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Candace Davies

Dual - Certified Professional Resume Writer

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Contact Candace Davies - Email

780-513-0010

Toll-free 877-738-8052

Fax 775-593-3556

Does Your Resume Contain Action Words?

A resume is a marketing summary of your relevant talents, experiences, and contributions as an employee. It provides a synopsis of who you are as a professional and what value you can bring to the organization. Your goal is to create a content-rich resume that will stand out above the rest, secure a job interview, and ultimately win you that desired dream job.

In today's fast-paced world of time crunching, potential employers and hiring managers simply cannot evaluate all the resumes they receive in great detail; most simply give their stack of resumes a hurried glance then toss the lot of them aside where they ultimately find their way to the “round” filing cabinet. Don't let this happen to yours.

How do you ensure that your resume is strong and captivating? Writing eye-catching sentences that effectively describe your talents and achievements can be one of the most difficult things you do when preparing your resume: some find impossible. To achieve the highest impact, you must begin your bullets with action words. Action words are verbs ending in “ed” that descriptively communicate an achievement. Here is a small sample of descriptive action words that will add some liveliness to your resume:

When writing your skills and achievements bullets, make them attention-grabbing and brief. You can add descriptive adverbs and adjectives (e.g., creatively, regularly, patiently, concisely, etc.) to sell the reader on how well you did the task and bring the statement to life. You don't need to add an adverb to every achievement bullet, but do so occasionally.

Writing success stories is best achieved through concise bulleted lists, beginning with action words that accentuate compelling and relevant points. When developing your bulleted list of accomplishments, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What challenge have I faced or what problem have I resolved?

2. What action did I take?

3. What was the result of the action that I took?

The answers to these three questions provide proof to an employer that you successfully solved a problem or overcame a challenge to achieve success. The more specifically you describe your skills, strengths, and the situations in which you have demonstrated them, the stronger the impression you will make.

Below are some examples of before and after bulleted accomplishment statements. If you were an employer, which bullet would immediately engage your curiosity?

Before:

• Used Language Arts, Math, Writing, Art, and Social Studies in developing a thematic unit on “Community”.

After:

• Effectively integrated Language Arts, Math, Writing, Art, and Social Studies through the development and implementation of a thematic unit on “Community”, providing students with the opportunity to learn through diverse learning modalities.

Before:

• Managed the classroom using various methods.

After:

• Successfully maintain effective classroom management by establishing clear, consistent behavior guidelines, creating an organized classroom, promoting mutual respect, and making learning exciting through engaging lessons and activities.

Now that you recognize the importance of descriptive action words and how to use them to create an engaging and eye-catching marketing document, you are on your way to job search success.

You can also review our resume samples to get an idea of how action words are incorporated into the resume.

For further help with your resume, contact A+ Resumes for Teachers.

Interesting Facts of the Week

• In 1982, a high school student from Los Angeles, California
  unscrambled the Rubik's Cube in 22.95 seconds.

• Leonardo da Vinci invented scissors

• You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world.

• When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 3,000 miles per hour.

Source of information: hookedonfacts.com

Success Stories

"There is nothing I would change Candace. I think all the documents are absolutely perfect. Thank you for everything."

T. M.
 

"I owe you a huge thank you Candace. I got the perfect job, the one we talked about on the phone. I can honestly say I would not have been successful without your help."

C. M.
 

"I don't know how you took that mess I gave you and transformed it into this beautiful piece of art. You and your team provide a great service. Thank you again."

T. L.

More Success Stories

Contact Information

Below is our contact information, please don't hesitate to call or email if you have questions or require assistance. We are here to help you!

U.S./Canada - Toll-Free: (877) 738-8052
International/Local: (780) 513-0010
Fax: (775) 593-3556
Email: candoco@telus.net

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined."

- Henry David Thoreau

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