Do you have great letters of recommendation? Consider including a salient line or two in your resume and or cover letter. Why? Because it adds validation. You can say that you have great leadership or project management skills, but when someone else says that same thing, more weight is given to their point of view over our own.
On your resume, include these “words of wisdom” at the end of the Summary section or at the end of the resume. You can also place the quote in a text box, but only use this method in a version you’ll be printing. For online applications, take the text out of the box, as some ATS systems don’t pick up words that are in a graphic box or header/footer.
Another idea – recently I included quotes from two individuals after the signature block on my client’s cover letter. Thought process here is that when reading a letter, in most cases, a reader looks for a PS – instead they will find the recommendation, which is a powerful first impression.
If you don’t have letters of recommendation, consider pulling a line or two from your LinkedIn recommendations. In all cases, include the name of the author and how that person knows you through a job title or statement.