Everything you need to know about adding testimonials and quotes on a resume

Testimonials and quotes on a resume can go two ways; they will either help improve your chances of getting hired or be considered a waste of valuable resume space by an unimpressed hiring manager. People didn’t believe much in adding these to their resumes years ago. However, testimonials and quotes have become common features on resumes today.

So, how would you know whether a testimonial on your resume will work out for your case? The answer to whether or not your resume should boast testimonials depends on the unique situation of each candidate.

Testimonials are great additions to your LinkedIn profile

If you can get testimonials or quotes from previous or current managers, coworkers, or clients, they will make valuable additions to your LinkedIn profile. An interested recruiter can easily see how your work ethic and skills are admired by people in the trade. It will give you an edge over other candidates. That’s why you should strive to collect as many testimonials as you can on LinkedIn.

Not every candidate will benefit from having testimonials on their resumes

Though testimonials and quotes look great on anyone’s LinkedIn profile, the case is not the same when it comes to resumes. In fact, entry-level and mid-management candidates should avoid using testimonials on their resumes. If you belong to these categories, here’s why you should be hesitant about testimonials:

• If you include testimonials in text boxes, the ATS cannot parse your resume and you might get rejected from the competition.
• You are still in the early stages of career development and there isn’t much to be backed up by a client testimonial
• Testimonials often look out of place on a non-executive resume

Which candidates must add testimonials and quotes to their resumes?

While entry-level and mid-management candidates can not afford to lose valuable resume space with testimonials, other candidates benefit from quotes. But if you have advanced further into your career and have 20+ years of experience in the field, testimonials and quotes make a great impression on your resume. Here are some candidates who should add testimonials to their resumes:

• C-Level Executives
• Marketing Director or above
• High-Level Communications/PR Professionals
• Sales Executives (especially Pharmaceutical Sales)

How to add testimonials or quotes in your resume to be ATS-compatible?

The testimonial you add to your resume will not make the resume ATS-incompatible. But, if you use text boxes, callouts, tables, or graphics to highlight the testimonials, you will have problems. You want the testimonial to catch attention, but you don’t want your resume to become unreadable by the employer’s ATS. Here are some ways you can get around the issue:

• Mention the testimonials or quotes in plain text in the bullets under your work experience section.
• Some ATS-friendly resume templates online will have a separate space for testimonials. Use that.
• If you are applying for a job via your network and hand-delivering your resume, there is no need to worry about ATS compliance. In such cases, you can use a colorful and creative version of your resume that features testimonials.
• Upload the ATS-friendly version of your resume with your job application but take a different version with testimonials to the interview.