A power verb is an action described with emphasis that creates greater impact to the reader. It can convert a relatively dull sounding phrase into an impressive one.

You would most likely agree that the statement “by implementing this system, we can accelerate our effort in obtaining the ISO certification” sounds much better than “by doing it, we can move faster towards getting the ISO certification.” Here, implementing, accelerate and obtaining are used in combination to replace doing, move faster and getting respectively, to create a punching and impact-generating statement.

The use of power verbs in your resume (with care and contextually right) can engage the readers, hook them up to read further, and improve the impression made to the prospective employers. After all, an employer has only that much time to glance through and decide the short listing call. Clever use of power verbs implies a good knowledge in articulating your roles, skills and achievements, and that you know how to distinguish yourself apart from others.

Following are some of the power verbs that you can use in your resume:

Formulate.

Formulate refers to an act of creating or planning something that can turn into workable solutions, e.g., mathematical algorithms, sales strategy, troubleshooting methods, solutions to issues, etc. Other than formulate, you can also use other similar power verbs such as conceptualize, devise and prepare (less impressive, but nevertheless still useful). Continue reading →

A resume is very important for your job application. Your resume will give your interviewers the very first impression they have about you. You must think carefully when you are crafting your resume. Ask yourself, “what kind of information that I want my interviewers to know about me?”.

Of course, if you cannot craft your own resume, leave it to the experts.

There are some very funny and weird resume examples for you to read (and make sure you are not repeating these mistakes).

“I think the goofiest thing I saw on a résumé was a person who listed one of their special skills as Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. They were applying for an accounting position, so it makes absolutely no sense why they would have that on there.”
Sky Opila, online résumé service BriteTab.com

Tip # 1: Never include any additional information that has nothing to do with the position you are applying.

“1990 – 1997: Stewardess – Royal Air Force”

Tip # 2: I am sure you understand this line, but not everyone knows what you are writing about. You should write:

1990 – Stewardess

1997 – Royal Air Force

“Candidate included naked picture of himself”

Tip # 3: Whether you are female or male, there is no bonus point for showing your own naked body to strangers.

“I once received a resume with a head and shoulders picture in the top left of the first page. The picture was of a lion’s head, wearing a coat, shirt, and tie.”

Tip # 4: Fancy resume can differentiate yourself from other applicants, but bear in mind that it can be the ultimate way to send your resume to the garbage.

“nine-page cover letter accompanied by a four-page resume”

Tip # 5: Less is more. People don’t have the patience to read through many resumes, let alone a long resume. Keep it short but compact with everything the interviewers need to know about you.

“An e-mail address: pinkpoodle@…com (How seriously can you take this person? How professional does this e-mail look if used on our behalf?)”
Kitty Werner, Chair, Central Vermont Crime Stoppers

Tip # 6: As always, a professional email is very important.

Now that you have seen some of the funny and weird (and common) resume mistakes, be sure to learn from mistakes and never repeat the history.

Inspirations come from CareerBuilder.

How to write resume executive summary like a pro?

There is this saying – there is no second first impression. And the same saying goes to your resume. The prospective employer may either be captivated by your uncanny ability to form impressive early phrases, or otherwise decided that your resume belongs to the trash can.

So, to create this first impression, you will need to pay a critical attention the obvious portion – the top half of your resume – the part where your Executive Summary or Profile Summary can be the deciding factor. Make no mistake. Ignore this advice and watch your resume dumped into the bin in less than 30 seconds.

Some people prefer to write an Objective rather than Executive Summary. This is fine too, as long as you know the differences between the two.

Continue reading →