficult time bragging about their own strengths. 

Part of learning how to describe yourself on a resume involves employing the right tips to describe yourself in a positive manner.

1. Consult with friends and peers

One way to describe yourself professionally on a resume is to ask your peers, friends, and managers for input. To get a full and comprehensive perspective, make sure you ask for feedback from people in your personal and professional lives. Here are some questions you can ask to get the right kind of feedback:

• 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?

2. Use input from past performance reviews

Another way to develop self-descriptive words for a resume is to reflect on past performance reviews. 

• What did your supervisors have to say about you? 

• What about coworkers who provided input? 

• What were some of the strengths and achievements emphasized? 

Positive performance reviews can almost always provide what you need to figure out how to describe yourself in a resume.

3. Create and maintain a “brag book” of achievements

If you’re not maintaining a brag book, it’s never too late to start. To create a journal of your achievements, start by creating a list of your strongest skills and character traits. Then, list some of your most impressive achievements and take note of the skills you used to accomplish those results.

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. 

Once you’ve created your brag book, try to regularly update it with your most recent accomplishments. That will guarantee you always have great examples of achievements for your resume or interview and help you better identify the positive words you need to use to describe yourself in a resume.

4. Examine the job description

If you're still struggling to figure out how to describe yourself on a resume, go back and review the job description. Highlight any skills, knowledge, and requirements you possess that align with the job. Those are likely to be keywords the company expects to see in every candidate resume submission.

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.

5. Focus on your strengths

It’s helpful to remember that you shouldn’t be focused on your weaknesses when you’re creating your resume. Chances are that you’ll get an opportunity to discuss a weakness if you get selected for an interview, and they ask, “What is your greatest weakness?”

It’s good to be self-aware and humble about your strengths and weaknesses, of course – but your resume is no place to emphasize your shortcomings. Focus only on the strengths that demonstrate your qualifications for the job. 

Remember, your resume is a billboard designed to sell you as the best candidate for an open position. 

6. Be unique

As you think about how to describe yourself on a resume and are developing a list of strengths, try to identify some unique adjectives that are specific to your qualifications. It can be as simple as looking up synonyms for commonly used phrases. 

For example, instead of incorporating the commonly used term “creative,” you might use words like inventive or prolific. Just make sure you avoid words that come across as excessively boastful or that exaggerate your qualifications.

 How to describe yourself on a resume: create your own “about me” section

Your resume should also have a section that basically serves as an “about me” summary. This is commonly called the profile or summary section and can be tailored to fit each job you’re seeking. It should be placed near the top of your resume, right below your contact information and resume headline to make sure it’s one of the first things employers read as they skim your resume.

Within this section, you should include information like your job title, key qualifications, and achievements that demonstrate your fitness for the role. It’s a good idea to write this section last, so you can highlight key resume details you want the employer to know about you. 

To create your own resume “about me” summary, focus on including the following details:

• Your job title and level of experience

• A couple of key skills that help you meet the requirements for your desired position

• A notable achievement that shows one or more of those skills

• Optional language that outlines your current career goal

For example:

People-first supervisor with seven years of experience in team building, coaching, and leadership. Skilled in project management, training, and employee development. Known for achieving a 20% increase in sales by successfully leading high-functioning sales teams.

Like any profile statement, this “about me” section should be as brief as possible – no more than a few concise sentences in length. The goal is to deliver a short but compelling pitch that successfully captures the employer’s attention and sparks enough interest for them to continue reading the rest of your resume.

How to describe yourself on a resume: examples of descriptive words

Of course, many of the best words you’ll use to help you describe yourself on a resume will be adjectives. 

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Examples of powerful adjectives for your resume

Here are just a few of the many so-called power adjectives you can 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. 

Additional words that you should consider using in your resume include:

Descriptive verbs for a resume

Action verbs are also critically important for making your employment 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. Hard skills include all those job-specific abilities that are required to perform your duties. Soft skills are interpersonal skills that are transferable from one job to another. Don’t forget to analyze the job description to figure out which skills you need to highlight in your resume.

Unusual words to describe yourself on a resume

The best way to describe yourself on a resume and set yourself apart in a saturated job market is to be creative and specific. Below are some less commonly used words that may help you grab an employer’s attention:

• Astute

• Fervent

• Serene

• Valiant

• Jovial

• Inventive 

• Articulate

• Meticulous

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

Yes, there are some words to leave out of your resume. They include words that are often overused, generic, highly subjective, or boastful. Here are a few examples:

Likable

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 without directly making that claim. For example, try using words like team player, compassionate, or energetic. 

Intelligent 

Don't boldly declare your intelligence since that could come across as overly confident or even conceited. Instead, use words like big-picture thinker, agile, and quick learner to illustrate your level of intellect.

Successful

If you just say that you’re successful, the claim is meaningless to most employers. After all, everyone defines success differently. 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. 

• Go-getter

• Best

• Go-to-person

• Outside the box thinker

• Proactive

• Seasoned

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, it’s time to learn where they belong in your resume. There are three main areas where you can insert these words:

• Resume summary. Your resume summary falls just below your contact information and is the main area where you'll incorporate self-descriptive adjectives, along 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. 

Use a variety of self-descriptive words on your resume

Knowing how to describe yourself on a resume will make all the difference in the world to your eventual job search success. By using the tips and examples in this guide, you should be well-equipped to update your resume with powerful descriptive language that helps you make a great impression on any employer.

Are you still wondering how to describe yourself in a resume and think you might benefit from a free resume review? Get your review today and let our experts provide the help you need to optimize your resume.

This article was originally written by Ronda Suder and has been updated by Ken Chase.