How to Write a Good Resume: Part 4 -- Getting the Words Right
Content Updated on February 10, 2009
One you have gathered all of your information and organized it into an efficient and effective format, then it's time to start looking at each individual line of your resume and deciding how to say what you want to say. There's a big difference between, "I fixed a bunch of cars," and "Repaired and maintained over 500 domestic and foreign automobiles."
Know What Your Potential Employers Want
This is the most part of wording your resume. What do your potential employers want? Knowing what they want will make it much easier for you to choose the words they want to see. Many of them list it right there in the job description: "must be organized," "must be fluent in second language," "highly motivated," "fast paced," etc.
- Look at some job openings in your industry to find out what your potential employers are asking for.
(Do a quick job search here.) - Make a list of words that appear frequently or leap at you. These are words you will want to use in your resume.
- On that list, circle any words that remind you of your abilities or personality. These are the words you will want to emphasize, especially in your Summary of Qualifications.
Use those Words Employers Want to See
After you have a list of words that you think your potential employers want to see, it's time to use them. Start thinking about what you have done that matches those words.
For example, if the employer's description of a job you want includes the phrase strong writing skills, then you'll want to use the word wrote in your resume to indicate not only that you have writing skills but also that you've also written something and demonstrate that you wrote it well. So start putting together a list of things you've written (e.g. articles, brochures, reports, manuals, etc.) and how useful they were (e.g. commercial that increased site traffic 20%). Then, instead of using words like prepared or composed, use the word wrote (because that's specifically what the employer is looking for). Put it all together and you have something like, wrote a radio commercial that increased site traffic by 20%.
Numbers and Dates
Nnumber Formats
I know in English class you were told to spell out numbers, especially small numbers and numbers at the beginning of a sentence, but a resume is not an essay. When I'm looking at a resume, I want to be able to quickly scan it to find what I'm looking for, and when it comes to numbers, numerals (e.g. 1, 2, 3,...) are easier to scan than written numbers (e.g. one, two, three,...) because written numbers just blend in with the rest of the text. Plus, writing numberals takes up less space than spelling out the numbers, which demonstrates your ability to be efficient.
Date Formats
When writing dates, the same scanability rule applies. Don't bother writing January tenth or even the long formal text that you see on wedding invitations, the tenth day of January in the year two thousand. It doesn't make you look fancy or sophisticated. It just makes you look inefficient. Shorten it, and use numberals wherever possible, so it's easier to scan. How you do this will largely depend on your personal style. Here are a few varations to consider:
- Jan. 10, 2000
- 10 Jan. 2000
- Jan. 2000
- 01/2000
- 1/2000
Formats for Dates Using Only Numerals
Date formats can get confusing because different people use different formats. To reduce confusion, try to make the date as clear as possible. Here are a few suggestions:
- Avoid writing day, month, and year formats using all numbers (e.g. 01/10/2001 or 01/10/01 or 10/01/2001 or 10/01/01 or 2001/01/10 or 01/01/10).
- If you can avoid leaving off the specific day, then do it (e.g. 01/2000 instead of 01/10/2000).
- Use 4-digit years instead of 2-digit years most of the time (e.g. 2000 instead of '00)
Note: there is an exception. When writing a span of years, you can use the 4-digit format on the first year and the 2-digit format on the last year if both years are in the same century (e.g. 1995-96 instead of 1995-1996). - Use slashes (/) instead of dashes (-) when writing dates. (e.g. 01-07 can mean January 2007 or from January through July)
Seasonal Work
Consider using seasons instead of months if you do seasonal work. Let's say you had a summer job. Your position started in June and ended in September. Writing 06/2008-09/2008 can bring up questions like, "Why were you only employed for three months?" Instead just write Summer 2008. Most employers will figure out that it was seasonal work.
Use the Active Voice
Here's a quick lesson in style: active vs. passive voice.
Passive Voice
Imagine being passive, having things done to you.
- I was trained in...
- I was assigned to manage...
- I was assisted by a team of...
The passive voice makes you sound like a victim: "I didn't do it myself. Other people either forced me to do it or did it for me." Never use the passive voice in a resume.
Active Voice
Now imagine being in control of your experiences.
- I am trained in...
- I managed...
- I led a team of...
With the active voice, you sound strong and in control of life: "I did this. I accomplished this. I am capable." Always use the active voice in a resume.
Words that Sound Strong
Strong words make strong statements.
Let's look at the following sentence:
"I learned Microsoft Office."
Then we'll use the same sentence using the strong word, mastered:
"I mastered Microsoft Office."
Which one sounds more like somebody who knows how to use Microsoft Office? Which one would you rather hire to teach students how to use Microsoft Office, the person who learned or the person who mastered?
As you select words to describe your accomplishments and skills, feel free to use weak words as placeholders, so you don't forget the points you were trying to make when putting your resume together. However, as you revise, always be on the hunt for stronger words to replace those weak words.
Remove Redundancy from Your Resume
Repeating yourself in your resume is a waste of time and space. This is certainly true if you're talking about skills. (e.g. Using the phrases "Fast typist" and "Type 100 WPM" is redundant. We can already tell that you're a fast typist just by looking at your WPM. The "Fast typist" phrase doesn't need to be there.) But it's also true when it come to words.
"I"
The entire resume is about you, so you don't need to say "I" anywhere on your resume. There's no need to write I mastered Microsoft Office. Just write, Mastered Microsoft Office. Enough said.
"Responsible for..."
The only things you will put on your resume are things you are responsible for, so there's no need to ever write responsible for on your resume. If you're not responsible for developing your previous company's marketing campaign, then it shouldn't be on your resume in the first place. Responsible for can also make you look sneaky, as if you're not telling the whole story. For example, I was responsible for securing the funds in customer accounts..., but that doesn't mean that I actually did it. Instead, just tell what you actually did, not what you were supposed to do.
"I'm successful, skilled, experienced, professional, etc."
Everyone who turns in a resume is successful, skilled, experienced, etc. The resume itself should demonstrate all of these things, so there's no need to actually say "I'm successful...." If you want to use such terms, make them specific. 12 years experience tells me, the employer, much more than just saying experienced. Better yet, turn those adjectives into action verbs that show specifically what you have done that makes you so experienced, professional, etc.
"References Available Upon Request"
Of course references are available upon request. A potential employer will ask you for references. They almost always do. If the employer says, "Do you have a list of references," what are you going to say? "No, I'm sorry, I don't know anyone who thinks I can do this job." Absolutely not. You are going to have a list of references, and employers expect that you will. You don't need to remind them; the same way that you don't need to remind them that an interview is available upon request.
Suggested Words to Use on Your Resume
Important! Before you choose to use a word on your resume, be sure that you know the definition of the word. Don't just assume you know it. Look it up! There's nothing quite as embarrassing as getting to the interview and discovering that what you wrote on your resume wasn't exactly what you intended to say because you didn't bother to check your vocabulary. Such a mistake could cost you the job.
Resume Words to Describe You
Active Adaptable Adept Analytical Articulate Artistic Assertive Attentive Broad-Minded Committed Conscientious Consistent Constructive Creative Credentialed Customer-Oriented Dedicated Dependable Devoted Direct Down-to-Earth |
Effective Efficient Engaging Energetic Enterprising Enthusiastic Experienced Facilitator Familiar Flexible Focused Fun-Loving Genuine Honest Independent Integrity Intelligent Intense Intuitive Inventive Leader Literate Logical Loyal |
Mature Methodical Motivated Nurturing Objective Open-Minded Optimistic Organized Original Outgoing Passionate Patient Perceptive Personable Pleasant Polite Positive Powerful Proactive Productive Proficient Proven |
Quality Quick Self-Directed Self-Reliant Realistic Reliable Resourceful Respectful Results-Driven Results-Oriented Sensible Sincere Specialized Solid Sophisticated Stable Stickler Strong |
Tactful Talented Team Player Thoughtful Traditional Trustworthy Unconventional Understanding Unique Upbeat Vibrant |
Resume Words to Describe Accomplishments
Accomplished Achieved Acted Activated Actively Adapted Adjusted Administered Advanced Advertised Advised Advocated Analyzed Answered Applied Appraised Approved Arranged Articulated Assembled Assessed Assisted Attained Audited Augmented Authorized Balanced Began Budgeted Built
|
Calculated Cataloged Chaired Changed Checked Clarified Classified Cleaned Coached Collaborated Collected Committed Communicated Compared Compiled Completed Composed Computed Conceived Conceptualized Conciliated Conducted Confronted Connected Considered Consolidated Constructed Consulted Contracted |
Contributed Controlled Converted Cooperated Coordinated Corresponded Counseled Created Curtailed Cut Decided Defined Delegated Delivered Demonstrated Designated Designed Determined Developed Devised Devoted Directed Discovered Dispensed Displayed Distinguished Distributed Drafted Dramatized |
Earned Edited Educated Effected Eliminated Empowered Encouraged Endorsed Enforced Engineered Enhanced Enlarged Ensured Entertained Established Estimated Evaluated Examined Exchanged Executed Exhibited Expanded Expedited Experienced Explained Expressed Extended |
Facilitated Familiarized Finished Forecasted Formulated Found Founded Framed Fulfilled Gained Gathered Gave Generated Governed Grew Guided Handled Headed Held Hired Honored Hosted |
Identified Illustrated Implemented Improved Increased Indexed Indoctrinated Influenced Informed Initiated Innovated Inspected Installed Instructed Integrated Interacted Interpreted Interviewed Introduced Invented Invested Investigated |
Landscaped Launched Lectured Led Listened Lobbied Located Maintained Managed Marketed Mastered Maximized Measured Mediated Merged Met Minimized Modernized Modified Monitored Motivated Negotiated Nurtured Observed Obtained Opened Operated Organized Originated Oversaw
|
Painted Participated Partnered Patrolled Performed Persuaded Piloted Pioneered Planned Predicted Prepared Presented Presided Printed Processed Produced Programmed Promoted Proofread Proposed Protected Provided Publicized Published Purchased Pursued |
Qualified Quantified Questioned Raised Ranked Read Received Recommended Recorded Recruited Redesigned Reduced Re-engineered Refined Rehabilitated Related Remained Renewed Reorganized Repaired Replaced Reported Represented Researched Resolved Restored Restructured Revamped Reviewed Revised |
Safeguarded Scheduled Secured Selected Served Serviced Set Sewed Shared Signed Simplified Sketched Sold Solved Spearheaded Specified Specialized Spoke Sponsored Standardized Started Strategized Stimulated Streamlined Strengthened Structured Studied Subcontracted Submitted Suggested |
Superseded Supervised Surpassed Surveyed Synthesized Tailored Targeted Taught Televised Tested Trained Transcended Transformed Transmitted Unified Updated Upgraded Used Utilized Validated Valued Verified Volunteered Weighed Welded Worked Wrote X-rayed |
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How to Write a Good Resume -- Part 1: What is a Resume and Why Do I Need One?
How to Write a Good Resume -- Part 2: Gathering Your Information
How to Write a Good Resume -- Part 3: Figuring Out the Best Structure for Your Resume