It is really important that your CV becomes a “living and breathing” document that is more than simply a list of your life works which are of no relevance to each other. You might have heard me say previously that the resume is a tool with one specific purpose: to win an interview. A resume is an advertisement, nothing more, nothing less.

A great resume doesn’t just tell them what you have done but makes the same assertion that all good ads do: If you buy this product, you will get these specific, direct benefits. It presents you in the best light. It convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in this new position or career.

To do this it is essential to use “Action Words” to show your enthusiasm, innovation and ability to self-start. It will show you to be the type of employee that every employer wants within their team. It is a subtle way of gaining advantage at the early stage in the recruitment process. And besides, how can you advertise yourself without using powerful language!

It is important that you use action verbs to give you more impact on your resume. Try and start each bullet point with one of these Action Words and your Resume will jump to life like never before!!

An example of these words are below:

A

Accomplished, achieved, acted as liaison for/between, acquired, acted/ functioned as, activated, adapted, added, addressed, adept at, administered, advised, advocated, allocated, amounting to a total savings of, analysed/assessed, applied, appraised, approved, arbitrated, arranged, assembled, assessed, assigned territory consisting of, assigned to, assisted with, attained, audited, authored.

B

Balanced, bought, budgeted, built.

C

Calculated, catalogued, chaired, classified, clarified, coached, collaborated, collected, communicated, compiled, composed, computed, conceptualised, conceived, conducted, consolidated, constructed, consulted, contracted/subcontracted, controlled, convinced, coordinated, corrected, corresponded, counselled, created, customised.

D

Defined, delegated, delivered, demonstrated, designed, developed, devised, diagnosed, directed /indirect control, directed, dispatched, documented, doubled, drafted.

E

Earned, edited, educated, enabled, encouraged, engineered, enlisted, established, evaluated, examined, executed, expanded, experience involved.

F

fabricated facilitated familiarized familiar with fashioned financed forecasted formed formulated founded fulfilled

G

gathered generated guided

H

halved handled headed helped hired honoured as

I

identified illustrated implemented improved increased in charge of influenced informed initially employed initiated innovation resulted in inspected installed instituted instructed instrumental in integrated interaction withinterpreted introduced invented interviewed investigated

K

knowledge of

L

lectured led

M

maintained managed marketedmediated

N

negotiated

O

operated organized originated overcame overhauled oversaw

P

performed persuaded pioneered planned presented prioritized processed produced proficient programmed projected promoted to/from proven track record providedpublicized purchased

R

recipient of recommended reconciled recruited reduced reinforced remained as remodelled repaired reported directly to represented researched resolved restored reviewed revitalized resulted in

S

sales quota accountability scheduled screened selected served/ operated as set goals set up settled shaped solved spearheaded specified specialize in spoke started stimulated strengthened successful in/at summarized supervised surpassed surveyed systematized

T

tabulated taught temporarily trained transformed translated tripled

U

upgraded

V

validated