1. Take out the flowery language.
Instead of using words like “utilize,” keep it simple and go with good, solid, simple language like “use.” Ornate language adds little to your resume. You want to use those bigger words to make your achievements seem more impressive, but they really are not effective at doing that. If you want to make your accomplishments stand out, back them up with facts and figures in your bullet points.

2. Take credit where credit is due.
Watch the overuse of words like assisted. If that is what you did, fine. But if you were doing a lot of the heavy lifting on a project, you weren’t assisting. A word like assisting gives the impression your were simply involved in an unimportant, ancillary capacity. You may want to go with something a little more substantial, like collaborated or contributed.

3. Avoid use of words like “responsible for” or “worked on.”
These are placeholder words that just gum up the works and get in the way of using more concrete, active verbs to describe what you have done. Get right into it when listing your accomplishment. “Planned and implemented” such and such, for example.

4. Also, avoid the use of adverbs.
These really add little of substance to what your are saying. These are words that generally end in –ly. If you have to resort to using adverbs, it usually means you haven’t found the right verb. Spend your time finding the right action verb to use to describe your achievement and won’t need to use any adverbs.

5. Don’t use the word “objective” in any of your headings.
Job hunters have generally got the message that putting an objective on a resume is pretty much wasted space, but for those who haven’t, you need to stop using it.

One way of encapsulating all of this information is to simply say that you need to use good, active, muscular verbs in your resume. They generally start each bullet point, so they are the first thing the hiring manager will see. You want them to stand out, so take the time to get them right.

If you are looking for work in the New York City area, Winston Resources can find the right job for you. We are one of the most highly regarded staffing agencies because of our emphasis on service. Give Winston a call today.