Do you want to make your resume more compelling? Add testimonials.

Why?

The majority of resumes are written in first-person voice. You’re basically saying, “I did this. And I did that.” All this talking about yourself can get monotonous, and even hard to believe. (Employers are catching on to the majority of people who lie on their resumes.)

But if you add someone else’s voice to your resume, you add credibility. Yes, it’s true that you could be fabricating these testimonials, but if done correctly, you could pique the interest of hiring managers who liked what your contacts had to say. Follow these tips to find and use testimonials in your resume:

Where to find them:

• Performance reviews. Scour your performance reviews — you will probably find wonderful quotes you can use (the good stuff only!).
• References. Colleagues, supervisors, employees, customers, vendors, business associates — anyone who would have something positive to say about you can write you a reference letter. You can then pull the strongest, most relevant quotes from the letter and use in your resume.
• Informal thank-you notes. Did you ever get an email or card from a grateful customer, your boss, or a team member thanking you for your help or contribution? If so, great — there’s your testimonial.
• Social networking sites. Some of the leading social networking sites like LinkedIn allow people to add testimonials to your profile page. If you have received a nice testimonial, ask the contact for permission to use it on your resume.

How to incorporate them:

• Add a Testimonials section. You can call the section “Testimonials,” “Supervisor Comments,” or a name that best describes the nature of your testimonials. If space is tight, create a final page of your resume called “Addendum” and include the testimonials there.
• Add to your Qualifications Summary. You can offset a testimonial by centering the quote and writing it in italics at the end of your summary.
• Incorporate excerpts throughout the resume. This works well on resumes that are in two-column format. Quotes can appear in the left margin, and you get brownie points if they are next to the job that the quote is referencing.
• Add to a list of accomplishments. If the quote is relevant to the job, you can add it to a bulleted list of job-related accomplishments.
• Use your cover letter. This is another great place to incorporate a testimonial or two.
• Be creative! You can include a quote wherever it seems to fit best. But don’t overdo it — testimonials are meant to enhance your resume, not take it over.

Testimonial etiquette:

• Ask permission before using your reference’s name, contact information, and/or quotes in your resume.
• Edit the testimonial down to the most important facts (but don’t change what the person has said without permission). Testimonials should be short and sweet or hiring managers’ eyes will start to glaze over. Check out Grammar Girl’s tips on how to use ellipses (scroll to the section on the omission ellipsis) to learn how to cut unnecessary words or sentences from long quotes.
• Use professional references — the strongest testimonials are from people who know you professionally. We all know Aunt Betty thinks you’re the greatest!
• Be relevant. Make sure the testimonial supports your resume’s message. For example, if you are seeking a leadership position, look for testimonials that outline project successes, outcomes of management initiatives, and other business benefits.
• Be current. A testimonial from 30 years ago is virtually useless today. Seek out quotes that refer to recent accomplishments.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs