Hiring Managers Reveal The 15 BEST Words To Use On Your Resume

April 17, 2014

Not sure what to include in your resume? Be sure to make room for these fifteen keywords.

By Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, Expert Resume Writer

I was recently made aware of a great survey that the Harris Poll did online. They asked more than 2,200 hiring managers and HR professionals to rank the best and worst words on resumes. Below I’m including their list of the BEST words you can use on your resume. You’ll note one common theme among the top 15 best words—they are mostly action-driven verbs! It’s time to pull out your resume and play a quick game of word search!

Raptor Pharm Associate Director, QA Lot Disposition Dart NeuroScience Research Associate/Associate Scientist, DMPK Allergan Manager, Clinical Data Management Alkermes Product Manager, Payer Marketing Seattle Genetics Manager, Regulatory Affairs

Resume words employers want to see:

1. Achieved: 52 percent

2. Improved: 48 percent

3. Trained/Mentored: 47 percent

4. Managed: 44 percent

5. Created: 43 percent

6. Resolved: 40 percent

7. Volunteered: 35 percent

8. Influenced: 29 percent

9. Increased/Decreased: 28 percent

10. Ideas: 27 percent

11. Negotiated: 25 percent

12. Launched: 24 percent

13. Revenue/Profits: 23 percent

14. Under budget: 16 percent

15. Won: 13 percent

What’s great about these terms is that they communicate action and show that you’ve actually DONE something. We use these phrases and many more just like them to differentiate our clients—and you would be amazed at how rapidly it increases their resume response rate.

About the Author

Jessica Hernandez, is a resume authority for the Job Talk America radio program and multi-published expert author for resume, career, and job search publications. She boasts more than ten years in human resources management and hiring for Fortune 500 companies and utilizes her extensive experience to support job seekers in their quest to move onward and upward in their careers. Find out more at Great Resumes Fast.

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