Dec 31, · In its simplest form, it is the difference between “I did this,” which is an active voice, and, “This was done by me,” which is passive voice. A trick detailed by Grammarly’s “A Scary-easy Way to Help You Find Passive Voice,” to determine if the sentence is active or passive is to add “by zombies” (or any actor, really) to the end of the sentence. If it makes Estimated Reading Time: 5 mins May 20, · Because active voice identifies the action as well as who or what is performing the action, it can make it easier for the writer or listener to understand. For most non-scientific writing, sentences have an active voice. Creative writers might use an active voice instead of a passive voice since it describes situations in a narrative form Dec 19, · The difference between active and passive voice can be seen in these two examples: “Responsible for answering phones and directing calls ” (passive voice) vs. “Answered calls and directed lines to the appropriate individual ” (active voice) See how the second option is stronger and packs a bigger punch? Instead of using qualifying words such Estimated Reading Time: 2 mins
Ditch the Passive Voice: Use Active Verbs in Your Resume - Write Styles
Get your personalized plan for a resume that stands out and lands you your dream job! Need a little help getting hiring managers to take notice? This quick guide covers why action verbs beat passive verbs and how to tell the difference when writing about your skills and achievements in your resume.
Action verbs switch the language of your resume from passive voice to active voice. And active voice, active vs passive voice resume, as you can imagine, captivates readers and compels hiring managers, recruiters, and potential employers to pay attention to what you have to say. This one simple tweak could help you position yourself as the perfect candidate and land more interviews. And how do you even incorporate them?
Passive voice is when the subject of a sentence is acted upon. Active voice is when active vs passive voice resume subject takes action. So that passive sentence example written in active voice becomes: I submitted the resume. See how the second example conveys more decisive action than the first? Unfortunately, most people unknowingly write in the passive voice. But passive language also includes overused words and phrases, active vs passive voice resume, which are just as awful for your resume.
I often see intelligent job seekers get stuck on these types of overused passive phrases for two reasons:. Make your resume less exciting. Most resumes only get a second introductory glance-over before someone decides to continue reading or move on to the next one. Because passive phrases are so overused, most employers, recruiters, and hiring managers glance right over them.
Blend in rather than stand out. Remember, what you consider a success may be different to someone else. This paints a clear, descriptive picture of your accomplishments to anyone reading your resume. Weaken your writing. Passive voice dilutes the quality of your writing, which tells hiring managers and recruiters that your communication skills may not be up to par. On the other hand, active voice engages, convinces, and encourages readers to find out more.
Unlike active vs passive voice resume terms, action verbs help you stand out from your competitors. They show off your strength and confidence active vs passive voice resume wow instead of bore.
Readers naturally pay more attention when action verbs guide them and keep them interested. Action-oriented words can also change the perception of someone reading your resume. If another candidate with a similar job title applies for the same position, your action-driven accomplishments will gain the upper hand over their passive phrases, active vs passive voice resume.
Action-packed words help you convey your unique experience and career history in a much more effective way. Readers will also have real-world examples of your specific successes. Active voice reshapes and improves your writing, so you come across as a standout candidate with very strong communication skills. TL;DR: Active voice and action verbs help you create powerful resume statements highlighting your communication skills, measurable achievements, and unique selling points.
And after you give your resume an active language makeover, take the time to upgrade your LinkedIn profile, too. Hiring teams and recruiters often check LinkedIn active vs passive voice resume candidates.
So your LinkedIn profile becomes a version of your resume that lives online to network for new connections and potential jobs 24 hours a day, days a year. When a decision-maker lands on your page, you want them to be so impressed that they reach out and begin a dialogue about new opportunities. Then you may get to learn about unadvertised positions you may not have found otherwise.
All it takes is a rewrite of your work experience sections and professional summary. Identify all the passive phrases and replace them with action verbs to emphasize your achievements. It takes a bit of planning and insider know-how to get this right. You want to strategically place action verbs throughout your resumeincluding your bullet points, list of accomplishments, and professional summary. You should also rewrite your cover letter and LinkedIn profile to reflect this active tone.
After all, many executives at this level are in the same boat. So your resume must shift the focus from your shared tasks and job duties to a discussion of your unique, relevant accomplishments and strengths that may benefit a prospective employer, active vs passive voice resume. Quantify each with evidence an employer or hiring manager would find compelling and noteworthy. Remember our example from earlier? Think of this task as finding opportunities to strengthen your delivery and get rid of words and phrases that may be holding you back from landing the roles you want.
To do this, read the job description to see which keywords and action verbs stand out. This gives you an idea of the exact language and terms a company is looking for candidates to use.
Take action : Make a list of the keywords and phrases used in the job ad. Prioritize these as they relate to your experience and use the ones that fit best to replace the passive, overused phrases on your current resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile. If you need a bit of help with your passive-to-active transformations, check out the next examples for inspiration. These examples give you an idea of what you can do to upgrade your passive language with bolder, memorable statements:.
Improved phrase : Unified team of 10 employees behind company goals, resulting in improved sales. Improved phrase : Championed implementation of new technology at company, resulting in improved efficiency. Active vs passive voice resume Phrase : Facilitating internal communications or Ensuring top-quality work product. Pick the action verbs that strengthen your experience and accomplishments specifically. Save this article or print out this list of action verbs to use during your resume revamping to make the process easier and quicker.
And you also scored over different action verbs to try out for yourself. I know this sounds like a ton of extra work, but I promise the results will be so worth it in the end.
Your resume will sound stronger, radiate confidence, and leapfrog you ahead of your competitors. Now go put all that active energy to good use!
Does the process of a resume rewrite sound too daunting? Is a resume overhaul too much work for you to tackle with your schedule? Our team of professional resume writers can do the heavy lifting for you.
With our help, your resume will get the attention it deserves and land you a spot on the interview list. I started this company back in after more active vs passive voice resume a decade active vs passive voice resume hiring practices at Fortune companies. What started as a side hustle before that was even a word! helping friends of friends with their resumes has now grown into a company that serves hundreds of happy clients a year.
But the personal touch? You might have seen me featured as a resume expert in publications like Forbes, Fast Company, and Fortune. And inI was honored to be named as a LinkedIn Top Voice of the year! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Calling All Jobseekers:. Help me land my dream job! Resume Writing. How Do I Use Action Verbs in My Resume? Share on Linkedin. Share on Pinterest. Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter. Share on Email. Did you know you should use action verbs instead of passive terms in your resume?
Passive Voice vs. Active Voice Avoid the Former, Use the Latter You should always write in an active voice as opposed to using the passive. In a nutshell: Passive voice is when the subject of a sentence is acted upon. They believe employers and hiring managers are looking for these phrases, active vs passive voice resume. Passive Voice and Passive Language Bores, Blends In, active vs passive voice resume, and Weakens Your Writing Passive, active vs passive voice resume, overused resume phrases: Make your resume less exciting.
Why Active Voice and Action Verbs Matter Switching to active voice and utilizing strong action verbs in your resume will: Capture All the Right Attention Active vs passive voice resume passive terms, action verbs help you stand out from your competitors. Share Your Unique Story Action-packed words help you convey your unique experience and career history in a much more effective way. These give you a much better chance of making it through to the interview round. Your LinkedIn Profile Needs Action Verbs Too Hiring teams and recruiters often check LinkedIn for active vs passive voice resume. How to Incorporate Active vs passive voice resume Verbs in Your Resume You want to strategically place action verbs throughout your resumeincluding your bullet points, list of accomplishments, and professional summary.
Yes, this will be time-consuming, but it will also be worth it. Before and After Examples of Action Verbs These examples give you an idea of what you can do to upgrade your passive language with bolder, memorable statements: Current phrase : Manager of 10 employees. Current phrase : Switched company to using new technology.
Current phrase : Used data to discover underlying problems. Improved Phrase : Deciphered pattern in data to solve underlying problems. Current phrase : Responsible for increasing company sales revenue.
Lesson 5: Active and Passive Voice
, time: 3:06Active Versus Passive Voice // Purdue Writing Lab
Active voice is used for most non-scientific writing. Using active voice for the majority of your sentences makes your meaning clear for readers, and keeps the sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy. Even in scientific writing, too much use of passive voice can cloud the meaning of your sentences Dec 19, · The difference between active and passive voice can be seen in these two examples: “Responsible for answering phones and directing calls ” (passive voice) vs. “Answered calls and directed lines to the appropriate individual ” (active voice) See how the second option is stronger and packs a bigger punch? Instead of using qualifying words such Estimated Reading Time: 2 mins May 20, · Because active voice identifies the action as well as who or what is performing the action, it can make it easier for the writer or listener to understand. For most non-scientific writing, sentences have an active voice. Creative writers might use an active voice instead of a passive voice since it describes situations in a narrative form
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