Your cv/resume is professional advertisement and is what makes the first impression for you. It’s objective is to get you in front of the employer for an interview, so having a well-crafted cv/resume is a key element in dictating your employment opportunity.

One of the best ways to ensure your cv/resume stands out from the competition is to write it using the active voice. Writing in the active voice can help you sound more confident and direct, and make you feel more attractive to employers.

Writing in the passive voice is a mistake often made by job seekers, when creating their cv/resumes. The passive voice uses more words, lacks energy and can make your cv sound dull and uninteresting. As a result, many employers may be turned off and potentially overlook you during their review process. Remember that employers may get hundreds of applications for each job, and hence they won’t devote a lot of time to reading cv’s, so making an impact is critical.

Let’s take a look at an example of writing in the active voice versus the passive voice.

Passive Voice: The project was completed on time and in budget.

Active Voice: I completed the project on time and in budget.

As you can see, the active voice is much more direct and impactful, even with such a small change. It also paints a clear picture of what you did and the accomplishment you achieved.

So how do we go about writing in an active manner? We use “action words”, action words provide a concise and clear description of your skills, experience, and accomplishments. They help to demonstrate your ability to think on your feet and make decisions quickly, as well as show that you are a motivated, hard-working individual.

Action words can be used to draw attention to your skills and experiences, as well as make your CV stand out from the crowd. Examples of action words include words such as:

•  achieved
• developed
• created
• led
• managed
• organized
• initiated

Action words should be used carefully and strategically throughout your CV. For example, you might use “developed” to describe a new initiative you started, or “managed” to describe a project you oversaw.

You should also use action words to describe your achievements in the workplace, such as “increased customer satisfaction” or “increased revenue.” This helps to show potential employers that you have a track record of success.

Finally, action words can also be used to demonstrate your ability to work in teams, as well as show your problem-solving skills. Examples of action words for this include “collaborated,” “coordinated,” and “resolved.”

By carefully selecting action words for your CV, you can make sure yourself stand out from the competition and accurately demonstrate your skills and experience.

Summary

Writing in the active voice can help you come across as a more confident and capable candidate, which strengthens your job application and increases your chance of selection for interview.

When writing your cv/resume, use action words and avoid using the passive voice wherever possible. Remember that the use of strong and active verbs helps to demonstrate your skills and experiences. Do this and you are on your way to giving employers a better understanding of what you have to offer, and make your cv/resume stand out from the crowd.

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