175 Power Verbs and Phrases for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews

Posted by Cheryl Lynch Simpson in Resumes-Cover Letters on December 5th, 2009 | 1 Comment

While youre revamping your resume or cover letter or constructing your proof-by-example stories for interviews, youll find you need to watch your word choice. Why? Communication is powerful if the words we use to communicate are powerful. Thats not all it takes, but the right words make for a good beginning.

So as you craft achievement statements or write paragraphs that sell your skills or draft interview responses to knock the employers socks off, consider these suggestions:

Use verbs in active tense, not passive tense.
Use verbs that convey power and action.
Use verbs that claim the highest level of skill or achievement you can legitimately claim.
Use verbs to accurately describe what you have done on the job.
Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly, but when you use them, use them well.
Use nouns that are as specific and as descriptive as possible.
Use numbers whenever possible.
Use the most impressive (and still honest) form of the number you use.
Never lie! It IS NOT worth it. It WILL catch up with you.
Proofread all your verbs and nouns for agreement, tense and appropriateness.

Here, then, are 175 powerful verbs and phrases to make use of in resumes, cover letters and interviews:

abated
abolished
accelerated
accomplished
achieved
actively participated
administered
advanced
advised
aggressively analyzed
applied
assumed a key role
authored
automated
built
hired
closed
coached
co-developed
codirected
co-founded
cold called
collected
co-managed
communicated
completed
computerized
conceptualized
conducted
consolidated
contained
contracted
contributed
controlled
convinced
coordinated
cost effectively created
critiqued
cut
dealt effectively
decreased
defined
delivered
designed
developed
developed and applied
directed
doubled
earned
eliminated
emphasized
enforced
established
evaluated
exceeded
executed
exercised
expanded
expedited
facilitated
filled
focused
formulated
fostered
founded
gained
generated
ground-breaking
headed up
helped
identified
implemented
improved
increased
initiated
innovated
instituted
instructed
integrated
interviewed
introduced
investigated
lectured
led
leveraged
maintained
managed
marketed
motivated
negotiated
orchestrated
organized
outmaneuvered
overcame
oversaw
penetrated
performed
permitted
persuaded
planned
played a key role
positioned
prepared
presented
prevented
produced
profitably
project managed
promoted
proposed
prospected
protected
provided
published
quadrupled
ranked
received
recommended
recruited
reduced
removed
renegotiated
replaced
researched
resolved
restored
restructured
reversed
satisfied
saved
scheduled
scoped out
selected
self-financed
set up
sold
solved
staffed
started
stopped
streamlined
substituted
supervised
taught
tightened
took the lead in
trained
trimmed
tripled
troubleshooted
turned around
upgraded
yielded

While you certainly can use the list anytime youre looking to say something in a more powerful way, you can also use it to help jog your memory about accomplishments on present and past jobs that you might otherwise overlook. Also, consider using the list to help you refine your resumes and cover letters to be more powerful in their presentation and communication.

Author: Cheryl Lynch Simpson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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Resume Do Nots: Avoid Resume Mistakes To Get More Interviews

Posted by Carl Mueller in Resumes-Cover Letters on November 16th, 2009 | No Comments

Here are some tips and considerations to avoid making resume mistakes that can cost you.

1. Dont obsess about the length of your resume, focus on the content but do keep in mind that most people will get by with a 2 page resume. A third page should really only be used when absolutely necessary.

2. Dont include personal information in your resume such as age, hobbies or things of that nature. The goal of your resume is to get an interview not a date. Keep it professional.

3. Dont include any references to salary your current salary or desired salary in your resume.

4. Dont use personal pronouns such as I or Me or My in your resume.

5. Dont simultaneously email your resume to multiple recruiters or hiring managers in the same email. Send emails to individual contacts, one at a time, addressed to the specific person you are sending it to.

6. Dont forget that you no longer work for a company. If you have left the company, dont make it look on your resume like you are still working for the company. Include accurate start and end dates for each job you have held.

7. Dont embellish (ie. lie) on your resume if youre not prepared to have to explain yourself when youre caught.

8. Dont ask a recruiter to submit your resume for a job that youve already applied to yourself or through another recruiter.

9. Similarly, dont keep sending your resume to the same company over and over again. Observe their rules: if they say that they keep resumes on file for 6 months, then believe them. You dont need to send your resume every 2 weeks.

10. Dont apply for jobs you have no chance getting. There is a difference between submitting your resume to a company for consideration should a relevant job arise, and submitting your resume for a specific advertised job that you are not suited for. Learn to tell the difference otherwise hiring managers will be hitting delete the moment your emails arrive.

11. Dont list your references on your resume. They can be provided to the employer when the time comes. Plus, if you are using recruiters, they will most likely make a note of your references and contact them if they have a job that might suit them.

12. Dont send additional materials when submitting your resume for a job. If you need to supply educational transcripts or other materials, you can supply them when asked.

Author: Carl Mueller
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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How To Find A Job In The Hidden Job Market

Posted by Adrianna Kristian in Articles:, Resumes-Cover Letters on November 4th, 2009 | No Comments

What’s the deal with the hidden job market? Why is everyone always talking about it? What is it?

The hidden job market is comprised of jobs that are filled before they are advertised. It is estimated that about 75% of all jobs are in the hidden job market. (more…)

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Resume Format: Problem Action Result

Posted by Carl Mueller in Articles:, Resumes-Cover Letters on October 28th, 2009 | No Comments

What resume format should you use when putting your job accomplishment bullet points together?

Specifically, how should you structure the text in your resume to get the best and biggest positive impact that will result in more interviews? (more…)

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How to Write a Better CV (UK), or Resume (USA and elsewhere)

Posted by Stephen Thompson in Articles:, Resumes-Cover Letters, Tips on October 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment

The first point to make is that the terms “CV” and “Resume” (with or more often without the French acute accents over the e’s) are virtually interchangeable in the UK; they mean the same thing, but if anything the norm is CV. In the USA and elsewhere, the CV (Curriculum Vitae to give it its full title – literally “Life Study”) is a different animal – a dry listing of qualifications and experience more suited for a university faculty listing for example. (more…)

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Sample Resume Objective

Posted by Sherley in Articles:, Resumes-Cover Letters, Tips on October 20th, 2009 | No Comments

By Mario Churchill

When creating a resume, one of the most important aspects is the resume objective. Employers get hundreds of resumes whenever they place an add for a job and unless you put down your employment objective in your resume, the document that you worked so hard to produce may end up by the wayside. (more…)

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