Saturday, July 31, 2010

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

Posted by Cheryl Lynch Simpson On December - 5 - 2009 1 COMMENT

ActionVerbsWords_crop380wWhile 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

Resume Do Nots: Avoid Resume Mistakes To Get More Interviews

Posted by Carl Mueller On November - 16 - 2009 ADD COMMENTS

mistakesHere 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

How To Find A Job In The Hidden Job Market

Posted by Adrianna Kristian On November - 4 - 2009 ADD 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. Read the rest of this entry »

Resume Format: Problem Action Result

Posted by Carl Mueller On October - 28 - 2009 ADD COMMENTS

svmath_problemWhat 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? Read the rest of this entry »

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

Posted by Stephen Thompson On October - 25 - 2009 1 COMMENT

resumepostThe 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. Read the rest of this entry »

Sample Resume Objective

Posted by Sherley On October - 20 - 2009 ADD COMMENTS

coverletter1By 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. Read the rest of this entry »

College Resume Template

Posted by Sherley On October - 13 - 2009 ADD COMMENTS

Published on October 3, 2008 by Nemesis999 in http://bizcovering.com

Your Name

Email Address

Cell: number Home

: number

Off Campus Address Home Address

Street

Objective:

Education: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY graduation date

Bachelor in Engineering in Chemical Engineering GPA:

Relative Coursework:

COURSE NAME: Enter Description of course here.

COURSE NAME: Enter Description of course here.

COURSE NAME: Enter Description of course here.

Experience:PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT

, CITY STATE TIME THERE

POSITION HELD

  • Brief Bullets on Experience gained from place of employment

PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT, CITY STATE TIME THERE

POSITION HELD

  • Brief Bullets on Experience gained from place of employment

Activities: NAME OF CLUB Since: DATE

  • Explanation of club duties

NAME OF CLUB Since: DATE

  • Explanation of club duties

Rehab Technician

Name: Lee Jean Downs Location: Tempe, AZ Phone#: (602) 315-4599 Describe briefly what kind of job you are looking for?: [...]

Ecommerce Specialist / Expert en Commerce électronique

Name: DANIEL BRILLET Location: Brooklyn, NY Phone#: 347-200-3604 Email: daniel.brillet@yahoo.com OBJECTIVE: eeking relocation to Montreal. Innovative and results oriented individual [...]

Sales/Advertising CV – Sherley Joseph

SHERLEY JOSEPH Phone: (780) 756-7600 Email: sherley.joseph@gmail.com Career Objective Organized and detail-focused bilingual professional with a great sales track record [...]

Marketing Position – Jesse Grant

Name: Jesse Grant Location: Thunder Bay , Ontario Phone#: 807-623-4524 Email: jessegrant@freewebsitecash.com Website: http://websitemoneynow.com Objective: I am a professional with [...]

Executive Assistant – Joy

Name: Joy Location: Maryland, DC Email: joy@usana.us.com Describe briefly what kind of job you are looking for?: Executive Assistant position [...]

Clerical / Administrative – Vishny Padayachy

Name: Vishny Poonoosamy Padayachy Location: Burnaby, BC Phone#: (778-918-0239) Email: vishny9@gmail.com Describe briefly what kind of job you are looking [...]

Receptionist/Administrative assistant – Danielle Roppel

Job Title: Administrative Name: Danielle Roppel Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Phone#: (403) 477-2567 Email: Aroppel@hotmail.com Describe briefly what kind of [...]

Full-time in Avalon – Michelle Hogan

Name: Michelle Hogan Location: St. John’s, NL Phone#: 709-368-0329 Email: pq4u72@yahoo.ca Describe briefly what kind of job you are looking [...]