The language you use on your resume is actually super important! From verb tenses to word choice, the language on your resume matters a lot to the overall feel of your resume.
Figuring out what language to use on your resume can be one of the most challenging parts when building a resume!
You want your resume to convey that you are an accomplished and experienced candidate, and the way to do that is through strong language on your resume.
What do I mean by language on your resume?
So, you probably already know that you should have different sections on your resume.
Well, under each section, you will have various roles listed. For example, under “Professional Experience,” you will have your previous work roles listed.
Under each role (in every section), you should have a list of 3-5 bullet points that describe what you accomplished in that role.
The way you talk about your positions is super important on your resume, and there are some things you need to keep in mind when writing these parts of your resume.
Accomplishments, Not Descriptions
Notice above that I said ACCOMPLISHED! This is because, under each role, you should focus on what you accomplished in that position.
You don’t want to just describe the role itself because that doesn’t show any standout things that you may have done!
You want to make sure that you show what you accomplished in the role and the wins you had!
Did you take on a big, successful project?
Maybe you started a social media campaign for a new event.
Was there a task that you went above and beyond with? What was it?
Quantify Accomplishments
In these descriptions of your roles, you should quantify your accomplishments. Whenever possible, try to include numbers in your descriptions because people’s eyes are drawn to numbers. Recruiters only spend a few seconds looking at each resume they receive, and they will spend more time on yours if their eyes are drawn to the numbers in your descriptions!
For example, this is a not great description of an accomplishment:
“Created flyers for marketing event”
Instead, try something like:
“Created 30 flyers to publicize twice-yearly marketing events on social media.”
Action Verbs
Each bullet point under a role should start with an action verb. Ideally, you should look at the job listing for the position you are applying for and take note of the action verbs and skills they list there. Those words are words you should try to work into your resume!
You also want to make sure that you are using a variety of different verbs. You don’t want to start every bullet point with the same verb. It gets repetitive, and it looks like you didn’t spend a lot of time curating your resume!
But don’t worry if you start writing your resume and realize that you are using the same 3 words! Here are some great action verbs that you can include on your resume:
- Accelerated
- Achieved
- Added
- Advanced
- Authored
- Awarded
- Changed
- Collaborated
- Conceived
- Contributed
- Created
- Cultivated
- Decreased
- Delivered
- Devised
- Eliminated
- Expanded
- Fostered
- Gained
- Generated
- Grew
- Implemented
- Improved
- Increased
- Initiated
- Introduced
- Managed
- Maximized
- Minimized
- Optimized
- Organized
- Prepared
- Produced
- Reduced
- Remodeled
- Saved
- Spearheaded
- Streamlined
- Taught
You can also research synonyms if you find that you are using the same verbs over and over. Thesarus.com has been really helpful for me when I’m trying to find other verbs to use on my resume!
Phrases to Avoid
Even though there are lots of really good verbs and phrases that you might find beneficial for your resume, there are also a few phrases that you should try to avoid!
Here are some phrases that you should try to avoid on your resume:
“Hard-working” because those are basic skills
“Supported” or “Helped” shows that you were in a supporting role rather than made a significant impact
“Responsible for” only shows your responsibilities, not accomplishments
“Worked on” just shows what you did in the role, not what you accomplished
Verb Tense
So you’re using awesome action verbs, but you notice that as you’re writing, some verbs are present tense, and some are past tense. Let’s fix that!
Verb tense is something that you should be mindful of in your resume. You will have both present and past tense verbs on your resume, but there is a time and place for each of them.
Here is the verb tense breakdown:
For job roles that you previously held and no longer hold, you should use past tense verbs.
For job roles that you are currently in, you should use present tense verbs.
Now you know what language to use on your resume!
So, now that you know the type of language to use on your resume, it’s time to actually start writing your resume!
I know it feels a little overwhelming at first. You may not know where to start or what steps to take when building your resume. This blog post will help! It will walk you through the 6 steps you need to take to create a fantastic resume!
If you want more information about building your resume, download “The Easy Resume Guide” for free! This guide has ten pages of information about how to build a resume and 5 resume templates!