Resume Power Words

Applying for a new job is an anxious time in anyone’s life. The competition for good jobs is fierce, and every candidate must provide an impressive resume to have any chance of being hired. To make your resume stand out, experts advise using “power words.” These are words that have a strong impact on the reader and help give a resume extra vigor and forcefulness.

Highlight Your Experience

A great way to capture the attention of any hiring manager is to use power words that focus on your professional experience. These types of words are usually nouns, such as leader, manager and adviser. Other strong words in this category are those that refer to various job duties, such as acquisition or supplies.

Showcase Your Skills

Another key resume tip is to showcase your particular job skills. For example, are you a good problem solver who is able to resolve thorny issues that confound others? In this case, sprinkle your resume with power words such as challenge, tough, intractable and tricky, to show that even the most troublesome work issues are not beyond your problem-solving skills. Other good choices in this group include dangerous, risky, elusive and hazardous.

Incorporate Terms of Recognition

Some power words refer to recognition and achievement. Use these terms in your resume where it’s appropriate. Words such as award, bonus, qualification and promotion fall into this classification.

Use Action Verbs

Employees look for energetic workers who show a lot of effort and initiative. To let hiring managers know that you don’t mind rolling up your shirtsleeves and getting down to work, use action verbs. These power words create an impression in the employer’s mind that you have almost unlimited energy and focus. Excellent action verbs for a resume include power words like revitalized, negotiated, allocated, solved, purchased and optimized. If you want to emphasize your initiative, utilize action verbs such as designed or originated. To highlight your helpfulness, use words such as encouraged, supported and volunteered.

Promote Your Positive Traits

In addition to emphasizing your professional capabilities, you also want your resume to show that you have valuable personal characteristics. In most cases, power words that refer to someone’s personal traits are adjectives. This list includes words like determined, conscientious, generous and independent. Be careful, however, when you use adjectives of this type. You do not want to use them excessively and appear arrogant.

Add Industry Jargon

If the job opening is in an industry that uses specific jargon, incorporate a few of these terms into your resume. If you are not familiar with these words, read some of the leading trade magazines or newsletters associated with the industry.

Using power words is one of the most effective resume tips for job seekers. Placing power words throughout a resume increases your chances of obtaining an interview.

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