Have you ever struggled with writing your resume and wondered if there were words to make the bullet points sound better? If so, you'll want to check out these five phrases and words I love to use when writing IT resumes.
Writing a resume is hard. Let's be honest. I have worked with thousands of clients in the past decade, and I can attest to the fact that it can be awkward to brag about yourself. It can also be difficult to really articulate what your skills are and the contributions you made on past projects without overselling or underselling yourself.
I have put together my top five words I like to use on resumes when writing out bullet points.
#1: Resolve
The first word I love to see is "resolve" over the word "fix." Using the word resolved sounds more official and feels like it took more effort and planning to complete, it also conveys that there is a solution that's not temporary or bound to break again.
#2: Support
The second word upgrade I like to use is "support," rather than "assist." Support feels more action oriented than passive. It also feels like you were wanting to help, instead of being required to help.
#3: Collaborate
The next one is a strong word. I love "collaborate." I'd love to see this on more resumes, because I want to know that someone can work on a team and cross-departmentally to achieve a greater goal.
#4: Leverage
The fourth one talks about when we tap into our advanced skills or knowledge, when I want to say I "used" or "utilized" my skills in a certain way. I prefer the term "leverage." To me, this phrasing indicates that you know when to use your certain skills and how to effectively use them, as well as how to grow and improve them.
#5: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!
My last suggestion involves communication. I often see resumes that say they "wrote a report" or they "presented to a group," but I like to take it a step further. Try using a more descriptive phrase, like "translating highly technical information" or "presented to non-technical audiences." This helps the hiring managers see that you're able to speak both languages - the hard IT skills and the soft communication skills.