# Use of Personal Pronouns in a Résumé **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 20, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736 "2008-08-20T23:13:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736/41 "2008-08-27T12:27:00Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] IMO it looks officious to use the accent graves on ‘resume’. It makes it look as though it should be pronounced “RAY-zew-MAY”. Unless it’s in French of course. [/QUOTE] But of course, the word \*is \* borrowed from French and most often used keeping the original accents, which is no more officious than a cookbook telling you to sauté onions. I believe most English dictionaries do find it acceptable to drop the accents (although IMHO you should use both or drop both; some people pick one to keep). ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736/42 "2008-08-27T12:28:18Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Which has absolutely to do with bizarre shibboleths like not using the word _I_, a perfectly appropriate word to use in both formal and informal contexts. [/QUOTE] Got to assume you meant “…absolutely \*nothing \* to do with…” ---
**Author:** ![greatshakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@greatshakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greatshakes)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2008, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736/43 "2008-08-29T02:54:51Z")
[QUOTE=Bites When Provoked] Personally, I love the idea of a resume written in 3rd person. It’d really brighten up the office, after reading a heap of generic resumes, to come across one where the person refers to themselves like that throughout. Oh, we’d laugh and laugh. But it’d probably half-work, you know. I reckon we’d have to at least bring them in for an interview, if only to establish whether they’d do it in the interview too. BWP: “So, tell us about your experience with computers” Joe Bloggs: “Joe Bloggs is highly experienced. Joe Bloggs worked for seven years on computer help desk. Joe Bloggs very popular with customers. Many customers ring in, specifically ask to speak to Joe Bloggs. Customers very happy, sometimes laughing all through customer service call. Joe Bloggs not entirely sure why.” 😃 [/QUOTE] And then when he starts to speak with Joe Bloggs, and Joe Bloggs starts to argue with him, and curse him, and… Anybody that wrote his resume in 3rd person would have to be the world’s prime dork, and probably wears leisure suits, made of the finest polyester that K-Mart had on the rack. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736/44 "2011-04-04T03:16:10Z")
> [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](#): > > … Oh, we’d laugh and laugh. \ > Joe Bloggs: “Joe Bloggs is highly experienced. Joe Bloggs worked for seven years on computer help desk. Joe Bloggs very popular with customers. Many customers ring in, specifically ask to speak to Joe Bloggs. Customers very happy, sometimes laughing all through customer service call. Joe Bloggs not entirely sure why.” 😃 Yeah, come to think of it, Bob Dole didn’t get that big job he applied for… ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736/45 "2011-04-04T03:21:57Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > \ And wow, I never thought of writing a thank-you note as ass-kissing. It’s not tellig them what a great job they did interviewing me, just thanking them for the opportunity and their time. Luckily other threads have proven that the majority of people don’t bother anymore. One of my students got a coveted job with a design firm last year. He got called back for a final interview partly because they were “impressed with his friendliness” – he was one of the few who bothered to send a thank-you note. But, then, this is the Midwest. Politeness rules. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736/46 "2011-04-04T06:45:53Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > IMO it looks officious to use the accent graves on ‘resume’. It makes it look as though it should be pronounced “RAY-zew-MAY”. > > Unless it’s in French of course. [Nitpick] Résumé has acute accents (or accents aigus) in it, not the grave accent.[/Nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736/47 "2011-04-04T09:01:24Z")
Ha! Almost posted to this before realizing it was a zombie - and would have posted pretty much what I did back in 08. ---
**Author:** ![tyvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@tyvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tyvin)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736/48 "2011-04-04T10:24:48Z")
I’m glad this thread got bumped; I’m in the process of revamping my resume. I recently was told to send a thank-you note after an interview and frankly I was shocked. This is not what I learned back in the day and it sounds almost like stalking. I read about the person getting the job because he was friendly but I think that was a lucky break. Seriously; what do others in the States think about sending a thank-you note after an interview? And if so what type do you send; email, snail mail, etc… ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736/49 "2011-04-04T22:23:52Z")
> [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](#): > > Another vote for still avoiding personal pronouns. Starting each bullet point with the now-legendary action verbs gets you off to a good start. > > Spanked monkeys in compliance with ISO 9000. > Increased departmental llama-riding capacity by 15%. > Sang with multinational team of elephants. Received Grammy award in 2001. Right. This is just resume speak. You can violate it, but some more conservative managers may not like it. Project Manager - 1995 - 2001. Led an interdisciplinary team on a quest to retrieve the Holy Grail. Hired replacements for team members killed in battle. Achieved a 80% rating in jousting, receiving a Silver Joust medal in 1998. Consumed minstrels. Wrote appropriate rebuttals to French taunting. Evaluated Grail Procedure Specification (GPS) reports for approval. Took over responsibilities of Program Manager after his sister was bit by a moose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-personal-pronouns-in-a-resume/460736.md?page=2)