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Make it Vivid: How to Make Your Resume Stand Out from the Pile

  • Resume and CV
Picture of Angela Guido

Angela Guido

When it comes to crafting the best possible resume for your potential employers, job applications or business school admissions, it takes more than appropriate formatting and results-driven bullets. Those key standards of measurement will take you a long way toward having a strong resume, but as you reach the final stages of revision, it’s imperative to think even more carefully about how to connect with your resume reader. Follow the final resume rules below to give your resume that personal touch and make it memorable.

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Make your resume vivid

You’ve made it to the last step of writing a compelling resume! If you’ve read my other Resume Protocol articles, you know how to ensure your resume is reader-friendly. You know how to ensure your resume makes an impact on recruiters. And you know how to format a mean resume! (If you don’t, go find out how!!!)

But there’s a final component to resume craftsmanship that will take your resume from strong to standout. And that missing piece is vividness. So here are three steps to follow to make that resume vivid.

Incorporate vivid details into your achievements

The idea behind vividness in a resume is that you really bring those professional experiences, soft skills, leadership skills, impacts and results that you’re citing to life for the reader. Going a step beyond cause and effect in your bullets, you’re making sure your reader can picture exactly what it is that you delivered as an employee, volunteer, innovator, etc.

The goal in this final (I promise!) stage is to make your bullets personal and relatable, so add as much colorful detail as your company’s confidentiality norms and the two-line limit will allow.

Okay. Let’s look at this method of bullet enhancement in action.

Which of the following bullets do you prefer? (Note: Both bullets are already fairly strong, per the High School, CEO, and Cause & Effect tests.)

  • Drove raw material sourcing cost savings of $8M by creating a cost optimization plan for CPG client based on in-depth modeling of alternative sourcing scenarios
  • Drove organic ingredient sourcing cost savings of $8M by creating a cost optimization plan for Fortune 500 beverage company based on in-depth modeling of alternative sourcing scenarios

Both of these bullets pass the Cause and Effect Test, but notice how much more relatable the second one is when we add the colorful detail!

When you know this result is about organic beverage ingredients, the meaning of the bullet connects better with your brain because it’s grounded in reality. It’s no longer some conceptual disembodied impact. It’s about a beverage!! You drink beverages! And so does the admissions committee member or recruiter! You know what kinds of things go into them. In fact, maybe this is one you drink!! Maybe it’s Coke or Dr. Pepper or PBR!!

The bullet means more to a reader when they can connect it to what they know.

So once all your bullets pass the High School, CEO, and Cause and Effect tests, go back in and add as much vivid detail as you can while still (one more time, for good measure…)

  • Not exceeding two lines per bullet, and
  • Preserving confidentiality

A note on confidentiality in the resume…

As far as confidentiality goes, respect the norms of your company.

This is especially important in industries like client service and government work. I have worked with clients whose resumes started like this: “I was somewhere doing something, and it went well, but I can’t tell you what it was or where or who was with me.” (I’m only barely exaggerating here.)

It is a unique and fun challenge to convey meaningful results when confidentiality constraints are high. But confidentiality can be a big deal, and if you violate it in your resume, you will completely destroy the trust of the reader. So as you look for vivid details to include, go as far as you can without crossing the line.

For example: you could write “Fortune 500 Beverage Company” instead of “PepsiCo.” Fortune 500 gives us the sense the company is big and important and listed, and “beverage” tells us the product and industry. That’s as much as we need to know for the bullet to be more meaningful without revealing a client relationship that’s confidential.

Use fresh, unexpected action verbs in your bullets

I covered this in my 9 rules for building the best possible resume, but it’s worth revisiting here just to stress the impact that a colorful (mind, I’m not talking swear words here) and wide-ranging vocabulary can have on the reader’s impression of your resume – and through that document, of you!

You have no idea (or, if you’ve worked in HR, maybe you do) how refreshing it is to pick up a resume that isn’t peppered with “led,” “responsible for,” “duties included”…. ACK!

Choosing fresh and thoughtful verbs in your resume shows initiative and reveals a certain cast of mind – it suggests creativity, innovation, and a free-thinkingness that employers and admissions committee members find very attractive. It also implies a higher level of consideration for the reader, who will have to read dozens or even hundreds of these documents (often all at once).

So if you haven’t already, check out these two categorized lists from The Muse: 185 action verbs to replace the tired ‘ole regulars, and Indeed: 139 action verbs to make your resume stand out.

Make that 'Interests' section carry its weight!

Think that ‘Interests' section on your resume is just a waste of space? Think again!!!

Okay, I’ll level with you for a second. That section might be a waste of space as you’re currently using it (and valuable space at that, with a one-page resume!!). But it shouldn’t be.

The Interests section of an effective resume is actually a very valuable and underrated part of the document. Vivid details in your bullets help the reader relate to your results and accomplishments, while the interests that you choose to share on your resume give them the chance to relate to you as a person. “Oh, she likes film noir? Tennis? Chess? Me too!!!”

If you take advantage of this section, your resume could give you and a potential interviewer something to chat about – and a golden opportunity to establish rapport – before those hard-hitting questions even come up!

So how do you strengthen your Interests section?

Once again, the answer is vivid detail. Tell the reader more about your interests than you’ve been trained to think necessary in standard resume how-tos, while still working within that two-line rule.

To take one example, don’t just say “Reading.” Everyone has to read something pretty much every day in some fashion. That’s nothing to bond over. What do you read? Are you an avid reader of mystery novels or the New Yorker? Use your communication skills to convey a strong impression of what you find emotive or genuinely uplifting, and leave a lasting impression.

Don’t write “Running.” What kinds of races do you run? Do you prefer team sports, running in a pack, or are you a marathoner, or are 5Ks more your speed? What races have you completed recently? Did you PR?

Choose a handful of genuine passions (2 or 3 will do, 5-6 max!), and in just a few words go into depth about them.

Give your reader real insight into what you love to do outside work. Maybe they’ll share some of those interests and want to learn even more about you!!

Welp, here we are at the end of my Resume Protocol. I hope you learned loads along the way and feel ready to take that dusty ‘ole resume from weak to wow level. Impactful action verbs! Key achievements with real emotion, speaking as yourself with your interpersonal skills to relate a genuine, lasting impression of who you are. It's a competitive job market out there, and failing to adequately let your key skills and academic achievements shine will miss the mark on your possible path to your dream job. Be you.

Dive into more of our career enrichment insights on our Happy at Work blog. And if you have any burning questions or want a buddy for the remainder of your career journey, reach out to us!

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