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Finding a job has often been described as a job in itself. In some cases, that may be because your resume isn’t working as hard as it should.
The resume often makes the first — and biggest — impression with a potential employer. So, it’s essential that it have strong action words to grab the reader’s attention.
Some job candidates can come with all the qualifications in the world but if their resume doesn’t have words that align with the job listing, the phone may never ring and the inbox may stay empty.
For job hunters looking for a leg up, Flexjobs.com suggests some action words as the perfect way to improve your resume and separate it from the pack.
Don’t Say: | Say: | Why use this action verb |
Held | Championed | Gives the impression of a strong leader |
Talked to | Instructed | Shows that you were trusted |
Did or Met | Exceeded | Indicates you did more than the minimum |
Duties Included | Improved | Shows you made brought value to a task |
Came Up With | Conceptualized | Conveys a more professional tone |
Increased | Maximized | Expresses that you made something better |
Supervised | Directed | Implies that you provided direction |
Worked on | Upgraded | Indicates you took something to the next level |
Responsible For | Accomplished | Suggests that you completed the task |
Spoke | Collaborated | Signals that you know how to involve others |
Brie Reynolds, Flexjobs’ senior career specialist and career coach, says that action verbs on your resume can signal to the employer what you deem important.
“I really like to see resumes where each bullet starts with an action verb,” she tells Team Clark. “Starting each line that way makes their information much easier for readers to scan and digest quickly because it flows well from one point to the next.”
Before you overhaul your resume, Reynolds has some words of caution: You can overdo it when it comes to action verbs.
“Yes, there can be action verb overload, and it really comes down to how many bullet points you’ve written for each job,” she says.
“While there are exceptions, I like the general rule of sticking to five or fewer bullet points for each job on your resume.”
Reynolds says that the main thing to remember is that you want your resume easy to read.
“You may need to change your bullets for each job application to make sure the most applicable ones are on your resume, but that’s a much better way to organize your job search than listing 10 or 15 bullets and hoping the reader will be able to figure out which ones are the most important for them to know.”
To advance to the interview stage, you need to have a resume that hiring managers will notice! If you haven’t updated your resume in the past year, dust it off and update it so that you’re ready when the perfect job opportunity comes along.
Does your resume look anything like the one on the left? Follow Team Clark’s step-by-step guide to resume success in 2019!
This post was last modified on July 18, 2019 10:51 am
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