Check Your Resume Verbs

Liven up your resume by making it as active as possible. Instead of such phrases as "responsible for . . ." or "performed the duties of . . ." use active verbs: wrote, sold, answered, operated, filled, cut, folded, styled, assembled, organized - whatever actually describes what you did. If you have trouble finding the right verbs, use a thesaurus (there is one on all word processing programs). Instead of trying to write a stiff, overly formal document, describe your duties as you might if a new acquaintance asked about your job.

Would you really tell a friend "As the manager of the department, I'm responsible for budgeting, supervision, and productivity"? You'd be much more likely to say "I have my fingers in everything. I balance the books, run the machines when we get behind, keep the boss happy, and review the work my staff does to make sure that it's accurate and mistake-proof."

You know your industry and the work you performed so list out the active verbs that describe that work and make sure that you strew them liberally throughout your resume - and then see how much livelier and human you appear.