FollowGraduates take action on your resumes!
Many of my graduate clients seem to use the passive voice on their resumes. I don’t know whether it’s a hangover from writing academic style where nobody claims responsibility, but a resume and interview are two places where you strut your stuff, so to speak.
If you’re confused, ask which of the below sounds more powerful?
“The stuff was strutted by me” = passive
“I strutted my stuff” = active
To give you a more formal example that you might read on a resume:
“The report was written by me” = passive
“I wrote the report” = active
Technically there’s nothing really wrong with the passive voice on a resume. It’s just a little dull. It’s also a bit wordier and when you are trying to cram every last word into an online resume or application with a strict word limit, the “by” and the “the” add up.
If you’re still not sure what the active voice is, “Word” gives you the option to add “readability statistics” which will come up when you check your spelling and grammar. This will give you the percentage of passive sentences. You can then run the spelling and grammar check over each paragraph on your resume and pick out the offending sentences.
Here are some action words for graduate resumes, or for any resume, really:
| Assist Able Action Analysis Achievement Accomplished Advanced Conduct Consult Committed Conducted Contributed Coordinated Develop Deliver Design Defined Diversified Devoted Distinguished Encourage Earned Enhance Evaluate Examined |
Extended Facilitate Formulate Fulfilled Forecasted Generated Gained Gathered Gave Headed Hosted Identified Implemented Improved Improvised Influenced Launched Lobbied Maintained Managed Marketed Maximized Mediated Modernized Motivated |
Negotiated Observed Obtained Operated Organized Originated Oversaw Participated Performed Pioneered Planned Prepared Presented Promoted Provided Published Pursued Quantified Ranked Received Recommended Redesigned Reengineered Reorganized Represented |
Restructured Revised Safeguarded Secured Selected Specified Spearheaded Standardized Strengthened Structured Suggested Superseded Supervised Targeted Taught Tested Trained Transformed Transcended Unified Upgraded Utilized Validated Valued Wrote |
Karalyn is the Founder of InterviewIQ and chief champion for all her clients. Get personal coaching to make 2023 your most successful year yet. Check out our job search booster services here>>Give me smarter ways to find a job .
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That seems perfect for me, for a long time I was looking for Key words to compell my audience in interview.
The interview panel are really hard to convince that you are the rare bird for this role.With these words it will be very easy for me to use them as compelling process to explain I m the best for this particular role.
Hacene Amrani
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