Must-Have Words for Resumes Words that Can Land You the Job in 2021

How long have you been struggling with your resume? Ever had a perfect resume that you believed will land you on that dream job? I will guide you must-have words for resumes that will land you on that job. Keep reading.

Diction or word choice is important when it comes to drafting your resume, not just to ensure that your resume is reviewed positively by software, but also because you want to surprise recruiters with your skills, competencies and relevant credentials.

To help land your resume at the top of the pile, I tapped an expert panel of career coaches, resume writers, and experts to ask, “What are the resume must-have words you like to see on resumes” let’s check it out.

Resume Must-Have Words You Can’t Omit

1. Numbers

“If you want to show that you’re results-oriented and hardworking, share the numbers. As they say, the proof is in the pudding,” according to job coach Angela Copeland.

“For example, rather than stating that you’re an “excellent digital marketer,” prove it. Say something that reflects your actual results, such as, ‘Grew online sales and revenue by 200% in one year.’

2. Redesigned

Include verbs that show leadership and transformation. “‘Redesign’ demonstrates problem-solving skills as well as the ability to think big picture and reduce process inefficiencies.”

3. Launched

If cliches are a no-no, simple yet powerful words are your go-to’s, according to columnist Anish Majumdar.  Launched, solved, transformed, and optimized are all examples of action verbs that make you look good without resorting to cliches.

4. Modernized

“Modernised” along with “conceived and metamorphosed” powering up the candidate’s story, showing how they’ve improved, envisioned and transformed their work environments, and therefore, gained revenue, customer growth, reputation, etc. traction for their company.

5. Value or Valuable

“These words show that the candidate is thinking about their activities in terms of how they’ll improve the business. “Terms like ‘hard-working’ don’t do this because working hard doesn’t necessarily produce better results. 

6. Orchestrated

The verb ‘orchestrated’ shows, versus just telling, the hiring manager what was accomplished. Orchestrated, by definition, means to arrange and direct. The key is to make a resume better than any great piece of fiction by embracing the storytelling aspect and showing readers your true qualifications.

7. Get specific

Instead of looking for the 2017 buzzword, job seekers are better off being specific in their resumes. Instead of hard-working, consider saying what hard work was done, e.g. did a candidate work tirelessly to reach an impossible deadline?

It is important to use verbs that pinpoint what was accomplished, i.e. influenced, improved, achieved, etc. 

8. Create, lead, managed

“I like to look for candidates who have had a role in shaping something from idea through execution,” says executive coach Kate O’Sullivan.

“One of the main qualities I look for is someone who can take a vague idea or strategic goal and see it through to completion, rather than someone who executes on a plan that’s already been decided.

9. Provide examples

“In general, it’s very hard to convince a resume reader that you possess various soft skills, e.g. team player, just by listing these on your resume,” said O’Sullivan.

“If you put yourself in their shoes for a minute you will understand why. The most powerful thing you can do is give examples.

10. Be skimmable

A resume should be impactful while still skimmable, or able to easily be skimmed by recruiters and hiring managers. Hiring managers don’t sit down the day before an interview, pour a glass of wine, and meticulously read through each resume they’re considering.

11. Spearheaded

According to Angela Copeland, a resume —and the job search, in general— is not the time to be shy. “Use strong words that emphasize your level of involvement. This isn’t the time to minimize yourself or your contributions.

12. Committed

Show that you’re dedicated to your work, start to finish.

13. Edit expertly

“Word choice is incredibly important. You only have a limited amount of real estate on your resume, so every single word counts,” says O’Sullivan. “Focus on achievements, quantify where possible, and make an effort to tailor your experiences to your target job.

It’s more effective to talk about fewer projects and responsibilities more in-depth than to list every single thing you’ve ever done. Along these lines, concentrate on your most recent experience. Edit with the mindset of “does this piece of information directly help sell my experience for this role? If not, take it off.”

“The easiest way to improve your choice of words is to read your resume out loud to yourself,” advises Copeland. “This can catch many of the potential issues before anyone else sees it.

Then, ask a friend or family member who works in another industry to read it. If they find your resume to be confusing, consider updating the wording, so that it’s more clear.”

Additional Resume Facts You Should Know

As you write your resume, keep your audience–as well as our top 10 facts–in mind:

1. Recruiters spend an average of only about 6 seconds on each resume before deciding whether to interview a candidate.
2. The first 15-20 words of your resume are the most important; that’s how many words the average person can read in those 6 seconds.
3. The top one-third of your resume often determines whether a hiring manager chooses to keep reading.
4. Your summary is the section of your resume a recruiter is most likely to read.
5. Many employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan resumes for specific terms. ATS search terms are usually correlated to job descriptions.
6. A recent survey found that 54 percent of job seekers do not customize their resumes for each job, so tailoring yours could put you ahead of more than half your competition.
7. Changing the wording of a keyword from the job description even slightly – for example, from “project management” to “project manager” – could cause the ATS to eliminate you.
8. Many ATS cannot recognize abbreviations as common as “CPA.”
9. Unusual fonts, spacing, and images can all throw off an ATS. Using our Resume Builder is a quick, easy way to bypass this issue.
10. Typos can easily sabotage your resume — a survey of employers showed that of the most common mistakes applicants make on their resumes, 58 percent are related to misspellings. Make sure you perform a final resume check.

Resume Must-Have Words are definitely words you shouldn’t do without in your resume. Try it out and the outcome will wow you. This was worth sharing right? Share this with your friends on their social media handles.

CSN Team.