How do you show agility in your resume?

Highlighting Agile certification and training by creating a dedicated 'Certifications' or 'Professional Development' section in the resume. Clearly listing the certifications earned (e.g., Certified ScrumMaster) and relevant training programs, showcasing the commitment to Agile methodologies and continuous improvement.

Adding my Agile Certification acronyms right next to name on my resume and also on my LinkedIn headline, helped my resume get noticed for my knowledge in Agile methodologies. It was so noticeable that it was the most discussed topic during my job interviews.

The term 'agile' often gets misconstrued as rigid rules, whereas it truly encapsulates flexibility and adaptability—traits better termed 'agility'. Professionals possessing true agility adapt to project dynamics, prioritizing customer value. While 'agile' certifications may suggest familiarity with agile frameworks, they don't guarantee the embodiment of these principles. I possess numerous certifications, but their worth lies not in the paper they're printed on, but in the aptitude to pass an exam. Hence, when assessing agility, practical demonstrations of adaptability, customer focus, and collaboration hold more weight than certifications. My resume is a testament to my agility at work, specifically highlighting how I empower others.

Actually I disagree with the point that certification and trainings are of no use. I believe using right keywords related to 'agility' puts a resume in the radar. Everyday, recruiters receive 1000s of applications and resumes and in this age of AI, they're not going to scrutinize each manually. They'll put a tool to filter out resume with certain keywords. In the process of finding a job, the hardest step is to get your resume recognized and putting relevant experiences, trainings and certifications are the best way to pass that.

Certificates are an manifested expression of one’s will to invest time, passion and money on a dedicated topic. They show the efforts and sacrifices done by each individual to achieve. They also reflect the knowledge gained in the courses. For sure during training sessions you will extend your network and connect to interesting people. But a certificate will never ever substitute experience and real-life-daily-madness-in-the-trench of working life when interpersonal interaction meets real problems to be solved. I personally believe more in passion, social intelligence, experience, pragmatism and training-on-the-job ??

An example of this would be the amalgamation of strong verbs, what you did (your duty), and your impact to demonstrate the projects you have worked on, like the below: "Enabled XYZ's agile team to increase its throughput by 15% through the use of swarming around features and other high-collaboration approaches, such as paired programming".

Some way to get started : - Adaptability: Transition to new roles or projects and learn new skills quickly. - Willingness to take on challenges: Volunteer for new projects or assignments and go above and beyond. - Critical thinking and problem-solving: Identify and solve problems and come up with creative solutions. - Communication and interpersonal skills: Communicate effectively with verbal and written skills. - Relevant certifications and training: Highlight relevant certifications or training. When these steps come into actions, agility will be shown on your profile as well as your skills Hope it helps!

Rather than rigidly following 'agile' practices, I embody agility—flexibility, adaptability, and relentless customer focus. I've led teams to adapt to changing needs, fostered collaboration through open communication, and consistently prioritized delivering customer value. My achievements aren't easily quantified by metrics, but are reflected in the empowerment of teams and satisfaction of customers. With over two decades of successful deliveries, long before 'agile' became a buzzword, I've seen my teams deliver time and again. More importantly, they find joy in their work, excelling in what they do, which to me is the true measure of agility and success. My guiding principle is 'Plan for tomorrow but adapt to today'.

Some ways to get started : - Adaptability: Transition to new roles or projects and learn new skills quickly. - Willingness to take on challenges: Volunteer for new projects or assignments and go above and beyond. - Critical thinking and problem-solving: Identify and solve problems and come up with creative solutions. - Communication and interpersonal skills: Communicate effectively with verbal and written skills. - Relevant certifications and training: Highlight relevant certifications or training. When these steps come into actions, agility will be shown on your profile as well as your skills Hope it helps!

Agility to me isn't about specific methodologies, tools, or buzzwords, but about embodying certain core values: adaptability, fostering collaboration, customer focus, and continuous improvement. As a technically proficient professional, I quickly grasp new tools and pass on this knowledge to my team. Yet, my focus isn't on the tools themselves, but on how they can serve the task at hand, much like how a hammer serves to drive in nails. My capability lies in adapting to changing requirements positively, working effectively with others, understanding customer needs, generating creative solutions, and learning from mistakes. These aren't just 'agile' skills, but elements of successful, fulfilling work.

For me, agile certifications, trainings, projects, experience, tools used all these are important but beyond that, I would seek for resumes from which I can get a feel that this person truly live by the agile principles. Meaning what are their outcomes from those ventures- how transparent their conversations are with internal and external stakeholders, how many self organized teams they were able to produce, how much value they could bring to their customers, how they improved by inspect and adapt methods, how happy their customers are and so on. So more than how many projects or trainings one has done, true resume will reflect how agile the person is in real life and I would go with such resumes.

In my experience I use 4-5 bullet points to show my skills and education at the end of my resume. Potential employers like it while I applied on their job boards.

Many companies went through their Agile transformation and you certainly had a pivotal role in this time - don’t be shy and do highlight it on your resume. Maybe you introduced the SAFe ‘PI Planning’ to your teams, or convinced your Leadership to consider recognised Agility trainings. These matter and will highlight your courage to pioneer.