Check the Sentence Structure in Your Resume

Below are three consecutive bullets from a sales executive’s resume, exactly as they appeared on the resume:

• Relationships were developed through networking and cold calling as well as face to face meetings to discuss business needs and the potential impact of our services on each organization.

• Reached over 95% of annual sales goal in my first year in 9 months.

• I was able to penetrate 7 new accounts within the first 2 years as well as maintain current established clients.

Each bullet has a different structure. The first has an implied subject and is passive voice. The second also has an implied subject but is written in active voice. The third bullet includes the subject and is written in passive voice.

An inconsistent writing style can be very distracting to read. The solution for this is easy to implement. The implied subject is the typical style and active voice is usually preferred over passive voice. Here’s how I would reword these:

• Developed new client relationships through networking, cold calling and face to face meetings.

• Reached over 95% of annual sales goal in my first year in 9 months.

• Penetrated 7 new accounts within the first 2 years while maintaining established clients.

In addition to reading more consistently, the reworded version has a third less words. Remember, shorter text is more likely to be read.