CVWordChecker - Checks a CV, résumé or LinkedIn profile for well chosen words

A good CV will use language which is positive and confident. This is the type of person every employer wants to interview. There is much research which indicates that using power or action words can achieve this. They produce an extra impact and make a CV appear more dramatic, dynamic and interesting. This attracts the attention of employers.

Action words are action verbs which define work experience or define skills and abilities. Using these words in the past tense gives the impression that a candidate has achieved something. Using the present tense suggests the event is still in progress, not yet completed or the necessary skills are not fully developed.s.

This site detects all the action words in your CV, written in the past tense and highlights them in green. This gives an indication of the number of action words used. Thus a well written CV will have a reasonable sprinkling of green words in it.s.

In short , yes there is. The linkCV Words to usetakes you to a whole page containing these action words. There are approximately 500 of them. They are a mixture of past participles and adverbs.s.

The first table on the results page contains all the action words in your CV. They appear exactly as they do on the results page.s.

In order to constantly jog your memory about these action words, a random selection appears, in bold green crawling near the top of each page on this site. This also contains some useful adjectives. So, if you decide to use more action words, examples a always easy to find.

• Bad Words
• Bad Phrases
• Pronouns
• Passive voice use

This site detects and highlights these occurrences red, which are then displayed on the results page. Bad words on your CV can sabotage it. Many words have a negative impact on effectiveness.

People working in the field consider ceratin words to be unsuitable for CV use. There are a variety of reasons for this. Some are considered too negative sounding such as hate, decline, awful, failed, weak and futile. These words are generally off putting. Others such as never and always suggest a candidate is exaggerating their capabilities. Some words are overused such as outstanding, strong, good and exceptional. These lack originality and therefore need replacements. The use of cool, awesome and totally indicates a person who is immature. Trendy words such as deliverables, synergy or benchmarking show a lack of originality. There is a link CV Words to avoid

to this list of words. Where ever possible substitutes should replace the words in this list.

There are many phrases which are advisable not to use in a CV. The wrong phrase selection can completely sabotage your CV. If you sound like every other candidate a potential employer will just ignore you.

The website has a store of well known poor phrases and checks any submissions to see if they contain any of them. Many employers see these too often and find them off putting and regard them as errors. They must be avoided at all costs.

The navigation bar has a link to these phrasesCV Phrases to avoid.

There are a variety of reasons why they are bad. Many are just unoriginal or overused and cliched. Examples are team player, hard worker, excellent communications skills, and results orientated.

These are just overworked stock phrases which convey very little about a person and just waste space on a CV. If they do appear , substitute them with more original content.

Proven track record- Rather than just stating this, it is better to describe actual achievements or abilities.

Innovative thinker - It is better to describe the ideas you delivered. This will provide proof of the statement.

In summary, if any bad phrases are highlighted , cull them out. Replace them with some original expressions or more purposeful ideas.

In short pronouns should not appear on a CV. It is a convention and gives the impression that somebody else did the writing.

For the summary section of LinkedIn the "I" voice should be used.

There is a strong temptation for people, especially when talking about themselves to continually use I. This will quickly look repetative, clumsy and over used. It will also show a lack of original self expression.

Initially, when composing a CV, it is a good first step to collate your work history using the word I. For example:

I developed a new look for our company when I worked in the arts department.

Eliminating the pronoun, conveys the same meaning without using I.

Developed a new look for the company while working in the arts department.

The best way to write is not to use personal pronouns at all. Use bullet points followed by strong action words in the past tense.

For example:

Generated the monthly financial reports

Managed several senior analysts

Instituted yearly reviews of staff

A well written CV always uses the active voice and not the passive voice use. Many people do not understand what passive voice is. A passive voice formation happens when the writer makes the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. An active voice appears more powerful,direct, and effective than passive voice.

It is not a grammatical error to use ther passive voice , but it is a stylistic issue. A passive voice can lessen the impact of a statement. An active voice suggests a person did something. A passive voice can give the impression of something happens to you rather than you initiating the event. Hence using the active tense gives an impression of someone who makes things happen as opposed to someone who waits for events to happen to them.

The formula for passive voice is "to be" + past participle = passive voice

Where "to be" is one of is, are, am , was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been, being. This website has algorithms which will spot most of these cases.

Examples of passive voice use. Note how the system displays these:

Passive voice: Was (passive voice) rewarded for improving company training schemes.

Active voice: Produced excellent training schemes, leading to company recognition. Passive voice: An award winning website was (passive voice) designed by me. Active voice:Designed an award winning website. Passive voice: Weekly financial reports were (passive voice) generated by me. Active voice:Generated the weekly financial reports.