Spicing Up Boring Jobs on Your Resume

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Let’s face it – not every job is wildly exciting and filled with interesting projects or endeavors. Some positions and industries simply don’t lend themselves to that type of work. And while you may see what you do as “boring,” you certainly don’t want a potential employer to see it that way. What you’re doing may not be as interesting as you had hoped, but it’s still providing you with valuable experience and skills.

How you choose to frame you work can make all the difference. It’s all about the language you use. Now, we’re not suggesting that you over-embellish or flat-out lie about what you do, but there are ways you can position it to sound more interesting and engaging.

For instance, if answering the phone is a major part of your job, that’s something you want to include. But “answers phone” sounds dull. Instead, try something like:

• Greets customers and effectively addresses questions and concerns providing exceptional customer service.


• Addresses customer inquiries in a timely manner and directs incoming calls to appropriate staff.

It gives more life to what you do and shows how you’re contributing to make a difference. If you know your call volume, add that too.

Instead of summing up your work in a vague statement like “developed marketing initiatives,” highlight more specific examples of the work you’ve done:

• Grew sales by 31% through launch of Design a Widget contest; created online and print promotional materials and spearheaded social media engagement.


• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to design interactive promotional program and partnered with local media to increase market reach.

Be proud of your accomplishments and provide some detail about what you did, how you did it, and what the results were.

Pay attention to the verbiage you use as well. Try to start each bullet point with a different verb and pick ones that show action and results. Think about what it is a future employer is interested in. Consider using verbs such as coached, mentored, trained, orchestrated, eliminated, increased, executed, implemented, or restructured. These verbs pack more of a punch than “responsible for” or “tasked with.”

Try to look at your job from a different perspective. Think about what you enjoyed most, what you’re proudest of, and how you were an integral part of the company’s success. Even if you hated your job, there are always ways to make it sound more engaging and interesting without lying.

Source: B2C