When screening the response to a job advertisement, the decision for a recruiter to shortlist a candidate is usually based on an overall first impression of the covering letter and CV, followed by a quick screening of qualifications, work experience and achievements.
It's important to grab the attention of the reader and "stand out" from the crowd of other applicants, increasing your chances of being shortlisted for an interview. But, describing your work experience and achievements isn't easy, especially for those not inclined to think naturally in a marketing-oriented way.
Your CV is essentially an advertisement of a product, i.e. you. As marketers and copywriters use "power verbs" in advertising to generate interest in a product, the same should be done by the jobseeker to generate interest in their application. Whilst there are other aspects of CV writing that should also be considered, here is a list of almost 500 "power verbs" that can be used, when describing your experience and achievements:
A-B
accelerated accompanied accomplished achieved acquired acted activated actuated adapted added addressed adhered adjusted administered admitted adopted advanced advertised advised advocated aided aired affected allocated altered amended amplified analysed answered anticipated appointed appraised approached approved arbitrated arranged ascertained asked assembled assigned assumed assessed assisted attained attracted audited augmented authored authorised automated awarded availed balanced bargained borrowed bought broadened budgeted built.
C
calculated canvassed capitalised captured carried out cast catalogued centralised challenged chaired changed channelled charted checked chose circulated clarified classified cleared closed co-authored cold-called collaborated collected combined commissioned committed communicated compared compiled complied completed composed computed conceived conceptualised concluded condensed conducted conferred consolidated constructed consulted contracted contrasted contributed contrived controlled converted convinced coordinated corrected corresponded counselled counted created critiqued cultivated cut.
D
debugged decided decentralised decreased deferred defined delegated delivered demonstrated depreciated described designated designed determined developed devised devoted diagrammed directed disclosed discounted discovered dispatched displayed distinguished distributed diversified divested documented doubled drafted.
E
earned eased edited effected elected eliminated employed enabled encouraged endorsed enforced engaged engineered enhanced enlarged enriched entered entertained established estimated evaluated examined exceeded exchanged executed exempted exercised expanded expedited explained exposed extended extracted extrapolated.
F-H
facilitated familiarised fashioned fielded figured financed fit focused forecasted formalised formed formulated fortified found founded framed fulfilled functioned furnished gained gathered gauged gave generated governed graded granted greeted grouped guided handled headed hired hosted.
I
identified illustrated illuminated implemented improved improvised inaugurated indoctrinated increased incurred induced influenced informed initiated innovated inquired inspected inspired installed instigated instilled instituted instructed insured interfaced interpreted interviewed introduced invented invested investigated invited involved isolated issued.
J-M
joined judged launched lectured led lightened liquidated litigated lobbied localised located maintained managed mapped marketed maximised measured mediated merchandised merged met minimised modelled moderated modernised modified monitored motivated
moved multiplied.
N-O
named narrated negotiated noticed nurtured observed obtained offered offset opened operated orchestrated ordered organised oriented originated overhauled oversaw.
P
paid participated passed patterned penalised perceived performed permitted persuaded phased out pinpointed pioneered placed planned polled prepared presented preserved presided prevented priced printed prioritised probed processed procured produced profiled programmed projected promoted prompted proposed proved provided publicised published purchased pursued.
Q-R
quantified quoted raised ranked rated reacted read received recommended reconciled recorded recovered recruited rectified redesigned reduced referred refined regained regulated rehabilitated reinforced reinstated rejected related remedied remodelled renegotiated reorganised replaced repaired reported represented requested researched resolved responded restored restructured resulted retained retrieved revamped revealed reversed reviewed revised revitalised rewarded routed.
S
safeguarded salvaged saved scheduled screened secured segmented selected sent separated served serviced settled shaped shortened showed shrank signed simplified sold solved spearheaded specified speculated spoke spread stabilised staffed staged standardised steered stimulated strategised streamlined strengthened stressed structured studied submitted substantiated substituted suggested summarised superseded supervised supplied supported surpassed surveyed synchronised synthesised systematised.
T-W
tabulated tailored targeted taught terminated tested testified tightened took traced traded trained transacted transferred transformed translated transported travelled treated tripled uncovered undertook unified united updated upgraded used utilised validated valued verified viewed visited weighed welcomed widened witnessed won worked wrote.
Visit https://www.dma-group.co.za/outplacement to find out more about career transition, CV formatting and approaches to job search in general.