Quintessential Careers Press:
The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By
Chapter 8: Words to Avoid
Page 170
|
|
Instead, be specific about the tasks/functions, and try to describe special things you did to accomplish them, as for example, in these bullet points:
- After just three months of employment, selected to fill temporary position as Executive Assistant to company president and traveled with him across the country and into Asia; assisted president in presenting polished, professional image when traveling and attending business meetings.
- Single-handedly initiated transportation department, where there was none before, to bring company into compliance with state and federal regulations; researched, met with officials, scheduled company meetings to further advise and educate on regulations, and improved communications with drivers.
- Elevated business and day-to-day productivity and competitiveness by upgrading computer system, installing programs, and training staff to use new applications that streamlined inventory process, customer management, and bookkeeping.
- Saved company the salary that would have been paid to a new hire by applying efficiency to regular functions and freeing up extra time to assist in other departments - Human Resources, Log Accounting, AP, and Reception - enabling them to focus on expansion and increasing the bottom line.
The word "necessary" is rarely necessary. If a job activity were not necessary, you wouldn't have done it. Phrases such as "as necessary," "as needed," "as required, and "as assigned" also suggest job duties that you performed only because they were part of your job description - as opposed to activities you accomplished because you took the initiative. In most cases, these phrases can simply be left off your resume.
Avoid personal pronouns, particularly "I," "me," and "my." While the understood grammatical subject of the bullet points in your resume is "I," the actually pronoun is not used. Personal pronouns are, of course, used in cover letters.
Numbers on your resume will look more impressive if, instead of giving a range, you say "up to __."
Example:
- Supervised 10-25 team members simultaneously.
Well, 25 is a lot more impressive than 10, so why not say:
Similarly, instead of:
- Oversaw budgets ranging from $100K to $500K.
Say:
- Oversaw budgets of up to $500K.
Next Page