Most Effective Way To State Your Responsibilities In Job Descriptions (by Maxwell Hurst)

To get started, you must first consider what type of a job you are seeking. Much like your career objective or summary should reflect your professional goals, your current and past experiences must showcase that you are the best candidate for the job you are applying for. In listing your current and past professional experiences, try to focus on those responsibilities that indicate you are qualified to take the next step in your career. Due to the fact that more and more companies as well as job search sites use scanning software to pick out candidates, it is very important that you use keywords, including active verbs, to describe your skills. Instead of beginning your job descriptions with "Responsible for" try to use active verbs such as: managed - developed - created - communicated - interfaced - achieved, etc.

These keywords get straight to the point of describing your responsibilities, which is exactly what the employers are looking for. Choose these words carefully - don't say that you "managed a project", implying you were responsible for the whole task from start to finish if you were only responsible for communicating the project to other associates. Instead state that you "Developed and executed the communication strategy for associates," describing your role more accurately and emphasizing your strengths.

Typically, the first job listed on your resume is the one you currently hold. In this case, make sure that your responsibilities are stated in the present tense, as you are still responsible for them. For example, say "Manage accounting activities" instead of "Managed accounting activities." This will indicate to your potential employer what your day-to-day activities are like and how they compliment the responsibilities of the job you are submitting your resume for. All previous jobs should be listed using the past tense, and should start with active verbs such as managed, developed, accomplished, etc.

Additionally, make sure that the responsibilities you are listing are relevant to your career objective. List only those responsibilities which help you put your best foot forward. For example, if you are looking for a job that requires managing a team of people, focus on your development and participation in group projects instead of focusing on solitary activities such as office organization.

In terms of formatting, make sure that your responsibilities are listed in bullet points. This formatting is preferred to paragraphs on a resume because it is easier to review quickly. Employers simply scan resumes and look for keywords - if the resume looks overwhelming, with a lot of copy and poor formatting, they will likely discard it. Thus, it is very important that your resume is formatted with enough white space and doesn't contain any errors.