Turn your resume into a precise, accurate, one-page portrait of your professional life by using strong words to describe yourself. Words should not be on the page simply to take up space. Replace each filler term with an impactful statement that will catch the attention of potential interviewers.
Eschew meaningless words that appear outdated and overused. A filler term can be replaced with an action verb that describes what you did instead of using a cliche. Strong words make you appear confident on paper, and you can translate those concepts into a dynamite interview. Examine your resume closely before submitting to make sure you haven't included any hackneyed phrases.
The filler term "responsible for" tells a reader what you did in general as opposed to showing a hiring manager what you specifically accomplished. Instead of saying that you were responsible for a team, quantify your impact within a group that succeeded on a task or project. Replace "responsible for" with "accomplished." Many people vying for jobs have oversees others or run projects. But not everyone was part of the marketing team that facilitated a sales increase of 25 percent at Acme Brick from the fourth quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2015.
Use terms in your resume that directly connect your abilities to the description of the job you're applying for. Action words should be quantitative and not qualitative. Say precisely how and how much you improved, reduced, won, created and researched in previous positions.
Get rid of the words "transformational leader" on your resume because this vague filler term is hard to define. Instead, explain exactly how you transformed the company or the people around you. If you hired people who helped the team succeed or mentored two of your staff who were them promoted, those examples show how you are a team player and a truly transformational leader without using this cliche.
Expunge the word "expert" from your terminology. No single person knows everything about a topic. Instead, give examples of how you have learned valuable concepts and are ready to learn more from a new employer.
Replace nouns in your resume with verbs. Do not say creative, excellent, hard-working or innovative. Relate precisely how you created, excelled, worked hard or innovated. These action words place the emphasis on what you accomplished in a quantifiable manner as opposed to describing generic personality traits that anyone may have.
Every hiring manager expects you have references available, so there is no need for this filler term on a resume. Already have your references handy in a separate document so you can present them on demand. Group these people into professional references and personal references.
An active voice in a resume is one key to getting noticed by a hiring manager. When someone sees of one filler term after another, the chances of your resume ending in the discard pile increases. Although you want to show your best qualities, a resume is a time to put forth your quantifiable skills and accomplishments.
Photo courtesy of anneheathen at Flickr.com
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