Some employers and recruiters read through hundreds of resumes and your resume has limited time to catch their attention - you want yours to stand out! When writing a resume, it’s important to avoid weak and passive verbs, stay away from jargon or clichés, and watch out for tired words and phrases. These faulty word choices can undermine the strength and effectiveness of your resume. Instead, make a point of using powerful action verbs and avoid overusing the same verbs (such as “assisted,” “oversaw” and “utilized”).
Action verbs are words that express an action. In a resume, action verbs are used to highlight your skills, experience and accomplishments. They are specific, clarify your contributions and bring a confident tone to your resume. Here’s an example:
Lacks strength and clarity: “Held weekly status meetings to share client updates.”
Empowered and detailed: “Spearheaded weekly status meetings to communicate agency revenue growth.”
Can you see how the second option is stronger and more detailed? The action verbs make your contribution clear and impactful.
Action verbs to showcase accomplishments: