How Power Words and Action Verbs for Resume Can Make You Stand Out

As with the rest of the world, Malaysian companies are building on the momentum of their efforts to recover from the pandemic. Therefore, it is also the perfect time for you to bounce back in your career and explore available job opportunities. The job market is also now more competitive than ever, so you will need to prepare a standout resume ready. The key is to use action verbs for your resume to bring attention to your application.

Whether you are writing a resume to land your first job or to do a career switch, the goal remains the same: to highlight your technical skills, competencies, work experience, soft skills, and achievements. Your resume should also give potential employers an idea of whether or not you are a good fit for their company. 

What makes action verbs for a resume powerful?

Choosing the right words in your resume is just as crucial as having the right skills and competencies for your desired position. Your resume should serve as a clear and concise overview of your education, professional background, strengths, and career goals. Therefore, your choice of words should be able to support this objective.

By incorporating more action verbs for resumes, you emphasise what you have done in your current role or capacity. It also effectively communicates what you can do for the company. It also allows you to introduce yourself as a doer, problem solver, and self-starter – traits that managers are always looking out for in candidates.  

What impactful keywords and action verbs do for resumes

To help you better understand how to use action verbs, you must first know what exactly they do for your resume. These words may already be powerful on their own. But with the wrong context, they often become less effective or impactful. Therefore, knowing what these action words and keywords do when used correctly will allow you to use them more decisively in your resume and cover letters.  

1. Show which application requirements match your skills, experiences, and goals

A closer look at job listings will show you that companies are always looking for specific skills, competencies, and experience levels for the roles they are hiring for. With that in mind, using action verbs will allow you to indicate more directly which of these requirements you already have. 

Power words also come in handy in case the company you are applying to is using an applicant tracking system. These help employers screen applications by narrowing down top candidates whose applications contain specific keywords. As such, including these words in your resume or cover letter will likely increase the chances of your application making the cut. 

2. Communicate that you share the same company values and vision

Apart from your technical qualifications, background, and experience level, hiring managers also want to know if you are a great fit for the company culture. As such, your application should also include some action words for resumes that effectively communicate this. As part of your pre-application research, look up the company description and take note of their corporate mission and vision. Make sure to incorporate them into your cover letter with the right action verbs.

3. Highlight your achievements and accomplishments from your past and present roles

Lastly, these resume power words work great for highlighting your strengths and achievements. They will make your resume and cover letter more dynamic instead of repetitive or boring. Also, these action verbs in your resume will make the screening process easier for hiring managers. Many of them tend to quickly browse through resumes and cover letters they receive because of the volume of applications they receive. So, by using these thoughtful words, your resume can stand out from the competition.

What impactful keywords and action words are not

1. Hype words or buzzwords

Some resume adjectives that are perceived as power words may, in fact, be “weak” to employers. They actually do not tell a lot about you, your professional background, or your skills. Instead, they tend to be self-patronising hype words or buzzwords. Common examples are “skilled”, “go-getter”, and “hardworking”.  

2. Obvious, expected, or vague

There are a handful of words and phrases that may seem great additions to your application at first. However, a closer look will tell you that they are either obvious, expected, or vague. Also, they do not indicate any new or differentiating information to hiring managers. They are fluff words that don’t add value to your resume. Examples like “people person”, “self-motivated”, or “team player” will just clutter your application. Since you only have limited time and space to make an impression, it is best that you avoid using these words and phrases.

3. Jargon and overly technical terms

Peppering resumes and cover letters with jargons and overly technical terms is one of the most common application mistakes. Many jobseekers do this believing that these words will help them come off as knowledgeable, experienced, or proficient. However, career experts say that it actually tends to make a resume weaker. Some terms or business jargon may be specific to a company. As such, they likely won’t make sense to the hirer who evaluates your application. Also, the person who screens your application may not be familiar with the technical terms you use. 

Jobstreet Keyword Bank

Below are some powerful action verbs for resumes that you can use when applying to in-demand job specialisations and top trending job industries in Malaysia. Career experts highly recommend these for crafting statements that clearly show the value you bring and specific examples of how you demonstrated your skills and expertise. They also apply to different roles across various fields and industries.

If you led, created, or introduced a project:

• Administered
• Built
• Chaired
• Created
• Coordinated
• Designed
• Developed
• Formulated
• Founded
• Engineered
• Implemented
• Introduced
• Launched
• Organised
• Oversaw
• Produced

If you helped the company become more efficient or cost-effective:

• Pioneered
• Spearheaded 
• Consolidated
• Reduced
• Yielded
• Decreased
• Improved

If your work improved the company’s sales, revenue, efficiency, or customer satisfaction:

• Accelerated
• Advanced
• Amplified
• Boosted
• Delivered
• Enhanced
• Expanded
• Expedited
• Generated
• Improved
• Maximised

If your contributions paved for noteworthy changes or improvements:

• Converted
• Customised
• Influenced
• Integrated
• Modified
• Redesigned
• Refocused
• Rehabilitated
• Reorganised
• Replaced
• Restructured
• Revitalised
• Simplified
• Standardised
• Streamlined
• Updated
• Transformed

If you managed a team:

• Aligned
• Authorised
• Coached
• Delegated
• Directed
• Educated
• Enforced
• Facilitated
• Guided
• Inspired
• Mentored
• Mobilised
• Monitored
• Resolved
• Supervised
• Trained
• Verified

If you did extensive research:

• Analysed
• Assessed
• Audited
• Discovered
• Evaluated
• Examined
• Forecasted
• Identified
• Interpreted
• Measured
• Tested
• Tracked

If writing or communications were part of your role:

• Authored
• Briefed
• Crafted
• Composed
• Counselled
• Critiqued
• Documented
• Edited
• Penned
• Promoted
• Reviewed
• Revised

If you need to showcase your achievements:

• Accomplished
• Attained
• Awarded
• Completed
• Earned
• Reached
• Surpassed

These are just some of the power words that will help you craft a more action-oriented resume or cover letter. Pair them with other strong keywords and you will be on your way to a more impressive application for your dream job! 

Still on the lookout for better career opportunities? #LetsGetToWork and create or update your Jobstreet profile today. Make it more impactful for your job search with these power words and action verbs! 

Finally, make sure to check out the Career Resources Hub for more tips on job searching, self-improvement, and career advancement!