Main Rules for Writing Your Resume
Instead of saying things like "Was in charge of," use strong action words like "Led" or "Put in place" to show you were fully accountable for what happened.
Start every point with the most powerful action word. This makes sure your main achievement is noticed right away when someone quickly scans your resume.
Avoid general phrases like "Helped with" and use specific words like "Made automatic," "Dealt with," or "Reorganized" to show the exact value you brought to the company.
Don't bore the reader by using the same word over and over. Use different words to show the wide range of skills you have and keep the reader interested.
Even with these strong language rules, always try to add numbers to your achievements to clearly show the real impact you had on the business.
Checking Your Resume: From Word Swaps to Real Impact
Many job seekers write their resumes like a boring school paper, just swapping out one word for another using a dictionary—this is the "word swap game." They change a dull word like "managed" to "supervised" and think they’ve done a great job. This only fixes the surface and misses the real point. When you use weak, passive words like "helped out" or "was involved in," you aren't showing respect; you are showing the employer that you just followed directions instead of leading the work.
In the business world, you are not just an applicant; you are an investment of money. An executive looks at your resume to quickly answer: "Will this person create more value than they cost?" If your language is weak, they will label you as someone who just follows orders and needs constant watching—a "Cost Center." This mistake doesn't just cost you one job; it holds back your career growth and lowers how much money you can earn over your lifetime by making you seem like just an average hire instead of a top leader.
The main problem is that recruiters spend only about six seconds looking at your history, and their main goal is avoiding risk. If they see writing that just lists your "Job Duties," their brains instantly mark you as "dead weight" who might slow down the team. To get past this quick check, you must switch to writing that focuses on "Results." The best 1% of professionals use strong verbs to show how much power they had—they stop using words that just describe showing up and start using words that describe building things, like "led," "made deals," or "made things work better." You are not just changing words; you are proving that everything you did led to a clear business result.
The Three Steps to Fixing Your Resume
Before choosing new words, get rid of the "Passenger Language" that makes it sound like you were just following orders. Stop listing duties, which only tell me what you were supposed to do, and start showing what you actually achieved. This turns your resume from a to-do list into a record of your successes.
Print your resume and circle every verb. If you see "helped," "dealt with," or "responsible for," cross them out with red ink. Next to each crossed-out word, write down a specific good thing that happened because of that task—like money you saved or time you freed up.
"Instead of: 'Helped with the monthly spending plan,' use: 'Improved the monthly budget to find $15,000 in savings each year.'"
When I see "Responsible for," I read that as "Did the least amount of work possible to keep the job." We need to see words that show you took charge, not just that you were present.
Replace your "Polite Words" with "Strong Building Words" to show you are a person who builds and owns systems. Top hires are seen as money-makers; you must prove you generate more worth than you cost. By choosing words that show the range of your control, you make the recruiter less worried that you will need constant supervision.
Take your five most important bullet points and use the "Ownership Test." Swap "Managed" for Led, "Altered" for Completely Rebuilt, or "Spoke with" for Successfully Negotiated. Make sure every new strong word is followed by a real number or a clear business result to prove how big your work was.
"Instead of: 'Was part of starting a new software,' use: 'Directed the start of a new software system that made the team 30% more effective.'"
Recruiters spend only six seconds on the first look. If we see "Strong Building Words," we instantly see you as a "High-Performer," which lowers our worry about hiring risk.
Make sure what you say in the interview matches the strong words on your resume. If your resume says you "Started" a project, your interview answers must explain the situation "Before" and "After" that project. This consistency builds trust and proves your strong words are true to how you work, not just words you found.
Create a "Verb Story Map." For every main action word on your resume, write a short 30-second story that covers: The Problem, Your Action (the verb), and the Result. This gets you ready to speak with the same confidence your resume shows.
"Even though my official job title was Coordinator, I actually Designed a new way for clients to sign up, which cut down our response time by half, which is why I used that strong word on my resume."
We look for consistency during the interview. If your resume is full of "Power Words" but you sound passive when you talk, we think you had a writer fix your resume, and we will likely pass on you.
How Cruit Helps You Choose Stronger Action Words
Step 1: Check for Impact Basic Resume Tool
Stops you from just listing what you had to do. The AI asks specific questions to help you find real results and replace "Just Following Orders" language.
Step 2: Building with Strong Words Journal Tool
Record your work as it happens to prove ownership using "Strong Building Words." The AI tags your skills so you have a list of your "business wins" ready to go.
Step 3: Making Sure Your Story Matches Interview Practice Tool
Practice telling your stories using the STAR method. Learn how to give the "Before" and "After" proof that supports your "Power Words."
Common Questions: Stop Just Attending, Start Driving Your Resume
"Aren't words like 'Led' or 'Completely Rebuilt' too strong? I don't want to seem like I'm bragging."
Being too modest won't help you get paid well. Hiring is about results, not feelings. If you use "nice" words like helped or assisted, you signal that you need to be told what to do.
Companies hire people who solve problems, not people worried about how they sound. Bragging is taking credit for work you didn't do. Showing leadership—using words like Built or Engineered—is just stating the truth about the good you brought. If you are scared to claim your success, the employer will be scared to hire you.
"What if I don't have exact numbers or percentages to back up these 'Impact Words'?"
Saying "I don't have data" means you didn't understand why your job mattered. Every job exists for one of three reasons: to make money, save money, or save time. If you don't have a percentage, think about the "Before and After."
Did you Organize a messy system? That saved "Time." Did you Fix problems clients kept having? That saved "Customer Trust." If you can't find a number, use words that show you moved things from messy to clean. Words like Brought Together, Made Simple, or Removed prove you know how to improve things, even without a spreadsheet. Not having data is no reason to use weak words.
"I worked on a big team. If I use 'Strong Building Words,' won't it look like I'm taking all the credit?"
There's a big difference between lying and pointing out your specific part. When you say "I was part of," you hide in the group. The recruiter thinks you just showed up to meetings and took notes.
To stand out, you must use a word that shows your exact role on the project. If your team of ten saved $1M, don't say you "helped." Say you Made the Deals or Managed the Data Check. You aren't saying you built the whole project; you are saying you built the engine you were in charge of. If you can't find a strong word for your part, you were just watching, not helping to build. And companies don't hire watchers.
Stop Thinking Like an Applicant, Start Acting Like a Business Partner.
Companies need active workers who increase success and earn respect, not passive employees. If you fall back into the AMATEUR_MISTAKE of using weak, duty-listing words, you signal that you are a cost to be managed rather than a leader to be hired.
You must make the EXPERT_SWITCH by using words that prove you own every result you get.
This is not just changing your words; it is clearly stating your true value as a professional.
