Hear ye, hear ye... Stop it with the third-person resumes, already.
When you write a resume, your name and contact information are at the top of the page, right?
And you usually, if not always, include some kind of personal note, email or cover letter when you send that baby off to a hiring manager, HR person or other decision maker.
Yes?
Assuming so, the receiver will most assuredly deduce that the documents he or she is receiving are, indeed, from YOU.
And that YOU are the one interested in a specific opportunity with that particular organization.
Why, then, would you craft the resume in the third person?
Folks, this is not a stuffy old biography you've commissioned someone else to write for the back of a novel or textbook here.
It's your resume. And you should write it in the first person.
Always.
Now, there is a tricky part to this...
And this is where a lot of people get goofed up in the resume writing process.
When crafting your resume, you should remove the pronouns (such as "I" and "my") from each phrase or bullet point. Here's what I'm talking about:
Third person (bad, terrible in fact) =
"Possesses a natural ability to bring people together, forge business partnerships and maintain profitable, long-term relationships."
"Her deep industry experience brings a sense of comfort to clients and colleagues..."
First person with pronoun included (also bad) =
"I possess a natural ability to bring people together, forge business partnerships and maintain profitable, long-term relationships."
"My deep industry experience brings a sense of comfort to clients and colleagues..."
First person with pronouns implied, but removed (good) =
"Possess a natural ability to bring people together, forge business partnerships and maintain profitable, long-term relationships."
"Deep industry experience brings a sense of comfort to clients and colleagues..."
Keep it professional, keep it consistent throughout the document.
Drop the third person stuffy.
Jenny Foss said so.
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Our Ridiculously Awesome Resume Kit includes even more helpful tips to help you navigate the do’s and dont’s of creating an awesome resume.
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