AUTHOR: David M. Young – Managing Partner Search Technology
Words Matter! That is especially so when it comes to your resume. I read many resumes that read like a job description instead of reading like a summary of one’s career accomplishments separated by positions. Often times I will also read a resume that uses the same word over and over again. That word may be “Managed” or may be a phrase like “Was responsible for”. Both of these are not good resume words. And when they are repeated multiple times, all you do is lose your reader since they have already seen the word. So how do you accomplish having a precise resume that accurately demonstrates what you bring to the table, while accurately demonstrating what you have done in your past positions. I will expand further on what a resume reader is looking for in your resume next week. This week, my challenge to you is to look over your resume and do two things.
1.) Look at any descriptive word that you have used more than once. Review my list at the end of this post and find another word which could be used to “spice” up and eliminate the repetition.
2.) Review your resume and if it looks like a job description that could be anyone, change it and identify the specific things that you did which are unique and make sure they are highlighted.
The list below is a fairly exhaustive list, but it is not all inclusive. Pull out a thesaurus and dictionary and use it. It can only help to make your resume stand out.
A
accelerated
accomplished
accounted for
accrued
achieved
acquired
acted
adapted
adopted
addressed
adjusted
administered
advanced
advised
advocated
affirmed
aligned
alleviated
allocated
allotted
altered
analyzed
answered
anticipated
appeased
applied
appraised
approached
approved
arbitrated
articulated
assessed
assigned
attained
attended
audited
authored
authorized
automated
awarded
B
balanced
began
benchmarked
benefited
bid
billed
blended
bolstered
boosted
broadened
budgeted
built
C
calculated
calibrated
cemented
certified
chaired
challenged
championed
changed
charted
checked
chronicled
circulated
circumvented
cited
clarified
classified
coded
collaborated
collected
combined
commended
commissioned
communicated
compared
completed
composed
computed
conceived
concentrated
conceptualized
confirmed
consolidated
constructed
consulted
controlled
converted
conveyed
convinced
corresponded
counseled
created
cultivated
customized
cut
D
debated
debugged
decided
decoded
decreased
dedicated
defined
delegated
delineated
delivered
demonstrated
deployed
derived
described
designated
designed
detailed
detected
determined
developed
devised
diagnosed
directed
disbursed
discovered
discussed
dispatched
dispensed
displayed
disposed
disproved
dissected
dissolved
distributed
diversified
divided
doubled
E
earned
eased
edited
educated
effected
elected
elevated
elicited
eliminated
embraced
emphasized
empowered
enabled
ended
enforced
engaged
engineered
enhanced
enlisted
ensured
entered
enticed
equipped
estimated
evaluated
examined
exceeded
executed
exercised
exhibited
expanded
expedited
explained
explored
expressed
extended
extracted
F
facilitated
filled
finalized
financed
finished
fixed
focused
followed
forecasted
forged
formalized
formed
formulated
fortified
forwarded
fostered
founded
framed
fulfilled
funded
furnished
furthered
G
gained
garnered
gathered
gauged
generated
governed
graduated
grasped
greeted
grew
grouped
guided
H
halved
handled
headed
held
helped
honed
hosted
I
identified
ignited
illustrated
implemented
improved
improvised
included
incorporated
increased
indicated
induced
influenced
informed
infused
initiated
innovated
inspected
inspired
installed
instilled
instituted
instructed
insured
integrated
invented
invested
invigorated
invited
involved
isolated
issued
itemized
J
joined
judged
justified
L
launched
learned
lectured
leveraged
licensed
lifted
limited
linked
liquidated
listened
litigated
loaded
located
logged
M
made
maintained
managed
mandated
maneuvered
mapped
marked
marketed
mastered
maximized
measured
mediated
memorized
mentored
merged
minimized
mobilized
moderated
modified
molded
monitored
monopolized
motivated
mounted
N
named
narrated
navigated
negotiated
netted
neutralized
nominated
normalized
notified
nurtured
O
observed
obtained
offered
officiated
operated
optimized
orchestrated
ordered
oriented
originated
outlined
outperformed
overcame
overhauled
oversaw
owned
P
participated
partnered
passed
perceived
perfected
performed
persuaded
pioneered
placed
planned
played
prepared
presented
prioritized
processed
procured
produced
profiled
programmed
progressed
projected
promoted
proposed
protected
proved
provided
publicized
purchased
pursued
Q
quadrupled
qualified
quantified
queried
questioned
quoted
R
raised
rallied
ranked
rated
reached
realigned
realized
rearranged
rebuilt
received
recognized
recommended
reconciled
reconstructed
recorded
recovered
recruited
rectified
redesigned
redirected
reduced
re-engineered
referred
refocused
rehabilitated
registered
regulated
reinforced
reiterated
related
renegotiated
renewed
reorganized
represented
reproduced
requested
researched
reserved
resolved
responded
restored
restructured
retained
retooled
retrieved
returned
revamped
reversed
reviewed
revised
revitalized
revolutionized
rewarded
risked
rotated
routed
S
safeguarded
salvaged
saved
scanned
scheduled
screened
secured
seized
selected
separated
shaped
shared
sharpened
shipped
shortened
showed
signed
simplified
simulated
solved
sourced
sparked
spearheaded
specialized
specified
speculated
spent
sponsored
spurred
staffed
started
steered
stimulated
streamlined
strengthened
stretched
structured
submitted
succeeded
suggested
summarized
supervised
surpassed
T
teamed
tempered
tested
traced
tracked
trained
transformed
transitioned
tripled
troubleshot
turned
U
uncovered
underlined
underscored
undertook
unified
united
updated
upgraded
upheld
utilized
V
validated
valued
vaulted
verified
visualized
volunteered
W
won
worked
wrote
Y
yielded
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