How to describe yourself on your resume

Don't. A resume is meant to be an objective presentation of your qualifications, not a subjective description of your character.

We've all seen resumes where the person has described themselves as results-oriented, self-motivated, innovative, dynamic, well-rounded, or a natural born leader. Does that impress the reader? I don't think so.

There is absolutely no reason for the recruiter to believe you when you describe yourself. They know that you are writing about yourself for the purpose of getting a job, so are you really going to say anything negative? Of course not. Are you objective? Of course not. So why bother? At best the recruiter will just skip over those sections to get to your experience. At worst they will become irritated by your smokescreens or consider you arrogant. It's a risk either way.

Then why would the recruiter believe anything on your resume? If they don't take your personal descriptions of yourself at face value, why would they trust anything? After all, you could be lying about everything else on your resume too.

First, let me clarify that I'm not saying recruiters will assume you are lying if you describe yourself on your resume. I'm saying they have no reason to believe it, one way or the other. It's a stalemate.

Second, other aspects of your resume will come across as believable due to the nature of the information. In other words, when someone says they managed a store with $2M in sales, they probably did. When someone says they have excellent leadership skills, well...that's up for debate. They may in fact be excellent leaders but the recruiter won't place a check mark beside "great leadership skills" just because the applicant put that on their resume. Once an interview has been conducted and references have been checked, then maybe they will get a check mark for leadership.

I don't believe describing yourself adds any value to your resume, and it could detract from the value that you do show. Instead, focus on your accountability and achievements, and allow the reader to form their own conclusions.

Note: Third-party testimonials can be very helpful on a resume. If your last boss described you as "versatile, dynamic, and influential" in a written recommendation, that will carry a lot more weight and can be included on your resume.

Cheers!