We recently shared two career tips focused on developing your résumé. One was on understanding the purpose, and the other was on putting it together.

This time, we’ll share how to make your résumé enjoyable.

We often tell students that a boring résumé is a bad résumé. This is one of our favorite topics to expand on this week.

It might seem obvious, but many students do not consider this when building a résumé.

Yes, skills are the most critical to getting through the process, but if a thousand people apply for a job, at least five or more will likely have the right skills.

It then comes down to other factors to get the interview. This is where being attractive can be vital.

Describe Your Success, Not List It

There are two main components to being more attractive. The first is to write your achievement statements more descriptive and specific.

Here is an example: you could note, “Managed a large construction project,” or “Managed the construction of a US$120 million cement factory in Indonesia.”

The first statement could be more explicit despite showing project management skillsets. Because the second one is more specific and descriptive, it is significantly more exciting and memorable.

After reviewing a stack of résumés, the reviewer will remember the second statement more. Let me take a second look at the Indonesia cement candidate—the reviewer might say.

To Be Interesting, Do Interesting Things

The second component is doing exciting and relevant activities. This could be studying and working in multiple or exciting geographies.

This happens over a more extended time and may not be possible for all. However, We encourage you to find opportunities to boost your “interest” score when they come along.

Our first job after university was in Alaska, and for many years, interviewers would say, “Wow, Alaska. How was that?”

Another way to demonstrate enjoyable, relevant activities is through the “other” or “miscellaneous” section used for sports, performing arts, hobbies, and volunteer work.

Listing one or two other activities can demonstrate relevant skills and show how interesting you are.

Please remember that you need to show action. If your hobby is “watching movies,” that is passive, generic, and boring. “

Write a weekly blog reviewing horror movies that amassed 5,000 followers.” now that is better because it demonstrates action and is specific.

You may ask, “Is this really important?” When a reviewer gets to the final five candidates, all will be qualified to do the job.

Will the reviewer shortlist the person with no exciting activities? Or will the reviewer shortlist the woman who’s climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and the man who is an amateur standup comedian?

Giving yourself just a bit of flavor can be a deciding factor.

Conclusion

To recap, a boring résumé is a bad résumé. You can make your résumé more enjoyable by being more descriptive and specific in stating your achievements and responsibilities. You can also add your sports, hobbies, and volunteer work to show how interesting you are. Do not be afraid to let a bit of yourself shine through.

Learn more about developing a winning résumé, building a solid network, and other insights on professional growth from our regular Career Tips series.