Good Characteristics to Put on a Resume: Traits That Impress Employers
Technical skills get you noticed. Characteristics get you hired. While employers screen for specific qualifications and experience, the ultimate hiring decision often hinges on personal characteristics—the qualities that indicate how you’ll actually perform, collaborate, and grow within their organization.
The challenge lies in presenting characteristics effectively. Simply listing “hardworking” or “team player” adds little value and wastes precious resume space. Employers have heard these self-descriptions countless times and reasonably wonder whether they’re accurate.
The most persuasive approach demonstrates characteristics through concrete examples rather than merely claiming them. This comprehensive guide helps you identify which characteristics matter most, understand how to present them effectively, and avoid the common pitfalls that undermine character-based claims.
Understanding What Employers Really Want
Before deciding which characteristics to highlight, understand what employers actually value and why certain traits matter more than others.
The Research on Valued Characteristics
Surveys of hiring managers consistently identify certain characteristics as most valuable:
Communication skills top nearly every list. The ability to convey ideas clearly, listen effectively, and adapt communication style to different audiences proves essential across virtually all roles.
Problem-solving ability matters because every job involves obstacles. Employers want people who can analyze situations, identify solutions, and act decisively.
Adaptability has become increasingly important as business conditions change rapidly. Flexibility in response to shifting priorities, new technologies, and evolving responsibilities drives success.
Work ethic remains fundamental. Employers need people who will complete their responsibilities reliably, put in necessary effort, and take ownership of outcomes.
Teamwork matters because nearly all modern work involves collaboration. The ability to work effectively with others determines much of professional success.
Leadership extends beyond management positions. Taking initiative, influencing others positively, and driving results are valuable at any level.
Why Character Matters in Hiring
Employers invest significantly in each hire—recruiting costs, training time, management attention, and opportunity costs if the hire fails. Technical skills predict whether someone can do the job; character predicts whether they will do it well and fit within the organization.
Productivity: Characteristics like initiative, persistence, and conscientiousness directly affect how much value employees create.
Retention: Employees whose characteristics align with organizational culture stay longer.
Team dynamics: One person with poor characteristics can damage an entire team’s effectiveness.
Growth potential: Characteristics like learning orientation and adaptability indicate long-term potential.
Risk reduction: Hiring someone with strong character reduces the chance of problems—ethical lapses, interpersonal conflicts, or reliability issues.
Role-Specific Emphasis
While some characteristics matter universally, others carry more weight in specific contexts:
Customer-facing roles: Patience, empathy, communication, composure under pressure.
Technical roles: Attention to detail, analytical thinking, continuous learning, problem-solving.
Leadership roles: Decision-making, influence, strategic thinking, people development.
Creative roles: Innovation, initiative, openness to feedback, creative problem-solving.
High-pressure environments: Resilience, composure, adaptability, reliability under stress.
Top Characteristics Employers Value
Let’s examine the characteristics most valued by employers and how to present them effectively.
Communication Skills
What it means: Clear written and verbal expression, active listening, adapting style to audience, presenting ideas persuasively.
Why it matters: Every role requires information exchange. Miscommunication creates inefficiency, errors, and conflict.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Presented quarterly results to 50+ stakeholders”
- “Authored department newsletter reaching 200 employees”
- “Led cross-functional meetings aligning 5 departments on project priorities”
What to avoid: Simply stating “excellent communication skills” proves nothing.
Problem-Solving
What it means: Analytical thinking, identifying root causes, generating solutions, making decisions with incomplete information.
Why it matters: Organizations pay for results, and results often require overcoming obstacles.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Resolved chronic inventory discrepancy issue that had persisted for 3 years”
- “Developed workaround for system limitation, saving estimated $200K replacement cost”
- “Troubleshot production issues, reducing downtime by 60%”
What to avoid: Generic claims about being a “problem solver” without evidence.
Adaptability
What it means: Flexibility with change, learning new approaches quickly, maintaining effectiveness in shifting conditions.
Why it matters: Business conditions change constantly. Rigid employees become liabilities.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Pivoted marketing strategy mid-campaign based on emerging data, improving results 40%”
- “Learned new CRM system in 2 weeks, training 15 colleagues on implementation”
- “Managed team through three organizational restructures while maintaining productivity”
What to avoid: Claiming adaptability while resume suggests repeated short tenures (which might signal inability to adapt).
Work Ethic
What it means: Reliability, conscientiousness, following through on commitments, maintaining standards without constant supervision.
Why it matters: All other characteristics are irrelevant if someone won’t actually do the work.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Maintained 100% project delivery record across 4-year tenure”
- “Achieved perfect attendance while leading department in productivity metrics”
- “Completed certification program while managing full-time responsibilities”
What to avoid: Clichés like “hardworking” or “dedicated” without supporting evidence.
Teamwork
What it means: Collaboration, supporting colleagues, contributing to group success, navigating interpersonal dynamics productively.
Why it matters: Virtually all work involves coordination with others. Individual brilliance matters less than team effectiveness.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Collaborated with engineering, design, and marketing to launch product 3 weeks ahead of schedule”
- “Mentored 5 junior team members, 3 of whom received promotions”
- “Led peer recognition program increasing team engagement scores 25%”
What to avoid: Simply stating “team player” adds nothing meaningful.
Leadership
What it means: Taking initiative, influencing without authority, developing others, driving results through people.
Why it matters: Organizations need people who move things forward, regardless of title.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Initiated and led process improvement initiative saving $500K annually”
- “Coordinated 12-person cross-functional team without direct authority”
- “Developed training program adopted company-wide”
What to avoid: Claiming leadership while examples show only following direction.
Attention to Detail
What it means: Thoroughness, accuracy, catching errors, maintaining quality standards.
Why it matters: Details determine quality. Carelessness creates problems and costs.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Reduced report error rate from 5% to 0.2% through implementation of review process”
- “Managed $10M budget with zero audit findings”
- “Maintained 99.9% accuracy in data entry across 50,000+ records”
What to avoid: Having this characteristic undermined by typos in your resume.
Initiative
What it means: Self-starting behavior, identifying opportunities without prompting, going beyond requirements.
Why it matters: Proactive employees create value that waiting employees miss.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Identified untapped customer segment, personally developing strategy that generated $1M in new revenue”
- “Volunteered to lead challenging project others avoided, delivering successful outcome”
- “Proposed and implemented automation reducing manual work 15 hours weekly”
What to avoid: Examples that suggest waiting for direction rather than taking action.
Continuous Learning
What it means: Growth mindset, acquiring new skills, staying current, applying learning to work.
Why it matters: Skills become outdated; learning orientation ensures ongoing relevance.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Completed 5 certifications relevant to role advancement”
- “Self-taught Python to automate reporting, reducing preparation time 80%”
- “Attended industry conferences, implementing insights that improved department practices”
What to avoid: Listing outdated certifications or showing no recent learning activity.
Integrity
What it means: Honesty, ethical behavior, keeping commitments, transparency.
Why it matters: Trust is foundational to all organizational relationships.
How to demonstrate on resume:
- “Selected for ethics committee based on reputation for fairness”
- “Entrusted with confidential client data, maintaining 100% compliance”
- “Recognized for transparent communication during difficult organizational transitions”
What to avoid: This characteristic is difficult to claim directly; demonstration through examples works better.
How to Present Characteristics Effectively
Claiming characteristics directly rarely persuades. Demonstrating them through concrete examples creates credibility.
The Show, Don’t Tell Principle
Telling: “I am a detail-oriented professional.”
Showing: “Identified billing discrepancy that saved company $45K—previous audits had missed it.”
The first version is an unsubstantiated claim anyone could make. The second demonstrates the characteristic through undeniable evidence.
The STAR Method for Characteristics
Structure characteristic demonstrations using Situation-Task-Action-Result:
Situation: Brief context Task: What you needed to accomplish Action: What characteristic-driven behavior you exhibited Result: Quantified outcome
Example (demonstrating initiative): “Noticed declining customer satisfaction scores (Situation). Without prompting, analyzed root causes (Task). Developed and proposed new service protocol (Action). Implementation improved scores from 78% to 94% (Result).”
Strategic Placement
Characteristics can be demonstrated throughout your resume:
Professional summary: Briefly introduce key characteristics that define your professional identity.
Experience section: Show characteristics in action through accomplishment bullets.
Skills section: Include soft skills alongside technical skills, but sparingly.
Cover letter: Expand on characteristic demonstrations that resume space limits.
Tools like 0portfolio.com can help you identify and present characteristics effectively, ensuring they’re demonstrated through your experience rather than simply claimed.
Matching Characteristics to Job Requirements
Analyze job postings for characteristic requirements:
Explicit mentions: “Must be adaptable to changing priorities”
Implicit requirements: Fast-paced startup likely values initiative and adaptability.
Cultural indicators: “Collaborative environment” signals teamwork importance.
Emphasize characteristics matching each position’s requirements.
Characteristics to Approach Carefully
Some characteristics require careful handling to avoid undermining your candidacy.
”Perfectionism”
The risk: Can signal difficulty completing work, inflexibility, or poor prioritization.
Better approach: Demonstrate attention to quality where it matters while showing you meet deadlines and can prioritize appropriately.
”Works Well Under Pressure”
The risk: May suggest you need pressure to perform or that you’re volunteering for stressful situations.
Better approach: Show composure and effectiveness in demanding situations while demonstrating consistent performance overall.
”Works Independently” (exclusively)
The risk: May suggest difficulty collaborating or receiving direction.
Better approach: Balance with teamwork examples, showing versatility in both independent and collaborative contexts.
”Multitasker”
The risk: Research suggests multitasking often reduces quality; may signal scattered focus.
Better approach: Demonstrate ability to manage multiple priorities effectively and prioritize appropriately.
”People Person”
The risk: Vague and potentially signals more socializing than productivity.
Better approach: Show specific interpersonal effectiveness—relationship building, conflict resolution, team development.
Characteristics to Generally Avoid
Some claimed characteristics typically hurt more than help.
Obvious or Expected Traits
Avoid claiming: “Professional,” “punctual,” “honest”
Why: These should be baseline expectations, not distinguishing characteristics. Claiming them suggests you consider them notable rather than assumed.
Potentially Negative Framings
Avoid: “Aggressive,” “obsessive,” “intense”
Why: Even if you mean these positively, they carry negative connotations.
Better alternatives: “Results-driven,” “detail-oriented,” “passionate”
Controversial Characteristics
Avoid: Political or religious characterizations, characteristics that might signal illegal discrimination concerns.
Why: These create risk without benefit and don’t belong in professional contexts.
Characteristics You Can’t Demonstrate
Avoid: Any characteristic you’d struggle to support with concrete examples.
Why: Interview questions will test claimed characteristics. Claims you can’t support damage credibility.
Industry-Specific Characteristic Emphasis
Different industries emphasize different characteristics.
Technology
Valued characteristics:
- Analytical thinking
- Continuous learning
- Problem-solving
- Attention to detail
- Collaboration
How to demonstrate: “Debugged complex system issue affecting 10,000 users through methodical root cause analysis”
Healthcare
Valued characteristics:
- Empathy
- Composure under pressure
- Attention to detail
- Communication
- Ethical judgment
How to demonstrate: “Maintained calm, compassionate care during high-volume ER shifts, earning patient commendations”
Sales
Valued characteristics:
- Persistence
- Relationship building
- Resilience
- Competitiveness
- Adaptability
How to demonstrate: “Rebuilt territory relationships after predecessor departure, achieving quota within 6 months”
Creative Fields
Valued characteristics:
- Innovation
- Openness to feedback
- Collaboration
- Deadline management
- Adaptability
How to demonstrate: “Incorporated client feedback through 5 revision cycles, delivering award-winning campaign”
Finance and Accounting
Valued characteristics:
- Attention to detail
- Analytical thinking
- Integrity
- Process orientation
- Confidentiality
How to demonstrate: “Managed confidential M&A due diligence for $50M transaction with zero information leaks”
Customer Service
Valued characteristics:
- Patience
- Empathy
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Composure
How to demonstrate: “De-escalated escalated customer complaints, achieving resolution with 95% satisfaction rate”
Demonstrating Characteristics at Different Career Stages
Your approach to characteristics should evolve with your career.
Entry-Level Professionals
Emphasis: Learning orientation, teamwork, work ethic, adaptability, eagerness.
Sources of examples: Academic projects, internships, extracurriculars, volunteer work, part-time jobs.
Sample demonstration: “Adapted quickly to new accounting software during internship, becoming team resource for troubleshooting within 3 weeks”
Mid-Career Professionals
Emphasis: Leadership, problem-solving, communication, initiative, expertise.
Sources of examples: Professional accomplishments, project leadership, mentoring, cross-functional work.
Sample demonstration: “Identified inefficiency in reporting process, developed solution saving team 200+ hours annually”
Senior-Level Professionals
Emphasis: Strategic thinking, change leadership, people development, executive presence, vision.
Sources of examples: Organizational transformation, team building, strategic initiatives, business results.
Sample demonstration: “Led cultural transformation during merger, achieving 95% retention of key talent through authentic communication and transparent leadership”
Preparing for Interview Questions About Characteristics
Your resume’s characteristic demonstrations will prompt interview questions. Be prepared.
Common Questions
“Tell me about a time you demonstrated [characteristic].” Have multiple examples for each claimed characteristic.
“What would former colleagues say about you?” Know how others perceive your characteristics.
“What are your weaknesses?” Prepare honest but strategic answers about characteristics you’re developing.
“Describe a conflict you resolved.” Shows multiple characteristics—communication, emotional intelligence, problem-solving.
Preparation Strategies
Document examples: For each characteristic on your resume, prepare 2-3 detailed stories.
Know the specifics: Be ready to discuss how, why, and what results occurred.
Anticipate follow-ups: Think about what questions your examples might generate.
Practice articulation: Rehearse telling stories smoothly and concisely.
Common Mistakes in Presenting Characteristics
Avoid these errors that undermine characteristic claims.
Adjective Overload
Problem: “Dynamic, results-driven, innovative team player with excellent communication skills”
Better: Pick one or two characteristics and demonstrate them through specific examples.
Claiming Without Evidence
Problem: “Strong leadership skills” as a standalone claim.
Better: “Led 15-person team through successful product launch, delivering on time and 10% under budget”
Misalignment with Experience
Problem: Claiming characteristics your experience doesn’t support or contradicts.
Better: Only claim characteristics with clear supporting evidence.
Generic Descriptions
Problem: Characteristics so common they don’t differentiate you.
Better: Specific characterizations with concrete demonstrations.
Redundancy
Problem: Claiming the same characteristic multiple ways (team player, collaborator, good at working with others).
Better: Diverse characteristics, each demonstrated once effectively.
Conclusion: Characters That Get Hired
Technical qualifications open doors; characteristics determine whether you walk through them. Employers make final hiring decisions based on whether they believe you’ll actually succeed—and that belief rests largely on perceptions of your character.
The most effective approach demonstrates characteristics through concrete accomplishments rather than claiming them through generic language. Show that you’re a problem-solver by describing problems you’ve solved. Prove you’re adaptable by highlighting how you’ve adapted. Let your results speak to your work ethic.
Every bullet point on your resume offers an opportunity to demonstrate character. The way you describe your accomplishments reveals persistence, initiative, attention to detail, and dozens of other characteristics. Thoughtful word choice and example selection communicate who you are as a professional, not just what you’ve done.
Build your resume around the characteristics that matter most for your target positions. Ensure every example demonstrates not just what you accomplished but how your characteristics enabled that accomplishment. And prepare to discuss these characteristics in depth during interviews.
When employers finish reviewing your resume, they should feel they understand not just your capabilities but your character. They should be able to envision you succeeding in their organization. Give them that vision through demonstrated characteristics, and you’ll find yourself advancing further in more hiring processes.
