It’s no secret that hiring managers favor candidates who appear to be aggressive, not just in their job search, but in the workplace as well. This means, as you write your resume, the last thing you want to do is add words and phrases that come across as passive.

So how can you recognize a passive tone in your resume? And how can you avoid filling your resume with these words and phrases?

How Might Your Resume’s Tone Be Passive?

Many job seekers submit resumes without any idea that their tone could come across as passive. What might be considered a passive tone? One where you express what someone has told you to do versus showing that you have the initiative to start projects on your own.

For instance, you may be accustomed to describing your work history by noting that your “responsibilities included answering phones, organizing files, and keeping track of patient appointments”.

But it would better showcase your true accomplishments if you reworded your description to read that you: “routed internal and external phone calls and messages throughout the 2,000-member organization, developed and categorized a filing system to organize all documents for the medical records department, and managed departmental and patient appointments for physicians.”

Other Words and Phrases to Strengthen Your Resume’s Tone

There are many words and phrases to keep in mind that could strengthen the tone of your resume. Some include: managed, optimized, leveraged, utilized, delivered, accelerated, launched, modified, designed, and evaluated.

Also, it’s good to incorporate industry-specific keywords that show your wealth of knowledge. For instance, if you are a nurse working in the ICU, you might throw in the word “critical care” here and there. If you are in marketing, consider including “trade shows” or even “tchotchkes” if suitable.

The purpose of writing a resume is to sell yourself as the right candidate for a position—or at the very least, as someone who should be invited in for an interview. It’s not easy to do this if you come across as a passive candidate who doesn’t initiate projects. So take time to change your tone to prove you are the go-getter companies want in their next employee.