Short and Snappy: Résumé Experience Statement Exercise

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Some recruiters claim to spend no more than 10 seconds on résumés! Wordy experience statements in résumés are a turnoff to busy recruiters and employers alike.

Effective résumés are written in a truncated style that eliminates articles (a, an, and the) and uses shorthand to communicate.

Well-written résumés also use strong action verbs to describe employment achievements and avoid generalities. Refer to the employment chapters in Dr. Guffey’s Essentials of Business Communication or Business Communication: Process and Product for specific advice on résumé composition.

Revise the following experience statements for conciseness. Some statements may also be improved by replacing weak verbs.

1. Was responsible for supervision of four associates and allocated the daily tasks.

2. Attended to a variety of customer inquiries in a busy office of 16 insurance
agents.

3. Addressed and resolved complaints of tenants for problems such as leaky
faucets and clogged drains.

4 Made sure the office ran smoothly every day by answering phones and taking about 50 messages.

5. Volunteered for an after-school tutoring program where I tutored a group
of 12 boys and girls.

6. Managed an entire database for two months for one of the sales
departments in the company while the manager was away on maternity
leave.

7. Watched 25 or more volunteers and made sure they gave out magazines to
the patients.

8. Promoted after only six months to one of the first managerial positions for
a start-up company’s business.

9. Assisted with the company’s financial bookkeeping with software like Excel.

10. Went to Spanish classes to improve my speaking and writing of Spanish.

11. Wrote down the minutes for meetings of the Future Accountants Club.

12. Led the analysis and strategic plan of the purchasing department to help
the organization’s objective of reducing costs.

13. Designed and created a system that improved the day-to-day operating
procedures.

14. I was awarded honors for gathering the most donations for a silent auction
that benefited poor families in my community.

15. Did the coordination of costs for a project that brought in more than
$5,000 net revenue.

Solutions

1. Supervised/allocated tasks for four associates daily.

2. Addressed customer inquiries for 16 insurance agents.

3. Resolved tenant plumbing complaints.

4. Answered phones and took 50+ messages daily to create efficient office.

5. Tutored 12 children for after-school program.

6. Managed sales database while manager took two-month leave.

7. Supervised magazine dispersal activities for 25+ hospital volunteers.

8. Promoted to managerial position at start-up company within six months.

9. Performed bookkeeping tasks using Excel.

10. Attended Spanish classes to improve speaking/writing skills.

11. Took minutes for meetings of Future Accountants Club.

12. Led Purchasing Department's analysis/strategic plan to reduce costs.

13. Created system to improve daily operations.

14. Awarded honors for fundraising on behalf of needy local families.

15. Coordinated costs for project that netted $5000+.