Best Synonym Ideas to Improve Your Resume

Looking for a synonym or another way to articulate common words or phrases on your resume or in your cover letter? Good. And here’s why:

Many common phrases are overused buzzwords that will likely annoy the reader, as they see them time and time again.

You need to stand out from the crowd. Find new and varied ways to get your message across without using stock words that every other applicant has used.

Further in this article you can find synonyms for many words commonly seen on a resume. But even better than finding synonyms, you should try to use your resume or cover letter to prove through real-life examples the traits you are trying to convey.

Let’s get started…

Use the different sections of your resume to give some real-life examples

Education Section

Rather than listing your formal education on your resume, use this section to show potential employers your skills.

Don’t simply tell them that you’re a quick learner, or that you can adapt, or that you’re a team player.

Show them instead.

So for example:

If you want to say that you’re a continuous learner, you could use the Education section of your resume to emphasize your continuing further education and professional development achievements.

Saying that you have successfully completed a study program, or a professional development course is one thing.

BONUS CONTENT: Download a list of ‘207 Power Words and Action Verbs for Your Resume’

But showing that you regularly refresh and update the skills related to your profession is much better.

This shows a hiring manager that you’re someone who stays on top of your personal development. And that you’re always looking for ways to enhance your skills through development opportunities.

This clearly shows, through real-life examples, that you are continuous learner.

Past Experience

When writing about your professional experience on your resume, you can use your experiences to demonstrate certain key traits that you want to emphasize.

Related Article: 10 Tips On How To Write A Resume

For example:

If you want to show your potential new employer that you’re a team player, rather than simply writing ‘I’m a team player’ you can use a real-life example from your previous work experience to show this.

And not only highlight that you have worked as a team player, but that you were able to add real value to your company by doing so.

For example, if you’ve previously worked in an operations team, you could say something like:

“Worked as part of team to deliver improvements in an existing process, that generated a 10% reduction in waste”.

Cover Letter

Your cover letter can be used alongside your resume to help illustrate your strengths. Let’s say that you’re looking to show that you’re a quick learner.

For example, if you’re applying for job in retail, you could say something like:

“I have previously learned how to use point of sale and inventory systems, from scratch to expert user in just 4 weeks, and I’m sure this knowledge will enable me to quickly learn similar systems used by your company.”

Synonyms for Over-Used Resume Words

BONUS CONTENT: Download a list of ‘207 Power Words and Action Verbs for Your Resume’

Related Article: Surprising Ways Kindness Can Boost Your Career

For more synonym suggestions, an extensive list can be found on resume-resource.com.