As you write a resume, you must remember that its purpose isn’t to get you a job, it’s to get you an interview.

A resume is to pique an employer’s interest in you so much that the hiring manager will call you in for an interview. It’s at the job interview that you can then go into much more detail about how your backgrounds, skills and accomplishments can be of value to the company.

So your resume in many ways is a marketing tool. And what do marketers want the public to do when they read/see/hear an ad? Take action. Buy. Call for more information. Come to the store. Ask for a meeting, etc.

The operative word here is action. And the action you want a hiring manager to do when she reads your resume is to contact you for an interview.

So action must be in your resume. Action verbs, that is, verbs that show what you’ve done for other employers. Verbs that demonstrate your accomplishments, the challenges you overcame and the successes you brought to your previous jobs.

Here are some of the best “action verbs” to place in a resume (be sure you’ve actually done these things; don’t lie on a resume. You could get fired if the company hires you and later finds out you never actually did the things you said:

• Achieved
• Acquired
• Authorized
• Built
• Collected
• Completed
• Devised
• Directed
• Drafted
• Eliminated
• Employed
• Expanded
• Fixed
• Guided
• Improved.
• Invented
• Launched
• Negotiated
• Overcame
• Pioneered
• Produced
• Ran
• Reached
• Reshaped
• Saved
• Started
• Transformed
• Trained
• Undertook
• Volunteered
• Worked

If you’re looking for a new position and feel you’re resume could use some help, bring it to us. We’re experts in helping Washington DC’s workers find great jobs. We’ll look over your resume and give you some pointers. We also may find you a great position! Contact RealStreet Staffing today.