How to use Power Words in your Resume

The goal of your resume is of course to present yourself in a way to which employers will respond. Using power words to describe your education achievements, qualifications and professional experience, will add impact your resume, allow you to present yourself positively and concisely, and make you stand-out from the crowd of other applicants.
Another advantage of using power words is that many employers now use computer software to scan through resumes (including both resumes submitted online or on paper). An appropriate choice and range of power words in your resume will increase your chances of passing this first level of filtering. Even in those where employers do not use computer software, power words can allow you to get past an initial filtering; very often, a human resources manager will visually scan each item in a stack of resumes quickly looking to pick out those that are worthy of further review.

So what are power words? They are words, usually verbs, that imply positive action. They are particularly effective in bullet points, for example summarizing your responsibilities and achievements in one of your previous jobs.

Here are some examples of power words:

- Budgeted

- Communicated

- Consulted

- Coordinated

- Created

- Delivered

- Developed

- Facilitated

- Implemented

- Managed

- Negotiated

When writing your resume, you should try to use an appropriate range of such power words to describe your experience. Be careful to avoid repeating the same few words again and again, but on the other hand you don't want to go to the other extreme where your resume reads like you swallowed a thesaurus!

Good places to look for inspiration include other people's resumes, sample resumes, as well as job descriptions and adverts. Remember however that you are only looking for inspiration - do not copy sentences verbatim - you're supposed to be writing about yourself and what you have done, not somebody else!

In summary, careful use of power words will increase your chances of getting further in the hiring process, and of getting the job. They allow you to present yourself in the best way possible, and emphasize the achievements and results that you delivered in your past jobs.

About the Author
By S. Tanna. First published at http://www.jobpixie.com/