To provide impact on your CV, use an action word at the beginning of each sentence. The following list will help you. These CV and Resume words are based on research and will help you construct your sentences and bullet points.

Research Powerful CV and Resume Words

Overcame	Enlarged	Referred	Delivered	Analysed
Served	Reduced	Produced	Negotiated	Conducted
Networked	Headed	Won	Observed	Sold
Trained	Studied	Completed	Assisted	Improved
Designed	Accomplished	Consulted	Consolidated	Increased
Ordered	Evaluated	Trained	Invented	Calculated
Supplied	Diagnosed	Identified	Maintained	Examined
Performed	Administered	Constructed	Advised	Processed
Controlled	Restored	Reviewed	Translated	Formulated
Improved	Rewarded	Tested	Represented	Oversaw
Promoted	Obtained	Installed	Recorded	Programmed
Operated	Instructed	Audited	Coached	Coordinated
Organised	Received	Researched	Implemented	Expanded
Presented	Devised	Selected	Prepared	Directed
Recommended	Managed	Distributed	Eliminated	Provided
Conserved	Developed	Collected	Acquired	Simplified
Wrote	Delivered	Instructed	Founded	Created
Demonstrated	Leveraged	Led	Planned	Compiled

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Really powerful CV and Resume Words that Work

The list below contains the researched CV and Resume words that are most appealing for employers. Use these wherever possible:

Effectively	Efficiently	Decisively	Successfully	Creatively
Competently	Positively	Energetically	Enthusiastically	Responsibly
Quickly	Patiently	Resourcefully	Flexibly	Carefully

 

Things to Avoid in Your CV or Resume

1. Anything that is overly technical. We understand that if you are a scientist or engineer, your world is based on technical terminology.

   Anything that is too personal. Stating your children’s names and ages, telling the odd joke that requires someone in the know to understand it, a photograph of you, and being negative about previous employers all fall into this category.

   Now think about it from those screening your CV. Your very best scenario is a technical recruiter. However, even for this group, the breadth of technical language across disciplines is way beyond any individual understanding the meaning of all discipline based technical language. What’s worse, it is more likely that it will be a generalist recruiter either in-house or agency and may have no technical knowledge. Just soften the language and make it understandable.
2. Anything that is too personal. Stating your children’s names and ages, telling the odd joke that requires someone in the know to understand it, a photograph of you, and being negative about previous employers all fall into this category. And, yes, people do all of these things.
3. Stating ‘how’ you achieved something. If you are stating how, why should they invite you for interview – you already told them the story. If you say how you did something, the chances are that you are being overly detailed in your content. That takes up too much room and you may well end up on the ‘read later’ pile (which will end up in the reject pile due to time constraints).
4. Anything that could be subjectively interpreted. This cuts across CV and resume words used.  Age, marital status, ethnicity/religion, outside commitments, and certain hobbies and interests fall into this category. When you are stating your hobbies and interests, think if anyone could possibly interpret this negatively. Obvious ones include fishing and hunting, social nights out, and high risk sports. All of these can be negatively of subjectively interpreted.
5. Too many words. Every country has an informal standard for a resume or a  CV. Too many words breaks the expected length. Keep within expectations or you will go the dreaded ‘read later’ pile. And we all know that from the pressures recruiters are under what happens to the read later pile.
6. Typing errors. Okay, these may not be important to you, but the chances are that the person reading it has an eye for detail. Typing errors will eliminate you from the process.

Although CV and resume words are important, if you follow these general rules, you CV will glow and you will increase your chances of getting that perfect role.

To move on with this pathway, click here for the cover letter template.