Choose Power Words to Make Your Resumé Stand Out

It's important to use power words and terms in your resumés and cover letters to help highlight why you're the right person for the job. 

Power words are words that quickly gain an employer’s attention and effectively prove your qualifications for the job. These words are also useful when a company is using an applicant tracking systems (ATS). These tracking systems look for the keywords and terms that are important to the employer. If the program can’t find those power words in your resumé, it won’t flag it for a human recruiter. But make sure not to over use power words so that your resumé is not repetitive or boring.

Power words and terms can be divided into 4 groups:

1. Keywords
2. Action words
3. Description words
4. Number terms

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How to Write a Great Resumé

Discover a few key tips for writing a resumé that get you an interview, like how to use action words and how long your resumé should be.

Using the right ones will help you land an interview.

1.  Keywords

Keywords are words and phrases that show employers you:

• Read their job posting
• Studied a certain subject
• Earned a certain credential (for example, a diploma)
• Are familiar with a particular industry or sector
• Know how to use specific kinds of tools (for example, a software program or specialized tool)
• Have certain types of skills (for example, project management or materials handling)

How to find the right keywords

• Look for keywords and phrases in the job posting or in the position profile on the employer’s website. Browse the website for other keywords.
• Visit other websites in your industry or sector to find common keywords.
• Read occupational profiles to find words specific to the job.
• Research the keywords used in other ads for similar positions.
• Ask people in the industry or at the workplace about standard qualifications.

Note: Make sure you understand the meaning of the words you choose and that they accurately represent the work you did. If you get an interview, you want to be able to speak confidently about what you've written on your resumé.

2. Action words

Action words are verbs. Skillful resumé writers often put them at the beginning of the bullet or description. For example, it is better to say that you “completed” a project rather than say you were “responsible for” the project. By saying you completed it, it's clear that you saw the task through to the end. By saying you were responsible for the project, it's not clear whether the project was finished successfully or not.

Action words show your ability to succeed. For example:

• Developed a new inventory system that reduced labour costs by 18%
• Delivered all projects on or before the due date

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Know Your Core Skills and How to Sell Them

Employers look for a wide range of skills. Some skills relate to specific types of work. Others are core skills that you need for every job. If you know your core skills, you can use them to impress potential employers. This will help you land the job you want.

You can use action words to describe your duties in your previous job. For example:

• Analyzed monthly marketing metrics
• Held weekly meetings with clients to foster open communication

Action words help you answer “what?” or “who?” and sometimes both. The previous example answers:

• What: weekly meetings
• Who: clients
• And even why: to foster open communication

Here are some action words to help you highlight your success and describe your skills.

Action words to highlight success

Communication/teamwork skills action words

Creative skills action words

Data/financial/research skills action words

Detail/organization skills action words

Leadership/management skills action words

Mentoring/teaching skills action words

Technical skills action words

3. Description words

Description words are adjectives. They describe the traits and strengths you have for the job. The following is only a partial list of words that may apply to you. Before you add them to your resumé, ask yourself how they apply. For example, how are you accurate or adaptable? Add these extra details to the strengths or attributes section of your resumé.

4. Number terms

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Which Resumé Type Fits You Best?

A good resumé calls attention to the skills and achievements that best fit the job you’re applying for. A well-written resumé can get you an interview.

Number terms are sometimes called quantifiers. They describe size, quantity, length, and cost. These extra details help a reader measure your success. For example, “Managed a team,” is good information. But adding “of 25 employees” paints a clearer picture of the scale of your work and your level of responsibility. Here are more examples:

• Reduced the wait time by 30%
• Added 15 new accounts
• Increased annual sales revenue by $1 million

If you haven’t been in the workforce for very long, you may not be able to use number terms. Just remember to use the strongest possible action words to strengthen your skills and achievements. For example:

• Helped lead the school hockey team to the city championship
• Contributed to the success of the recycling program
• Increased the cleanliness of the building

To find more power words, you can use a thesaurus to look up synonyms for any of the words provided above.