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252 Powerful Words to Avoid Apocalypse at Job Interview

In the beginning was the Word.

Have you ever wondered why some writers can’t hook us while others simply toy with your emotions? Why do we listen to some speakers carefully while others make us nothing but fall asleep?

Words.

They use different words to influence readers and listeners.

When written in resumes or said during job interviews, words become your powerful weapon. The better you use them, the bigger your chances to influence recruiters are.

So, how to do that?

Next time you write a resume, make sure you use strong and powerful words, as they increase your chances of getting hired by 80%! It’s high time to forget about clichés: professional recruiters read hundreds of resumes daily, so they are sick and tired of all those “great team player” or “responsible and dedicated individual” every second candidate writes in resumes and says at job interviews.

Powerful words in your resume will help you avoid apocalypse and motivate recruiters, especially when you search for your first job after graduation.

Said during an interview, they can do wonders.

Carefully-chosen, such words draw interviewers from one emotion to another, making them sympathize you and see you an ideal candidate as compared with others.

What are these powerful words, after all?

Broken down alphabetically, they are easier to find and remember.

A-Words

Able

Absorb

Accelerate

Accomplish

Achieve

Acquire

Administrate

Advanced

Advise

Advocate

Align

Amplify

Analyse

Announce

Appraise

Arbitrate

Assemble

Assess

Assign

Assist

Attain

Attract

Audit

Authorize

Award

B-Words

Balance

Bargain

Benefit

Block

Bolster

Boost

Brief

Budget

Build

C-Words

Calculate

Campaign

Capitalize

Centralize

Chart

Clarify

Coach

Co-author

Collaborate

Commit

Complete

Comply

Compose

Conduct

Conserve

Consolidate

Consult

Convert

Convey

Convince

Contribute

Coordinate

Correspond

Counsel

Create

Critique

Customize

Cultivate

D-Words

Decrease

Deduct

Define

Delegate

Deliver

Demonstrate

Design

Detect

Develop

Devise

Devote

Design

Dispatch

Diagnose

Discover

Distinguish

Diversify

Document

E-Words

Earn

Educate

Enable

Encourage

Enforce

Engineer

Enhance

Enrich

Ensure

Establish

Evaluate

Examine

Exceed

Excell

Expand

Explore

F-Words

Facilitate

Field

Finance

Forecast

Forge

Formalize

Formulate

Foster

Found

Fulfill

Further

G-H-Words

Gain

Gather

Generate

Head

Help

Hire

Host

Give

Grant

Guide

I-Words

Identify

Illustrate

Implement

Improve

Improvise

Incorporate

Increase

Influence

Inform

Initiate

Innovate

Inspect

Inspire

Integrate

Interpret

Introduce

Investigate

Itemize

L-M-Words

Launch

Lessen

Lift

Lobby

Maintain

Manage

Map

Market

Monitor

Motivate

Multiply

Maximize

Measure

Mediate

Mentor

Merge

Mobilize

Modernize

Modify

N-O-Words

Navigate

Negotiate

Observe

Obtain

Oversee

Outpace

Outperform

Operate

Organize

Originate

Overhaul

P-Words

Participate

Partner

Perform

Persuade

Pioneer

Plan

Prepare

Present

Project

Promote

Provide

Publish

Q-R-Words

Qualify

Rank

Reach

React

Receive

Recommend

Reconcile

Recover

Recruit

Redesign

Quantify

Reduce

Reengineer

Refine

Refocus

Regulate

Rehabilitate

Reinstate

Remodel

Reorganize

Quote

Replace

Represent

Restructure

Resolve

Retain

Revamp

Review

Revise

Revitalize

S-Words

Safeguard

Save

Scrutinize

Secure

Segment

Select

Shape

Showcase

Simplify

Skill

Spearhead

Specify

Standardize

Stimulate

Streamline

Strengthen

Structure

Succeed

Suggest

Supervise

Support

Surpass

Survey

Sustain

T-U-V-Words

Target

Teach

Test

Track

Train

Transcend

Transform

Translate

Triumph

Tutor

Uncover

Unify

Unite

Update

Upgrade

Utilize

Validate

Value

View

Verify

As far as you see, all power words are verbs of action. When you use them in resumes and interviews, you tell a recruiter that you are a doer, a man of action who is ready to work and do his best.

It’s clear you shouldn’t use all 250+ words at once or learn them ALL to blow HRs out of the water:

  • Check them carefully;
  • Choose those corresponding to your skills and describing you as a leader and responsible individual ready for self-development, learning, and working the best you can;
  • Make sure they sound during your answers to a recruiter’s question.

A word is a powerful weapon that can help you win as well as fail. So, use this weapon for your sake.

Have you ever thought of words as a method to influence interviewers? Do you consider it a good technique to improve your resume and help you get a dream job?

photo credit: Interactive e-Resume Template Vol. 1 via photopin (license)