Seven Words That Put Power In Your Resume

I was looking for some inspiration for my last blog of the day, and decided to catch up on my emails.  I came across a blog article about a study done by Yale University on the 10 most powerful words in the English language.   Resumes need to be powerful enough to attract attention, create some excitement and prompt a prospective employer to call for an interview.   Some of the 10 like You, Love or Discovery may not fit in a resume, but you could fit in the rest in the right context.  If you want to put some power in your resume, consider using these proven (#4) words in your resume rewrite.

1.      Results.  Use the word and give specific examples.  Education and experience are important qualifiers, but employers are interested in results.  Accomplishment statements describe a problem, action taken and result.  Each job listed should have at least one or two accomplishment statements, showing results.

2.      Health.  Have you found ways to improve the financial health of your company?  What about healthy profits?  Or instituted programs to improve the physical health of employees, clients or customers? 

3.      Guarantee.  Everyone feels comfortable with a money-back guarantee.  While you may not use the exact word, how can you show you guarantee results?  Why will you deliver a guaranteed return on investment?  Accomplishments that list specific projects are perfect interview talking points that show how you can deliver for a new employer.

4.      Proven.  I like to use this word in the summary statement at the very top of the resume, as in “proven professional.”  If you say you have experience in an area, your resume work history and accomplishment statements are the “proof” of your ability.  Past performance is a good indicator of future behavior.  If you’ve proven your worth in the past, it’s a reasonable guarantee you’ll do the same in the future.

5.      Safe.   Again, you may not use the actual word, but companies want employees who are responsible, trained in workplace safety and have experience with compliance and problem resolution.  OSHA safety training certification can be a plus for a manufacturing or industrial job

6.      Save.  Use this one liberally when describing how you were able to save the company time and money.  Instead of just saying you saved money, use actual dollar amounts or percentages to make an impact.  Were you able to save the company from negative media coverage, embarrassment or exposure to liability?  Some things can’t be measured in dollars or hours. 

7.      New.  Are you on the cutting edge in your industry?  Up on the newest ideas, concepts, processes, software or technology?  Have you introduced new, innovative ideas or products or processes that have saved (#6) money and delivered proven (#4) results (#1)?   Whether you’re a new grad or have 20 years of experience, being up on the latest in your field or industry is a powerful asset.

Check your resume over and see if you can incorporate at least some of these power words.  Have you come across other words that are just as powerful?  Please share them in the comments below.