Resume Writing is about Using the Right Words

Active Words, Powerful Words, Keywords, Wrong Words

May 22, 2009 Deborah S. Hildebrand

Writing a resume means saying the right thing in the right way in order to attract the right kind of attention. Make sure to use the right words.

When job seekers develop their resumes, they’ve likely read a lot of different books and articles ahead of time, spoken to family and friends to get their input, and may have even tried a draft or two all in an effort to figure out what works. Choosing the right format, using the right typeface, and ensuring the layout is clean and simple are all important aspects of creating the perfect resume. And so is selecting the right words.

The right words for a resume are words that convey the proper information and help the recruiter or hiring manager gain a better understanding about the skills, abilities and experiences that the job seeker has to offer. They are creative, active, and powerful in their meaning.

Using Active, Powerful Words on a Resume

There are a variety of verbs that job seekers can use to describe what it is they have done in their career. These are the terms that candidates should select to place at the beginning of each sentence they create to describe their background and experience, whether it is part of a summary or a bulleted list of responsibilities, achievements or accomplishments. However, it is important to be sure to use the right action words.

Look for terms which are powerful rather than submissive such as substituting “coordinated” for “maintained” or “implemented” rather than “handled.” And don’t be afraid to use multiples in a sentence. Consider “conceived, created, and facilitated introduction of new employee attendance policy” instead of “wrote and distributed new employee attendance policy;” whatever it takes to clearly and powerfully illustrate for the reader a job seeker’s involvement in a project or task.

Keep in mind the purpose is not to lie or overstate someone’s duties, but to paint a more colorful picture that better demonstrates skills and abilities.

How to Add Keywords to a Resume

Many employers electronically scan resume hard copies or save email versions of candidate’s resumes into a database in order to be able to store and retrieve resumes as needed. The beauty of this process is that it allows recruiters to look for key terms in each resume in order to identify candidates based on a set group of criteria. While some experts consider action verbs and keywords to be one and the same thing, they are really very different.

Action words or verbs as described above are the words that job seekers should use at the beginning of each sentence to indicate the action they took. However, keywords are a group of words that are important to include in a resume but which the candidate has not already utilized. Sometimes it is just a matter of going back over the resume and adding the important words; other times it may mean the candidate will need to add a section at the end of the resume for these keywords. For instance, a coordinator may want to consider adding terms such as administrator, supervisor or even manager to the keyword list.

Avoid Using the Wrong Words on a Resume

While there really are no wrong words that candidates can use on their resumes, there are definitely words that are stronger or more appropriate than others. That’s why it is important to choose the right words.

Frequently overused general statements about being a team player or being able to work well under pressure don’t communicate enough. Instead of using these “twinkie” words and statements – all fluff and no substance – select concepts that communicate visually. It’s no longer enough to tell a potential employer about being able to work in a fast-paced environment, it’s important for the job seeker to state exactly what he did that makes this true.

While writing a resume is a lot about the physical appearance, more importantly, resume writing is all about the words.

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