Get a better job: Power Verbs for Resume Writing

Hello.

My name is Emma, and in today's video I am going to teach you about power verbs

and why you should be using them on your resume.

So this video is very, very good if you are looking for a job or even just looking to

become a better communicator.

So, first of all, what is a power verb?

Well, I have here two examples of a weak verb and a power verb.

So, "did" is an example of a weak verb.

Okay?

And I've put a sad face beside it.

These are the types of verbs that we don't really want to see on your resume because

they don't sound strong.

They make you sound like a weak candidate.

Now, compare this to a word like "implemented".

You'll notice the very happy face here.

"Implemented" is considered a power verb.

When we hear this word, it makes us think of the candidate or the person looking for

the job as a stronger person.

So, on your resume you want to use power verbs.

So I will teach you a whole bunch of different power verbs and we will go over many examples,

but before I do that I just wanted to give a couple of pieces of advice about when you

write your resume.

Okay?

So, my first piece of advice, as I've already said: Use power verbs.

Very important.

My second piece of advice: Understand how to use the power verbs.

Okay?

You don't want to make a mistake on your resume, and so you need to make sure that if you use

a word like "implemented", you use it correctly.

It's very important that you use these words correctly and you know when to use it.

So make sure you understand the meaning totally before you use the word.

Maybe check with a dictionary, or if you have a friend maybe they can look at your resume, too.

This leads to my next point: No mistakes on your resume.

Your resume needs to be perfect.

If you have mistakes people will not want to hire you for a job.

So make sure that you check these power verbs for their spelling.

Okay? They should be spelt correctly, and make sure you check them for grammar mistakes.

Okay?

You should look at it first, and then find a friend or a teacher to look at it after

you do to make sure there's no mistakes.

Okay, the next piece of advice I have for you is: Be specific on your resume.

So when we are using power verbs, for example, I have here a power verb "increased".

Okay?

"Increased gross sales by 4%."

So you might see this on a resume.

And now, how is it specific?

Well, I say specifically what I've done.

So imagine I work for a company and I sell some sort of product.

This is what I did, I increased gross sales by 4%.

So if you helped a certain number of people, you can write down that number.

If you did something by a certain percentage, you can write that down.

The more specific, the better.

Okay?

Another thing to know about when you write a resume is in a lot of areas, especially

under work summary, you will be using bullet points.

Okay?

So, what's a bullet?

This is a bullet.

Okay? So these are all bullets.

They're just dots, and beside it we write what we did.

Another piece of advice is you should be using a lot of variety on your resume, especially

with power verbs.

You don't want to keep using the same verb.

Okay?

So you do not want to write "implemented" 10 times on your resume.

You want to show that you have a lot of different verbs you know how to use, so try to use variety.

Use: "implemented", "initiated", "developed".

We're going to look at a lot of different power verbs that you can use, so try to use

a lot of different ones instead of the same one again and again and again.

Okay, and my final tip is about the grammar of power verbs.

Your resume, especially under work summary but also in other areas as well, we often

use the past tense.

Okay?

So a lot of the times you will see on a resume a bullet point with a verb in the past tense.

Often that means with "ed".

So if you used to work for a company in the past, you might say:

"Increased gross sales by 4%."

So you might use the past...

The simple past tense.

You'll also notice I don't write "I" here.

I did not write: "I increased".

A lot of the times on our resumes we do not use the subject, we do not use "I", we actually

just write the verb.

So you'll see a lot of things like this: "Increased gross sales by 4%."

Now, if you still work for the same company...

So imagine if I still work at a school, then instead of using the past tense I can use

the present.

So we use the past for previous or past work experience, but if you're still working at

the same place you can use the present tense.

So this is important, past or present tense, you can use both on your resume.

So now let's look at some examples of power verbs and how to use them.

Okay, so let's look at the first set of power verbs.

So we have here the word "did" or "do".

And again, this is a pretty weak verb to use on your resume.

I would try to avoid it where possible.

And instead, I would use a power verb.

So I have here just some power verbs that can mean the same thing as "did", although

some of these have maybe additional meanings.

So, again, it's good to check your dictionary, but these are all somewhat synonyms of "did".

So we have the word "implemented", and again, this is in the past tense.

I have a bullet point here.

I don't use the word "I", especially if it's work summary.

And I wrote: "I..."

Or, sorry, I didn't write "I".

I wrote: "Implemented a new system to better serve customers."

So this is an example of something I might write on my resume if it were true.

"Implemented" pretty much has the same meaning as "created" or "put into place".

So: "I implemented a new system to better serve customers."

You might see something like that on a resume.

We have another power verb: "handle".

Okay?

"Executed", "carried out", "processed",

"initiated", "facilitated", "conducted".

These are all very strong words that are similar to "did" and can, depending on the sentence

you're writing, can possibly create the word "did".

Okay? So, again, use a dictionary to make sure that your sentence makes sense for what you're

trying to say.

But these are all great power verbs to use on a resume.

One other thing I wanted to say, again, is you'll notice most of these have "ed".

So we often use the past tense, as I said before, on our resume.

But if we are still doing something, it's a part of the job we're doing now, we can

actually use the present tense, so in this case an "s".

So, for example, imagine if I handle customer complaints.

I can write on my resume: "Handles customer complaints" or "Handles refunds".

Okay?

So these are all great power verbs to use.

Now let's look at some other ones that are great for your resume.

Okay, so we have another weak verb: "made" or "make" that many students might want to

use on a resume.

This is not a good verb to use on a resume.

Instead, we have a lot of different synonyms or things that mean similar to "make" or are

very close in meaning that are power verbs and better to use.

So we have: "developed", we have "produced", "devised", "formulated",

"established", "created", "fostered", and this one "designed".

Here I actually have an example of how we would use a power verb on our resume.

So we might say something like:

"Designed PowerPoint presentations on best customer service practices.",

"Designed PowerPoint presentations for our weekly meeting."

Okay? So there's many things you can use with all of these things...

Or with all of these verbs, but again, try to use power verbs wherever you can.

Okay, so our next verb is "help".

"Help" is okay to use on a resume, but you know, again you want variety on your resume

so there are some power verbs that can really help you with this.

"Assisted" is great.

So a lot of the times at work you assist people in different jobs or projects.

In this case I've given the example: "Assisted veterinarians in the care of animals."

"Aided", "demonstrated", "provided".

And again, there are many more.

These are just an example of some of the power verbs you can use.

Okay, next up we have "led".

So, again, "led" is also okay to use on a resume, but if you're looking for variety

and you want something more than just "led"...

And "led" is pretty much "lead", it's the past tense of "lead", so this is for anyone

who is a leader in their place of work or a boss, or they have people who work for them.

You can use these verbs.

So we have: "managed", "coordinated".

I really like "coordinated". You...

This is a very, very common one to use on resumes.

"Supervised", "oversaw".

In this case I have the example:

"Oversaw the daily operations of a nuclear power plant."

Okay?

We have: "spearheaded" and "directed".

So just some examples of power verbs that look great on your resume.

Now let's look at some more.

So, "researched" is a great word and there are a lot of power verbs that also are similar to "research".

We have "analyzed".

In this case I've given an example:

"Analyzed trends and reported on opportunities for growth."

A lot of what we do at work is analyzing, so "analyzed" is a great one for your resume.

"Diagnosed", "measured".

Okay?

So, again, there are tons of power verbs.

These are just a couple of examples.

For "organized".

A lot of the times on resumes we're talking about how we organize something, so we can say: "maintained".

In this case: "Maintained a database for over two thousand customers."

And, again, notice how specific I am being.

Okay?

"Arranged", another word that has to do with organization.

"Communicated" is also a great verb to use, and there are a lot of ways to say "communicated".

The problem is on a resume we often use the word "communicate", so it's good to have a

lot of power verbs that have similar meanings.

I have "collaborated":

"Collaborated with other departments on special projects.",

"Collaborated with a team of, you know, 20 people on this project for my company."

Okay?

So, "collaborate" is a very good verb to use.

"Reported", "highlighted".

So these all have to do with communication and there are many more.

Now let's look at some power verbs that have to do with getting results.

Okay, so if you have done something at your work where you've gotten results, where you've

improved the company in some way, or where you've increased sales, or you've done something

and you've accomplished something, this is very good to mention in your resume.

So next we're going to look at some English for that.

So we have: "Got results".

This isn't really a good way to phrase what we're talking about.

It's better to use a power verb.

Okay? So if you increased business, you can say that:

"Increased gross sales by 4%.", "generated":

"Generated some new business for the company.",

"Identified new markets",

"strengthened".

Maybe you strengthened the relationship between your store and another store.

"Improved", "accomplished".

So these are very, like, great power verbs to use on your resume.

For some of you, maybe you used some sort of machinery at work.

So, "used" is a weak verb, just like "did" and "make".

There are way better power verbs to use.

And the one I'm going to leave you with today is "operated".

A lot of the times when we're talking about machines we use the word "operated".

So maybe you operate a forklift, or maybe you operate heavy machinery or some other

type of, you know, device.

So I can say: "Operated forklifts following best safety practices."

So this is an example of what maybe a construction worker would use on their resume.

So we've gone over some power verbs, but there are a lot.

I invite you to check out our website at www.engvid.com.

There, you can actually find a resource where you can look at more power verbs

and how to use them.

And that's very important.

What you...

What you should do is you should be very comfortable using these verbs before you put them on your

resume because you don't want to make a mistake, you don't want to maybe have a confusion or

be confused when it comes to the meaning of something, so it's very important you make

sure you know how to use these power verbs before you put them on your resume.

But again, they're very good on your resume, so I highly recommend you use these

when you're searching for a job.

I also want to invite you to come check out our quiz at www.engvid.com.

There, you can actually practice what you learned today, and you can make sure you understood

some of the key ideas of this video.

You can also subscribe to my channel.

There, you can find other resources, including things on pronunciation, videos on conversation,

vocabulary, grammar, IELTS, business, and many more things.

Also, if you come to our website at www.engvid.com, we have a lot of other resources that can

greatly benefit your English.

So I hope you check all of those out.

Until next time, thank you for watching and take care.