Fight the Resume and Cover Letter Blahs!

Does your resume or cover letter have the blahs? Want to sound more dynamic in interviews? Spice them up by using this easy-to-follow recipe as a guide:

• Salt heavily by starting sentences off with an “action verb”

• Season with “influential phrases” but be careful not to overdo it

• Finish it off by mixing in “strength descriptors.”

Don’t be afraid to show off a little. Remember, it ain’t bragging if you’ve done it!

Action Verbs

Accelerate

Accentuate

Accommodate

Accomplish

Achieve

Acquire

Adapt

Address

Adjudicate

Administer

Advance

Advise

Advocate

Align

Alter

Analyze

Anchor

Apply

Appoint

Appreciate

Arbitrate

Architect

Arrange

Articulate

Ascertain

Assemble

Assess

Assist

Attain

Augment

Authenticate

Author

Authorize

Balance

Believe

Bestow

Brainstorm

Brief

Budget

Build

Calculate

Capitalize

Capture

Catalog

Catapult

Centralize

Chair

Champion

Change

Chart

Clarify

Classify

Close

Coach

Cobble

Collaborate

Collect

Command

Commercialize

Commoditize

Communicate

Compare

Compel

Compile

Complete

Compose

Comply

Compute

Conceive

Conceptualize

Conclude

Conduct

Configure

Conserve

Consolidate

Construct

Consult

Contemporize

Continue

Contract

Control

Convert

Convey

Coordinate

Correct

Corroborate

Counsel

Craft

Create

Critique

Crystallize

Curtail

Cut

Decipher

Decrease

Define

Delegate

Deliver

Demonstrate

Deploy

Derive

Design

Detail

Detect

Determine

Develop

Devise

Differentiate

Diminish

Direct

Discard

Discern

Discover

Dispense

Display

Distinguish

Distribute

Diversify

Divert

Document

Dominate

Double

Draft

Drive

Earn

Edit

Educate

Effect

Effectuate

Elect

Elevate

Eliminate

Emphasize

Empower

Enact

Encourage

Endeavor

Endorse

Endure

Energize

Enforce

Engineer

Enhance

Enlist

Enliven

Ensure

Entrench

Equalize

Eradicate

Espouse

Establish

Estimate

Evaluate

Examine

Exceed

Excel

Execute

Exhibit

Exhort

Expand

Expedite

Experiment

Explode

Exploit

Explore

Export

Extract

Extricate

Facilitate

Finalize

Finance

Focus

Follow up

Forecast

Forge

Form

Formalize

Formulate

Foster

Found

Freshen

Fulfill

Gain

Garner

Generate

Govern

Graduate

Guide

Halt

Handle

Head

Helmed

Hire

Honor

Hypothesize

Identify

Illustrate

Imagine

Implement

Import

Improve

Improvise

Increase

Influence

Inform

Initiate

Innovate

Inspect

Inspire

Install

Institute

Instruct

Integrate

Intensify

Interpret

Interview

Introduce

Invent

Inventory

Investigate

Judge

Justify

Land

Launch

Lead

Lecture

Leverage

Liaise

License

Listen

Locate

Lower

Maintain

Manage

Manipulate

Manufacture

Map

Market

Marshall

Master

Mastermind

Maximize

Measure

Mediate

Mentor

Merge

Minimize

Model

Moderate

Modify

Monetize

Monitor

Motivate

Navigate

Negotiate

Network

Nominate

Normalize

Obfuscate

Obliterate

Observe

Obtain

Offer

Officiate

Operate

Optimize

Orchestrate

Order

Organize

Orient

Originate

Outpace

Outperform

Outsource

Overcome

Overhaul

Oversee

Participate

Partner

Perceive

Perfect

Perform

Persuade

Pilot

Pinpoint

Pioneer

Plan

Position

Predict

Prepare

Prescribe

Present

Preside

Prevent

Process

Procure

Produce

Program

Progress

Project

Proliferate

Promote

Propel

Propose

Prospect

Prove

Provide

Publicize

Purchase

Purify

Qualify

Quantify

Query

Question

Raise

Rate

Ratify

Realign

Rebuild

Recapture

Receive

Recognize

Recommend

Reconcile

Record

Recruit

Rectify

Recycle

Redefine

Redesign

Reduce

Reengineer

Regain

Regulate

Rehabilitate

Reimagine

Reinforce

Reinvigorate

Rejuvenate

Relate

Remedy

Render

Renegotiate

Renew

Renovate

Reorganize

Report

Reposition

Represent

Research

Resolve

Respond

Restore

Restructure

Retain

Retrieve

Reuse

Review

Revise

Revitalize

Salvage

Sanctify

Satisfy

Save

Schedule

Secure

Select

Separate

Serve

Service

Set up

Shepherd

Simplify

Slash

Sold

Solidify

Solve

Spark

Speak

Spearhead

Specialize

Specify

Standardize

Steer

Stimulate

Strategize

Streamline

Strengthen

Structure

Study

Substantiate

Succeed

Suggest

Summarize

Supervise

Supplement

Supply

Support

Surpass

Synergize

Synthesize

Systematize

Tabulate

Tailor

Target

Teach

Terminate

Test

Thwart

Train

Transcribe

Transfer

Transform

Transition

Translate

Trim

Troubleshoot

Uncover

Unify

Unite

Update

Upgrade

Use

Utilize

Validate

Verbalize

Verify

Win

Work

Write

Zero in

Influential Phrases

Use these descriptive words sparingly to spice up your resume and cover letter. Consider them like hot sauce. Add a little but don’t overdo it.

One of the best places to use them is in the career summary at the top of your resume. It’s simple to select one that fits you the best and start a sentence with it then add the proof. When it comes to resumes, you want to back up these influential phrases with quantifiable results.

Remember that applicant tracking systems won’t be able to find your resume unless you include the right keywords. Make sure you incorporate hard skill keywords for your industry, too.

• Accelerated career track

• Action-oriented leader

• Aggressive turnaround leadership

• Award-winning pacesetter

• Best-in-class

• Change catalyst driving organizational transformation

• Change management

• Competitive market positioning

• Cultivator of strategic alliances

• Devoted people leader

• Diversity & inclusion

• Double-digit improvements

• Driving innovation

• Elite performer

• Entrepreneurial vision

• Executive leadership

• Fast-track promotion

• High-caliber

• Innovative growth strategist

• Lean manufacturing driver

• Organizational driver

• Outperformed market competition

• Passionate human resources trailblazer

• Peak performer

• Self-starter

• Six Sigma champion

• Startup organizations

• Strategic planning & execution

• Strong communicator able to engage and influence diverse stakeholders

• Turnaround specialist

• Strong and sustainable gains

• Talent maximizer

• Visionary business leader

• World-class operations

Strength Descriptors

It’s important that you’re able to describe your strengths on your resume and during interviews. Don’t worry about being humble. If you don’t tell the employer what your strengths are, they’ll never know.

On your resume, be sure to sprinkle them in your career summary. Since many of these are considered “soft skills” be careful not to overuse them.

Here are a few to get you started:

• Achiever

• Ambitious

• Analytical

• Authentic

• Caring

• Catalyst

• Creative

• Dedicated

• Developer

• Empathetic

• Enthusiastic

• Flexible

• Honest

• Integrity

• Lifelong Learner

• Logical

• Maximizer

• Motivated

• Optimistic

• Open-Minded

• Patient

• Persistent

• Proactive

• Responsible

• Strategic Thinker

• Self-Controlled

• Trustworthy

• Versatile