Magic Words for Resumes

For every job opening, employers have to sift through a mountain of resumes. If your resume doesn’t catch their eye after a quick read through, it will likely be wadded up and placed in the round file.

So how do you get your resume out of the slush pile? Like opening a stone door or making a person vanish into thin air, every resume needs help from magic words. No, not abracadabra or shazaam. The magic words I’m talking about are action words – words that show that you are well-rounded.

Here are a few of “must-have” words for your resume:

Teamwork: Teamwork is more important than ever in the workplace. The ability to work well with others to accomplish a common goal is vital for a harmonious workplace.

Flexibility: Employers value workers who are flexible and able to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously. In other words, it's sometimes just as important to be a jack-of-all-trades as a master of one.

Detail-Oriented: Employers want to know that they can trust workers to handle a project down to the last detail. Being "detail-oriented" means being organized and meticulous about your work. It also implies that you can work without constant supervision and act independently.

Self-Motivated: Employers value employees who are self-starters. These workers can generate their own ideas and follow them through to fruition.