10 Personal Traits to Describe in Your Resume

Allied OneSource • September 13, 2021

It's important to have good work experience and education section in your resume. But did you think about showing off your personality traits too?

When there's a pool of equally qualified people going for the same job, employers look for more than just experience and education. So, how do you stand out? Your personality can help you stand out and get called in for an interview. Learn about important personal qualities that can effectively improve your resume and show your professional skills and a well-rounded image of yourself!

Practical Qualities to Use on Your Resume

Unless you're an emotionless robot, employers want to know about your human side—your personality, traits, values, likes, and dislikes. Aside from knowing you can do the job, they want reliable people who can work well with others.

Your traits matter because they reflect your human, individual aspects, contributing value to your professional qualifications and achievements. Including these qualities on your resume helps demonstrate why and how you can benefit the organization.

However, listing personal qualities on your resume might not fully convey their importance to potential employers. To make them more effective, share attributes with specific real-life examples illustrating how you've applied them in different situations.

1. Integrity

Employers are hesitant to hire someone they don't trust. Integrity means having and upholding strong moral values and work ethics. People with integrity don't settle for the minimum; they always strive to do their best. Jobs are a commitment, and employers want to know you'll follow through your responsibilities when they hire you.

Describe it in your resume:
As the System Security Analyst, I played a pivotal role in designing and implementing robust security protocols for a confidential client database. I upheld strict confidentiality standards, earning praise from clients for ensuring the utmost privacy and security of their sensitive data. The team's trust in my commitment to data integrity and security resulted in seamless collaboration and successful project outcomes.

2. Accountability

Being accountable is essential in any organization. It means you're dependable and can be relied upon for various tasks, even those involving risks.

So, how can you showcase this? Sharing an instance from your past role where a mistake occurred, and you openly admitted your responsibility adds value. Give yourself extra credit if you describe your actions to resolve the situation.

Specify in your resume:
In a complex engineering project, I identified a miscalculation in a critical component, which resulted in a delay in project timelines. Recognizing the impact, I took immediate accountability for the oversight, openly acknowledging the mistake to my team and project stakeholders.

Learning from this experience, I conducted a thorough analysis to understand the miscalculation’s root cause. I then implemented revised quality control measures, incorporating additional checks and cross-verification protocols to prevent similar errors in future projects.

3. Enthusiastic and Hardworking

No employer wants to hire a candidate who takes extended time for even the simplest tasks or expresses frustration when given assignments.

Candidates displaying such behaviors often lack enthusiasm and personal drive. Employers, on the other hand, value individuals who demonstrate a sincere passion for their work, a positive attitude, consistently excel at tasks, and approach new challenges with eagerness.

To communicate your enthusiasm and personal drive on your resume, an effective approach is to use keywords such as "passionate," "driven," and "motivated" when describing your work history, past roles, and achievements.

Here's how:
As a sales assistant, I brought enthusiasm to each customer interaction, boosting monthly sales by 15 percent. I also took the initiative to create a loyalty program, showing my personal drive and contributing to a 12 percent increase in customer retention.

4. Initiative

This involves having a proactive mindset and the readiness to take independent action, often resulting in innovative solutions and improvements.

It represents an engaged approach where you don't wait for situations to unfold or occur naturally. Instead, you actively initiate action and seize opportunities. You consistently take the lead when necessary, demonstrating determination in overcoming obstacles and embracing challenges.

For example:
Took the initiative and independently led the revamp of the company's website and graphic design, improving the user experience and boosting online engagement.

5. Ability to Handle Pressure

Pressure is a common aspect of many workplaces, whether it's due to tight deadlines or the expectation to deliver exceptional work. What recruiters want to understand is how you navigate and handle this pressure as it is indicative of your composure, resilience, and capacity to excel under challenging conditions.

In your resume, you can provide examples of instances where you remained composed during stressful moments while successfully completing necessary tasks.

Describe it in your resume:
As a staff accountant, I identified and rectified discrepancies in financial records swiftly and strategically. In a time-sensitive audit situation, I successfully resolved discrepancies within 48 hours, showcasing an effective approach to time management for handling pressure and ensuring accurate financial data.

6. Creativity

Creativity involves thinking beyond conventional boundaries. Individuals with this attribute can devise solutions and present new ideas differently. Innovative and capable of approaching challenges uniquely, creative employees contribute to a diverse workforce. Employers want individuals who stand out because of their creativity, not just people who act like robots.

You can say:
I introduced a creative upselling technique by analyzing customer purchase patterns and preferences. Instead of conventional cross-selling, I curated personalized product bundles tailored to individual customer needs. This approach resulted in a 25 percent increase in average transaction value and contributed significantly to meeting and surpassing monthly sales targets.

7. Sociable

Being warm and open with colleagues doesn't require sacrificing personal comfort. Employees who are approachable and sociable often offer valuable assistance to their colleagues. While not everyone is naturally outgoing, there's always room for improvement in cultivating social skills that benefit your growth and create a harmonious work environment.

Highlight this trait by saying:
Implemented a "Team Connection Hour" initiative during breaks, encouraging a more casual and friendly atmosphere among colleagues. This approach strengthened relationships within our team, fostering a supportive work environment. The increased camaraderie positively impacted collaboration during high-demand periods, contributing to a more effective and cohesive call center team.

8. Willingness to Learn

Individuals with a strong desire to learn are dedicated to self-improvement, recognizing that they don't have all the answers and always have potential for growth. This self-awareness is appealing to employers, as candidates with this quality actively pursue opportunities to expand their professional and personal knowledge.

This way, they can keep making their work processes better and consistently improving outcomes.

Include it in your resume:
Enrolled in advanced coding bootcamps to enhance proficiency in Python and Java, showcasing a commitment to staying abreast of programming language developments.

Rapidly acquired expertise in cloud computing technologies, including AWS and Azure, through self-directed learning and hands-on projects.

9. Goal-Oriented

Result- or goal-oriented individuals are typically driven to overcome challenges and find effective solutions to problems to achieve their objectives. This implies a problem-solving mindset, making these traits versatile and valuable in various professional settings.

Having a competitive and ambitious career approach is fine if that ambition is self-directed and doesn't involve pushing others aside. Individuals focused on self-improvement contribute positively to both their personal growth and the growth of their employer.

Describe it in your resume:
Results-driven office administrator with a clear ambition for career growth. Actively pursued and completed advanced Microsoft Office certifications to enhance technical proficiency and contribute more effectively to organizational objectives.

10. Adaptability

In a constantly evolving work landscape, adaptability is important. Its value lies in the ability to navigate change and uncertainty with resilience and a proactive mindset. Unlike a rigid or overly cautious approach, being adaptable empowers employees to embrace new challenges, learn new skills, and thrive in dynamic environments.

Facing change fearlessly is a key part of being adaptable. Employees willing to explore the unknown are more likely to find innovative solutions, embrace diverse perspectives, and help the organization grow. In a rapidly changing professional world, fear of mistakes or hesitancy to step outside the comfort zone can impede personal and professional growth.

Describe it in your resume:
Executed a fearless guerrilla marketing campaign for a tech startup, challenging the traditional digital advertising field. Instead of traditional online ads, we organized a series of flash mobs in key urban areas, engaging directly with the target audience.

The bold approach led to a 30 percent increase in brand visibility, with social media buzzing about unexpected and memorable experiences. One notable success was a video of a flash mob going viral, resulting in widespread media coverage and a surge in website traffic.

Differentiate Yourself with a Clear Brand Identity

From the moment your resume is selected to the deliberation by interviewers, maintaining a clear and consistent identity helps you distinguish yourself in the talent pool.

Who you are.
What you do.
How you do it.
Who you do it for.

During a first date, you might use words like "carefree" and "compassionate" to describe yourself, but these terms don't apply in an interview. That's why it's vital to honestly share your personal qualities and present them as skills relevant to the job.

Ensure the message you want to convey in your resume is reflected in the interview. Any inconsistency could raise concerns for the interviewer. Being truthful about the personality traits you provide will facilitate this alignment.

Showcasing a blend of professional expertise and personal traits allows your resume to truly make a lasting impression on potential employers.

LET ALLIED ONESOURCE HELP YOU ENHANCE YOUR RESUME'S VISIBILITY

Empower your career journey with Allied OneSource. Let us amplify your resume, ensuring it reaches the right audience and opens doors to new career opportunities. Trust us to elevate your professional profile and help you stand out in the competitive job market.

Reach out to us today to guarantee that your resume captures the attention it deserves.

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