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When crafting your resume, one of the most daunting elements is constructing the descriptions of your work experience, volunteer work, projects, and other relevant activities. It’s crucial that each description of your employment history and volunteer experience is precise, succinct, and descriptive. After reading your descriptions, a potential employer should have a comprehensive understanding of the roles you’ve held, the skills you’ve developed, your areas of expertise, and the accomplishments you’ve achieved.
To help you write impactful and concise descriptions, here are some useful tips:
Begin each entry with the name of the organization, location, dates, and job title (e.g., coordinator or volunteer). List your experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.
Use concise phrases with strong verbs to describe your responsibilities. Focus on highlighting the skills and qualities you possess that are relevant to the industry you work in. Incorporate key industry terms to demonstrate to potential employers how well you fit their organization and the role they are looking to fill.
Utilize a variety of action words to avoid repetitive language. Use present tense for current actions and past tense for activities you are no longer participating in.
Avoid using pronouns like “I,” “and,” and “the,” as well as prepositions. Quantify your achievements and responsibilities wherever possible using numerical figures, monetary values, and percentages.
Avoid summarizing or describing the firm or organization you worked for. Focus on detailing your own duties and accomplishments within that specific role or organization.
Limit your descriptions to the three or four most significant points. For example:
Summers 20XX-20XX Assistant Manager/Head Lifeguard Position at The Swim Club, Anywhere, Pennsylvania
Resolved customer issues and ensured customer and visitor safety
Supervised and trained six lifeguards on swim club policies
Utilized Excel to create schedules for lifeguards, private lessons, and pool activities
Assisted manager in overall swim club management
Looking at resume samples provided by Steinbright can help inspire ideas on how to effectively showcase your skills and experiences.
Highlighting Your International Experience
Studying, working, and volunteering in a foreign country can help enhance a variety of skills, including:
Adaptability to new environments, cultures, languages, customs, and business practices
Improved communication skills in various settings
Enhanced critical thinking and problem-solving abilities
Independence and time management skills
Financial management and budgeting skills
Boosted confidence and initiative
Global perspective and cultural competency
Networking and interpersonal skills
Verbs to Showcase Your International Experience on Your Resume
Adapted, developed, managed, collaborated, improved, organized, practiced, realized, represented, recognized, shared, traveled, visited, and more can be used to describe your international experiences on your resume.
