I recently talked about using active verbs on your resume, and to build off of that, I wanted to talk about how to get creative with language on your resume.
Often, people hold similar roles throughout their careers, which is why so many people find themselves with repetitive resumes. Get creative with language on your resume and highlight the differences between each role, while noting your various achievements in each position. You may have had the same role at three different companies, but it is very unlikely that you handled the exact same tasks without any variation at every single job.
What this means:
Consider an administrative assistant’s resume. Administrative assistants often have very similar job duties, regardless of for whom they are working. To add some variation to a resume, all an administrative assistant has to do is switch up their wording and phrasing when describing similar responsibilities.
Look at the following wording:
“Office manager handling in- and outbound phone calls, serving as first point of contact for client inquiries, and resolving minor disputes.”
Vs.
“Client relations specialist serving to engage clients over the phone, answer any questions, resolve problems, and direct calls to the correct point of contact.”
These two examples describe essentially the same job duties, but the unique wording makes the descriptions seem different.
Don’t be afraid to use resources:
You learned this as a child, but sometimes it can be easy to forget; resources are there so you can use them. You may be doing the same thing at different jobs, but you shouldn’t be using the same wording for each role on your resume. This is where you need to get creative. Use a thesaurus and look online to see how different job descriptions phrase similar responsibilities.
In fact, searching through job listings is a great way to draw inspiration for your own resume in general. You might even find some key words and phrases that capture the essence of your role and make great additions to your resume.
One of my favorite articles I look to for creative word choices is an article published by TIME magazine. I’ve bookmarked it to my toolbar so I can look to it whenever I get stuck or need some inspiration.
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When your career consists of similar jobs and/or roles, it’s easy to fall into the trap of repetitive language on your resume, however this creates a boring document that will negatively affect your job search. Get creative with language on your resume, highlight the unique differences in each role, and use the resources at your fingertips to create an intriguing and effective resume.