Career Resource Center

How to Create an Inspirational Resume

Getting noticed in today’s fast-paced job market requires you to showcase your positive mindset, important accomplishments, key strengths, and self-confidence.

Take a deeper look at your current resume, does it inspire you? Does it demonstrate that you’re a truly valuable employee who would be a valuable asset to any team?  If not, it’s time for a rewrite!  Instead, your resume should inspire and motivate hiring decision-makers to bring you in for an interview as soon as they review your application.  However, if you don’t find your resume inspirational, it’s unlikely that anyone else is going to either.

Throughout this article, we’ll show why you need a positive and motivating resume, and – most importantly – how that resume can actually improve your overall confidence and success during your job search.  Of course, we’ll also be sharing our strategies for making your resume more inspirational.

Why an inspirational resume is vital to your career?

In all areas of your career, confidence is essential to your success, whether in asking for a raise, seeking a promotion, or offering your idea as the best solution to a problem.  Job searching is no different.  With that being said, self-confidence just isn’t enough to get the job done.  It’s also important to have confidence in the tools you’re using while you search for a better job.  Of course, the most important tool in any job search is the resume that you plan on submitting to hiring decision-makers.  Your resume is going to be the first impression you make on a potential employer, so it’s critical for you to be confident that you made a great first impression.

Even with the stakes so high, many people end up using a resume that fails to inspire.  Self-doubt and negativity creep into their writing, and they create a dry, uninspiring resume narrative.  Said another way, if you can’t be confident about your expertise and accomplishments, all that negativity will be showcased on your resume, and your job search will suffer the consequences.

Recapture your positive attitude

Famous authors like J.K. Rowling won’t even attempt to write if they’re not in the right mindset.  So, before you even start to work on your resume, it’s essential that you do so with a positive mindset and confidence in your own career.  For those who are more modest, remember that employers want you brag about yourself, so help them see the value you’re bringing to the table as an employee.  Modesty is a virtue, but it should never limit what you put on your resume!

To fully capture your confidence, take some time to reflect back on your career and uncover what you may have forgotten in the shuffle.  Remember just how far you’ve come in life, the obstacles that you pushed aside, and the impact you’ve had on your friends, colleagues, and employers.  Allow yourself to be inspired by your own story.

Once you’ve started reflecting on your story, accomplishments, and positive traits, it’s time to start writing these down.  You’ll want to include everything you can think of that has improved your company and community.  Remember, these notes are just for you, so don’t be afraid to really delve into the positive impacts you’ve made throughout your life.  Once you’ve reclaimed your positive mindset and written down your accomplishments, you can begin to transfer that same inspiration and positivity to your resume.

Strategies for identifying positive and inspiring achievements for your resume

We’ve included the following list of strategies that can help you properly focus on your inspirational accomplishments and showcase the important traits to include in your new resume.

Start a brag book

It’s never too late to start your own brag book, and if you don’t already have one, now is the time to create one.  As motivation expert, Adam Berguem says in his piece Writing a Brag Book, a brag book is a great tool for learning how to discuss your strengths and positive traits.

A brag book is the place where you record every measurable achievement that demonstrates how you positively impacted employers and customers.  Once you’ve written your book, you should keep it updated on a regular basis to ensure none of your accomplishments get lost.  Just think, are you going to remember in ten years that you increased sales by $1M in three months – only if you write it in your brag book.

Needless to say, your brag book is a great tool for everything from determining what positions you’re qualified for, to writing your actual resume, and even preparing for your next job interview.  A great brag book takes time to craft, so it’s important to get started right away so you’ll have this resource ready to boost your career.

Examine performance reviews and other feedback

Many employers give great assessments on your work, use these to your advantage by reviewing your assessments for positive statements to include in your new brag book.  Look for any compliments you’ve received from colleagues, managers, and clients – make sure to add this important feedback in your brag book too!

Create an achievement portfolio

To craft your achievement portfolio, focus on the measurable accomplishments you’ve had throughout your career.  Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Results) method to explain why your accomplishments were important.  Put simply, if you resolved a problem, explain why the problem was a big deal, discuss what you did to begin resolving the problem, and finally explain how solving the problem added value to your employer.

Strategies to help you add more inspiration to your resume

After identifying your achievements and expertise on your brag book, you can start doing a little bragging on your resume.  These strategies can help you select the most important areas of inspiration, craft a compelling narrative, and properly demonstrate the experience and results hiring decision-makers want to see.

  • Select the items from your brag book and portfolio that make you feel the most positive about the work that you do.  The things that are most exciting to you are also likely to be important to prospective employers.  Don’t forget to also showcase where you’ve helped others reach their own goals!
  • Ensure you’re matching each accomplishment to your experience and skills, so prospective employers can see how you’re going to bring that same value into their workplace.  As an example, you could link your time as a volunteer with the Red Cross by explaining that you spent four months using your team building skills to help organize hundreds of other volunteers.
  • Think about benchmarks and milestones you want to focus on during an interview and add those important areas to your resume. Which accomplishments were most impactful your employer?  Now, explain how you made those accomplishments were possible and why they were most impactful for the employer.  For example, “Cultivated a lucrative relationship with a new account and successfully expanded sales into the Northwest Region, thereby increasing overall sales revenue 14%”
  • Review your entire resume from top to bottom checking to make sure every statement is adding new information, compelling, and inspiring.  If you aren’t sure whether the resume is hitting its mark, ask a friend or family member to review it when you’re done.

Summary

Gaining confidence in your resume will help you navigate your job search.  Everyone knows it’s impossible to get the best results, if you can’t be confident in your own work and abilities.  The good news is that these strategies can help you craft an inspirational resume that will help you succeed in your job search and your career.

If you need some help, don’t be afraid to ask.  Our expert team of writers is always available to craft an inspirational resume that will get you hired.

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