The Importance of Resume Action Words


The resume tone and style

It is often said, and sometimes repeated over and over again, that a well-written resume is a winning resume; and some might ask, what does that mean? And how can it be determined whether or not a resume is written in a tone and style that employers will respond to? Synthesizing educational achievements, years of professional experience, the numerous qualifications acquired since entering the job market and other inherent employable skills is not easy to document, I’m sure you will agree, if you have been in the position of having to do such synthesizing.

Every phrase or statement you write has to convince your potential employer that you are the candidate best suited for the job s/he is offering; and to do so, you would have had to use appropriate action and/or power words. Such action and power words are described as keywords (verbs) that add strength and positive implication to your job experience, performance, responsibilities and qualifications.

That having been said, however, if you are not familiar with such words, phrases and keywords, it is important to make a note of the following: When you submit your resume to a potential employer, there are two scenarios that will occur. First, your application will be ran through a computer software program that searches your resume for key terms as indicated by that employer; and if your resume contains those key words, it will be pulled aside for further review, as it could be deemed a well-written resume per that employer’s criteria.

Effect of action words on the resume

Second, a hiring manager – or sometimes a human resources associate – will receive a stack or resumes and scan through them quickly to pick out those that stand out most acceptably, based again on certain key words. It seems clear, based on such computer scans and separation of certain resumes containing specific keywords, that these action words in the resume are critical to your success in obtaining a particular job.

In view of the above you should be cognizant of the manner in which your employment history is listed on any resume document you’re sending to potential employers. In other words, your resume should list each job’s responsibilities in bullet point form with each statement starting with an action word.

Under this scenario, the use of power verbs and/or phrases will indicate to your employer that you are the type of individual (job candidate) who is driven by action and results; and that you can effectively articulate your professional experience, thus showcasing your communication skills. Such articulation of power verbs and phrases could look similar to this small sample of action words which might be helpful when formulating your own list:


Action words to personalize your resume

  • created
  • developed and implemented
  • managed
  • delivered
  • designed
  • facilitated
  • negotiated
  • coordinated
  • budgeted
  • acted
  • communicated
  • consulted, etc.

This is a very short sampling of action words, but there are many resources on the Internet containing extensive listings of action words and phrases which can be obtained with a little research; but be careful to use only those terms that are relevant to your field of experience. Your best bet would be to locate resume samples provided by professionals in your industry.

Review these resumes for ideas on how to list your responsibilities, but be mindful that you do not copy exact statements from another person’s resume; and while you can do your own research, you will want to make sure that your resume is personalized to your own professional experience.

Evaluate and review your resume action words

Also avoid falling into the trap of using the same action word(s) over and over; and if you have, in fact, managed multiple projects you may want to be a bit more specific about your role in each. For example, maybe you were the communication liaison in one project, while you were the project manager for another. If this is the case, simply begin the first bullet point with “communicated,” and the second bullet point with “managed.”

However, be aware of the words you are using and consider their value in your resume; but do not get carried away with the use of varying terms, especially those that may change your role or your responsibilities. Additionally, you can find key action words in job descriptions. Review your resume against a job description and make sure that all required qualifications are addressed in your statements.

The review will also help you identify action words that the employer uses, which you can in turn use to customize your resume or cover letter to that specific job. Always make sure that you are consistent in the way you list all your responsibilities and qualifications, and make sure that your statements exude positive attitude and focus on actions and results. By doing so, you are guaranteed to create a winning resume that will get you noticed.

Ensuring the Motivation and Success of Affiliates

Happy affiliates will enhance program

Managing an affiliate program is easier than ever with the software and help made available via today’s technology. However, managing your affiliates and keeping them motivated and selling isn’t quite as easy to do; so if the success of your business rests upon how your affiliates perform, you might want to provide them with the tools and resources necessary to get the job done successfully.

If you are already running an affiliate program for your products, you should know that there’s a large number of individuals who sign up for your program never to be heard from again. You can, however, reduce the number of non- productive affiliates by keeping in touch with them on a regular basis, thereby giving them a sense of belonging while availing yourself of their continued interest, motivation and degree of success in your program.

Some affiliates may require more attention than others, so you might have to remind this group of their usernames and passwords on the one hand, and tell them where to log in to check their stats, or get creatives on the other. whatever method you use to interact with these affiliates, you must always keep them informed of new product lines and changes in policy and/or procedures.

Education plus information equal motivation

The key to motivation is education and information, so make sure that you stay in touch, always pay attention to who your top sellers are, and make sure you provide them with enough information and educational resources to keep them engaged and motivated. You must also pay attention to who your worst producers are, and make sure you stay in touch with them constantly as well; but make sure you have a clear understanding of what problems they are having and try to provide solutions where possible.

The main reason many affiliates don’t perform well is because they don’t possess the self-starter characteristics, leadership qualities or guidance; but this can easily be changed by writing a marketing course, which you can even offer for sale to non-affiliates, but you should make it available to your affiliates at no charge.

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In other words, by providing this kind of training (education) to your affiliates free of charge, you will create the conditions for two things to occur. You’ll motivate your affiliates and, in so doing, increase your long term financial objectives through increased sales and affiliate retention and perhaps, even loyalty.

Proper tools and resources beget success

If you want to operate an effective affiliate marketing program it is, of course, important to keep your creatives and sales copy up to date; and you should also always provide new material for your affiliates to use on a regular basis, because providing them with nothing more than a text link and one banner just doesn’t generate much excitement at all.

Providing your affiliates with sales letters, reviews, ads, banners of different shapes and sizes, and anything else that promotes their business – which in essence is your business – will go a long way in maintaining an effective marketing strategy and successful affiliate business. Be sure that your affiliates know the material is there for them to use, and always listen to their input in order to get the proper feedback on your material.

You should also hold virtual meetings. Just set up chat rooms where your affiliates can attend virtual meetings on a weekly basis, so you’ll be able to answer any questions. Invite motivational speakers, technical professionals and marketing strategists, plus anything and anyone else you can think of to make the meetings more motivating.

A pat on the back can’t hurt

Giving your affiliates the credit they deserve is also very important, so each month you should give credit to the best performers in your affiliate newsletter. Give small bonuses to those that perform well, and you can even set up a payment structure that rewards higher commissions and bigger volumes of sales.

Always make sure you do everything you can to help your affiliates succeed and make money in your program; because in the end if they are making money – you are also succeeding and making money. When you think about it practically, their success is your success, so do whatever is within your power and budget to ensure the success of your affiliate program by making sure your affiliates are successful.