Action Verbs This tip is designed to arm you with language that will excite someone who reads your resume - or at least keep that person awake and interested. Have you seen phrases such as "responsible for" or "duties included" in resumes? Boring! Consider the employer who is reading such a resume. Does it really tell that person what you did? Does it give any indication of how you did the job? Choose the more effective statement: Responsible for staff supervision to complete the campaign Supervised 20 full-time and part-time staff to complete the campaign (OK - I know the second one has numbers in it. That's important, too.) The wording of the second statement indicates that you led the staff to achieve successful performance. The "responsible for" wording in the first statement lacks punch and doesn't describe either success or failure at the task. Employers are looking for people who will perform and whose past experience predicts that they will 'do' specific tasks. Help them to see what you will do for them by using action verbs in your resume. Here are some suggestions: administered arranged built conducted coordinated created designed developed enhanced executed founded guided headed implemented improved introduced led maintained managed negotiated organized produced promoted reduced reviewed secured simplified streamlined strengthened supervised updated Omissions You know that it is essential to have a resume that thoroughly describes your background. Did you know, though, that it is permissible to leave out certain information and that in some cases, you SHOULD leave out specific items. Here are some tips about omissions: The word resume at the top: This is a rare mistake, but we will include the caution. Don't put the word "Resume" at the top of your resume. That is like putting "Letter" at the top of each letter you write. Years of degrees: Unless your college degree is recent and you have little work experience to follow it, you do not need to include the year you earned a degree. Also, the farther in the past you earned the degree, the farther down the page(s) it should be. Once you establish a career record, list Education after your Professional Experience. Grade point average: If you are very proud of your grade point, go ahead list it. However, with the exception of accounting firms, most professions do not require a candidate to list grade point average. Once again, the importance of this information declines as time passes since you earned your degree. Details of non-relevant work: If you have worked an assortment of jobs, some of them may not support the credentials you wish to emphasize in a current job search. Use your judgement to include just dates and places (Sam's Sporting Goods - 1999-2000; Golden Duck Shoes - 2000-2001) or possibly to combine several non-relevant job references (various retail sales positions in Albany, NY 1999-2001). Personal information: Unless you are applying for a job in which the BFOQs (bona fide occupational qualifications) include certain personal attributes, do NOT provide this information. Also educate yourself about the questions employers may not ask such as marital status, religion, race, age, physical disability and do NOT include this on your resume. All the information on your resume should be related to your qualifications for the job. References: A statement that "references will be furnished upon request" is a waste of ink. You have more important text to put on your resume. Create a separate document for your references. Keeping the reference document separate will allow you the flexibility to change your list for different employment situations. Summary - It's About You!   The purpose of a resume is to secure interviews. The content of that resume should market YOU. So, if you haven't already done this, include a summary that describes YOU instead of a job objective. In a former economic time when jobs and their descriptions remained stable for long periods, a job objective was an acceptable approach. That was then. This is now. Jobs and their titles and responsibilities are constantly changing. You could make the mistake of targeting a job that quickly becomes obsolete - or - a job that changes radically into something you would rather not do. Grab the attention of the person who will read your resume (for an average 11 seconds) by placing a summary about your accomplishments and qualifications at the top of the page. (Hey! This relates to your gifts!) About three statements should be sufficient. You have only a brief time to hook them with "Award winning sales professional who consistently exceeds sales goals by over 50%" - or something similar. There are good examples of this type of resume on the web. You could also request a complimentary resume review from me to get you started. Even if you are not currently looking for a job, it's a good idea to keep your resume current.