Word Power!
…language to describe yourself
If you want to stress your competence, here are some words or phrases you
might use:
creative
strength in
ability to
cut out for
thoroughly trained
mastered
well grounded
proficient
effective
capacity for
adept at
technical competence in
pre-plan everything
know-how
aptitude for
practical approach to
proven track record
think and act maturely
comprehensive knowledge
aggressive, tactful, and results-oriented
keep up with current
thorough understanding of
capable of formulating and directing
like to find a better way of doing things
not wedded to fixed ideas
integrity and drive
inspire confidence
like to make things happen
want to get involved
ability to see the overall picture
ability to make practical decisions
first hand knowledge
performance-oriented
And words or phrases that are useful in an all-around sort of way:
self-disciplined
self-reliant
self-confident
conscientious
diplomatic
discreet
tactful
persuasive
competitive drive
take nothing for granted
aptitude for
mildly aggressive
thrive in an environment that..
necessary ingredients for
get along well with people
enjoy getting involved with
good back-up for….
good listener
a need to excel
excellent work habits
keen sense of urgency
understands priorities
courage of convictions
professional attitude
From: Bezanson, H.A. The Complete Do-It Yourself Resume Guide.
Fleetwood Communications. Richmond, B.C.: 1985
Career Centre
Champlain College Room 204
www.trentu.ca/careers
748-1011 x6012
Word or phrases that indicate management ability:
headed
took charge
administered
authority over
closely supervised
strong leader
coordinator
in charge of
people-handling skills
successful with people
decision maker
command respect
ability to inspire others
leadership ability
developed subordinates
willing to take the initiative
Words to create a positive impact:
accelerated
actively
adapted
administered
approved
completed
conceived
conducted
conferred
created
delegated
demonstrated
developed
directed
effected
eliminated
established
expanded
expedited
generated
guided
improved
increased
influenced
implemented
interpreted
launched
led
maintained
participated
performed
pinpointed
planned
proficient at
programmed
proposed
provided
recommended
reduced
reinforced
reorganized
responsible
responsibilities
revamped
reviewed
revised
scheduled
set up
significantly
simplified
solved
strategy
streamlined
strengthened
structured
successfully
tied together
triggered
Words or phrases that reflect intelligence:
ability to think analytically
good memory
fast thinking
mental capacity
common sense
probing mind
ideas person
logical thinker
creative
perceptive
Action Verbs … to describe what you have done
acted
accommodated
accomplished
accounted
accumulated
achieved
acquired
activated
adapted
added
addressed
adjusted
administered
adopted
advanced
advised
advocated
affected
aided
alleviate
allocated
allotted
altered
analyzed
annotated
announced
answered
applied
appointed
appraised
approved
arranged
articulated
ascertained
assembled
assessed
assigned
assisted
assured
attended
audited
augmented
authorized
automated
balanced
began
billed
budgeted
built
calculated
calibrated
canvassed
cared for
carried out
categorized
caused
cemented
changed
charted
clarified
classified
coded
collaborated
collated
commenced
communicated
compared
compiled
completed
composed
compressed
conceived
concentrated
condensed
conducted
connected
conferred
confirmed
confronted
considered
consolidated
constructed
consulted
contacted
contrasted
contributed
controlled
conceived
converted
co-operated
coordinated
corresponded
corrected
correlated
costed
counselled
covered
created
cultivated
customized
dealt with
debugged
decided
decreased
dedicated
deduced
defended
defined
delegated
delineated
delivered
demonstrated
depicted
derived
described
designated
detailed
detected
determined
developed
devised
diagnosed
differentiated
directed
discharged
discovered
discussed
dispensed
displayed
disseminated
discerned
dispatched
distilled
distinguished
divided
documented
drafted
earned
edited
educated
elected
eliminated
elicited
employed
encoded
encompassed
encouraged
enforced
engaged
engineered
enjoyed
enlisted
ensured
entertained
enumerated
enunciated
equalized
equipped
established
estimated
evaluated
examined
exchanged
executed
exhibited
expanded
expedited
experimented
explained
explored
exposed
extracted
extrapolated
fabricated
facilitated
fashioned
figured
filed
filled
financed
Career Centre
Champlain College Room 204
www.trentu.ca/careers
748-1011 x6012
finalized
fine-tuned
fit
focused
followed
forecast
formed
forwarded
formulated
found
founded
framed
furnished
grasped
gathered
gauged
gave
generated
graded
graduated
granted
guarded
guided
handled
helped
hired
hypothesized
identified
illustrated
imagined
imparted
impressed
implemented
imported
improved
improvised
incorporated
increased
indexed
indicated
influenced
informed
initiated
inquired
inserted
inspected
instituted
instructed
insured
integrated
interfaced
interpolated
interpreted
interviewed
introduced
invented
investigated
isolated
judged
justified
keep informed
labelled
lead
learned
lectured
licensed
limited
listened
lobbied
localized
located
made
mailed
maintained
managed
manipulated
manufactured
mapped
marked
marketed
mastered
matched
maximized
measured
mechanized
mediated
meshed
met
minimized
mobilized
modeled
modified
monitored
motivated
navigated
negotiated
noticed
notified
nursed
nurtured
observed
obtained
officiated
orchestrated
ordered
originated
organized
oversaw
oriented
patterned
pointed out
proceeded
processed
proved
provisioned
packaged
paid
participated
performed
persisted
persuaded
planned
played
positioned
postulated
practiced
precipitated
predicted
prepared
prescribed
presented
preserved
presided
prevented
priced
printed
produced
programmed
projected
promoted
protected
provided
publicized
published
purchased
quantified
questioned
quoted
ran
rated
read
received
recognized
recommended
recorded
recreated
recruited
rectified
reduced
referred
refined
reflected
regulated
related
released
removed
reorganized
repaired
ranked
reacted
recalled
recollected
reconciled
relayed
renewed
reported
represented
researched
responded
restored
retained
retraced
retrieved
reviewed
revised
sampled
saved
scheduled
screened
scripted
searched
secured
selected
sensed
served
set
set up
settled
simplified
sold
solicited
solved
spoke
staged
started
stimulated
strengthened
studied
submitted
suggested
summarized
supervised
supplied
supported
surveyed
synthesized
tailored
taught
tested
theorized
timed
traced
trained
transcribed
transferred
transformed
translated
transmitted
transported
transposed
treated
tutored
updated
upgraded
used
utilized
validated
valued
verified
visited
worked
wrote
QUALIFIERS: HOW DID YOU DO IT?
accurately
actively
amiably
appropriately
attentively
artfully
artistically
authoritatively
beautifully
calmly
carefully
clearly
cogently
coherently
comfortably
compassionately
compellingly
competently
comprehensively
confidently
convincingly
courageously
creatively
decisively
definitively
dependably
diplomatically
distinctively
dynamically
easily
effectively
effortlessly
eloquently
eminently
emphatically
Were You…
experienced
poised
informed
interesting
stimulating
impressive
valued
a catalyst
considerate
determined
motivated
diversified
multi-lingual
energetically
engagingly
enthusiastically
ethically
expansively
expressively
fairly
flawlessly
forcefully
fully
generously
genuinely
happily
humorously
imaginatively
independently
insightfully
instinctively
intuitively
joyfully
judiciously
keenly
kindly
loudly
lovingly
magnanimously
methodically
meticulously
naturally
neatly
objectively
observantly
openly
optimistically
passionately
passively
patiently
persistently
persuasively
playfully
pointedly
politically
powerfully
precisely
quickly
quietly
readily
realistically
reluctantly
sensibly
sensitively
simply
simultaneously
skillfully
smoothly
subtly
superbly
sympathetically
systematically
tenderly
thoroughly
thoughtfully
vehemently
verbally
vibrantly
vigorously
warmly
willingly
wryly
zestfully
In What Context…
- when given a deadline to meet
- in small groups
- before a sophisticated audience
- with small children
- for scientifically inclined readers
- in stimulating high energy office
- with culturally diverse teenagers