Welcome to the world of resume writing, where all pronouns have faded into the background and all action verbs work overtime.

As you can see from this little demonstration, you’re about to learn a new way of viewing your world – and more importantly – imparting that information on to a busy employer.

Pronoun-free zone.

And while it’s definitely a tongue-in-cheek jab at the language of resumes, it is in fact, very much a reality. There are no pronouns in resumes.

If you insist on using pronouns, just imagine how many “I”s you would have cluttering up a perfectly good document. Everyone who reads your resume automatically assumes it’s all about you. (And for once it kind of is! At least what you can do for your potential employer!)

Not only would your resume be cluttered with these substitutes for proper nouns, but it would lose a great deal of effectiveness. The reader would be stumbling all over the pronouns and could very possibly lose interest in the real meat of your dossier.

The verb: the action hero of your resume!

Instead of starting your sentences with a pronoun, you’ll start them with action verbs! While it may not make sense at first glance, just look at these two sentences. You decide which one is not only more powerful, but is easier and quicker to read.

“I created and instituted a new system of tracking sales from specific mailing list respondents.”

“Created and instituted a new system of tracking sales from specific mailing list respondents.”

You probably haven’t given “action verbs” their due respect since grade school when you first learned about them. Just as a refresher grammar lesson, your alternative to using action verbs are such passive words as “have,” “had,” or “were.” These do little but act as placeholders. They place you at work, but they don’t suggest a level of interest or desire in the actions their describing.

Action verbs, by contrast, if used correctly, fuel every highly effective resume. Don’t take this trade secret lightly. It could indeed make the difference between getting the job or not!

Go ahead! Take a few moments right now to think of some cool action verbs. Try to conjure up some that go well with your career field. Here a few all-purpose action verbs to get you started:

• Achieved
• Broadened
• Developed
• Increased
• Initiated (now there’s a good one!)

Let’s go back to the word initiated. This word concisely describes why you really want to use action verbs –- and a grand variety of them – throughout your resume. Verbs such as this one create images of an individual who is active on the job . . . a person who is not passively putting in his eight hours a day . . . or passively waiting for his paycheck every week.

Initiated. That means you started something that no one else at your place of employment had ever done. That implies some leadership abilities no doubt . . . as well as some communications skills.

After all, you had to communicate well enough with your supervisor exactly what you wanted to try that was new and you had to get others to follow suit. And when an employer reads this he is definitely thinking: Hmm. I need to find out more about this occurrence.

These several action verbs I’ve listed though are only a tease. I know I sent you on a mission to think of your own, but if your brain refuses to cooperate, not to worry. I’ve included an appendix with many more action verbs from which you can choose should you need them.

Obtaining “maximum mileage” out of every word.

Verbs aren’t the only words you should select carefully for inclusion in your resume. Every word should be weighed at one point or another. You must be very concise in describing the jobs you’ve held as well as any other.

A good resume presents you in your best light as quickly as possible. Before you commit any word to paper for good, weigh the importance of that word. Is there a phrase you’re using that could be shortened, yet still convey the same meaning – or even convey it more effectively?

If you’ve ever read a well written news story in a newspaper or on a good news website, you know exactly what I mean. The print media is especially influenced by the need to be concise – yet highly accurate. There is a limited amount of room. A journalist learns quickly to get “maximum mileage” out of every word he writes.

And as you begin the resume writing, you’ll learn this quickly enough. If you don’t, you’ll discover that your document rambles, it repeats itself and it begins to look more like a letter to a long-lost relative than an efficient review of your skills. Always keep “8 seconds” in the back of your mind. Your time with this potential employer is limited.

Examine your list carefully. Even before you commit these words to your document, check to see if you can reduce the number of words you use. Sometimes it’s as simple taking a word or two out. In other instances, you may need to rewrite the sentence in a slightly different way. Or it may just mean choosing a more descriptive word to paint your job history picture.

Instead of stating “saved my company $4.2 million by using a different technique from their original,” consider this more concise rewrite: “saved company $4.2 through initiating new technique.” The first phrase is nearly twice as long as the second. You’ve save a half dozen words, as well as some space on your resume for even more accomplishments. But most importantly, you haven’t lost the interest of your audience – your potential employer.

Take a moment now to go through your list. See if you can’t tighten the writing up even before we begin committing these ideas to the formal document.