In other blog posts, I mentioned that you should try to avoid phrases like “responsible for,” “experienced in” or “successful in” when describing your achievements. Let me explain why.
The first problem with these phrases is that every bullet in your resume should begin with a verb and phrases like “responsible for” are not verbs. For example, you could say: “Responsible for organizing and leading a team to compare alternative telephone systems.” But leading with verbs creates a tighter and more compelling description: “Organized and led a team to compare alternative telephone systems.”
The second problem with phrases like “responsible for” is that they are weak. We all have responsibilities; what a company wants to know is how well you handled your responsibilities. Did the team you were “responsible for” actually find a cost-effective and reliable telephone system? If so, how much money or time did that new system save the company?
The same arguments apply to “experienced in” and “successful in.” Yes, you have the experience, but what did you use it for? How did the company benefit from your experience? What is the measure of your success? “Successfully organized and lead a team” is very weak next to “Saved company $1000 annually by organizing and leading a team to compare alternative telephone systems.”
At Robin’s Resumes®, we are experts at finding the right words to attract the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. Contact us today.