Mastering Resume Tense for a Powerful Job Application

In the competitive job market, a well-crafted resume can be the key to opening doors to exciting
career opportunities. One often overlooked aspect of resume writing is the use of proper tense. The
choice between past, present, and future tense can significantly impact how your achievements and
experiences are perceived by potential employers.

Understanding Resume Tense: A Crucial Element of Effective Communication

The proper use of tense in your resume is not merely a matter of grammatical correctness; it's a
strategic decision that influences how hiring managers perceive your qualifications. This
comprehensive guide will walk you through the nuances of resume tense, helping you make informed
decisions that will elevate your application.

Past Tense: Showcasing Accomplishments with Impact

When detailing past work experiences and accomplishments, past tense is your go-to choice. This
creates a sense of completion and emphasizes the achievements you've already accomplished. Learn
how to succinctly highlight your contributions in a way that captures attention and showcases your
value to prospective employers.

Present Tense: Conveying Current Responsibilities and Skills

For your current role or any ongoing responsibilities, present tense is the key. This gives your resume
a dynamic and active feel, demonstrating that you are currently engaged and making a positive
impact. Discover how to articulate your current role in a way that conveys expertise and ongoing
success, leaving a lasting impression on recruiters.

Strategic Use of Future Tense: Showcasing Aspirations and Goals

While not as commonly used, future tense has its place in a resume, particularly when expressing
career goals and aspirations. Learn how to use future tense strategically to convey your vision and
commitment to personal and professional growth, giving employers a glimpse into your future
potential.

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How resume verb tense affects ATS Modern companies often use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
to filter job applications based on predetermined keyword criteria. You may only combine these two
tenses when you are listing down the responsibilities and accomplishments in a current job. So you
won’t be perplexed, note that perfect tenses always express completed actions. Many people find
this style of writing a bit confusing when they first encounter it, so I wanted to clarify for you how
resumes are written. To safeguard against this problem, if a job listing emphasizes past achievements,
use past tense to ensure you capture those particular keywords, and only use resume present tense for
roles that emphasize ongoing responsibilities. Use present tense verbs for current positions or
activities and past tense verbs for those which are completed. I will have completed this project three
days from now. In this article, we will explain to you when you should use past tense and when to
use the present tense in your resume. If you attended a coding boot camp, mention the specific
programming languages you learned. Fast-forward a couple of years, and the same person was
involved in developing some SOPs. Add the timeline of your attendance at the organization. Future
Perfect Progressive In the future perfect progressive tense, actions continue and get completed at a
point in the future. This section shall discuss each of the verb tenses, including how they are used
correctly. Here are the details you will include in writing educational background in your resume:
Insert school name and the year graduated in parenthesis. There has to be a balance between both
and you can achieve it using mix tenses in a resume. A good way to check if you’ve used the right
verb tense on your resume is to upload your resume to the tool below — it’ll let you know if you
have shown accomplishments and responsibilities the right way by analyzing each of your tenses.
Using past tense for previous roles and accomplishments creates a clear, chronological flow for
anyone reading your resume, helping recruiters quickly understand the progression of your career.
Just make sure you're doing it intentionally, to clearly distinguish between your ongoing
responsibilities and your past accomplishments. Here’s a quick breakdown of the tenses and their
proper usage in your resume sections: Present tense The use of present tense in resume is ideal when
describing the current responsibilities you have. For example, if you're currently mentoring interns or
collaborating with other teams, it's acceptable to write that in the present tense. Begin each
descriptive section with an action verb. I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that
I've now fixed. To get around this, you can use projects as a way to legitimately include skills that
are required by the job listing if you have no other way of demonstrating them. Perfect Progressive
Tense In general, perfect progressive verb tenses express the duration or how long an action is being
done. Use bullet points to highlight the hard skills you used. To Help You Choose The Right Resume
Tense, Use The Following Guidelines: Use past tense for past jobs. Check out our guide on when,
where, and how to include projects on your resume. Otherwise, please be assured that I have written
your resume to conform to the generally accepted principles of resume writing. Future Progressive
The future progressive indicates events that will be happening sometime in the future. She believes in
the power of knowledge to achieve triumphs in life—whether careerwise or personal.
These three are the main tenses, and each is further divided into four aspects: simple, progressive,
perfect, and perfect progressive. I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've
now fixed. Dr. Jaime Alvarez, M.D.-Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology. For instance, if you
are referencing your last job in the resume then under the job title you should list your role,
responsibilities, and achievements all in the past tense (Mentored a team of 10 freshers and oversaw
their day-to-day activities). Also, add the location below the organization name. I've already had
way more callbacks since I used it. One option is to write your everyday responsibilities in present
tense and your accomplishments in past tense. There has to be a balance between both and you can
achieve it using mix tenses in a resume. Finally, we discussed active voice and passive voice. Source:
nescaffold.com Just as the definition of the present tense states, it should be used for anything that is
currently happening. First, highlight your current profession, skills, and experience in the first line.
The rule for present or past tense on resume is pretty straightforward. In that case, you might want to
let recruiters know that you will be completing a class during the spring semester that will make you
even more qualified for the position. Get proven strategies on how to unlock your career's potential,
meet VIPs in your industry and turn your career into a rocketship. For LinkedIn profiles, a photo of
you in professional. A current job position could be an ideal example of describing your roles and
current responsibilities. How: At the bottom of your resume, or on the side if you prefer a two-
column format. Don’t go “responsible for” kind of style; This also applies to your resume and the
qualifications you include. When talking about past positions you’ve held, always use past tense.
Thus, you may choose to list all your responsibilities for your current job in present tense while
listing the responsibilities for past positions in past tense. You lack relevant work experience Some
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or other types of resume screening will automatically reject
candidates who lack certain skills or keywords. Remember, you want to achieve consistency in your
resume, so stick to one tense in one section. See All Forms Of The Verb Resume With Easy
Examples. For a similar template visit the sample librarian resume. So, you need to maximize this
short exposure by ensuring your resume looks polished. Past tense The use of the past in your resume
is ideal when listing down your previous experiences, accomplishments, and past projects. In just one
week after making the changes the AI suggested, I received three times the number of profile views
and. And choosing the proper tense may impact how ATS will evaluate your resume. Use the right
resume tense that is present tense and avoid using passive voice. Write your resume in 15 minutes
Our free collection of expertly designed cover letter templates will help you stand out from the
crowd and get one step closer to your dream job.
When to use past tense in resume Here are the sections that’ll need you to use past tense in your
resume: 1. Using the present tense on your resume can be used for ongoing accomplishments, while
completed accomplishments should be listed in the past tense. How: Think of a projects section like
a mini work experience section. These verbs typically don’t have any endings, but some end with -s.
Title your section 'Additional Projects' or 'Other.' If you're using a general 'Other' section including
skills, etc. Adding numbers to back up your claim and quantify your achievements is always an
added bonus. Get proven strategies on how to unlock your career's potential, meet VIPs in your
industry and turn your career into a rocketship. After all, they are what bring action and emphasis to
your statements and help you to better convey your potential. Irrelevant courses or standard courses
expected of a. This should be relatively easy to do since most of them will be at the beginning of
each bullet point. Future Perfect I will have traveled five thousand miles by the end of next year.
More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC. When you have a
current job, the best strategy is to use past tense verbs to showcase your achievements and job duties.
Generally, these words end in -ed, but some, like “sang” or “went,” don’t. Use bullet points to
highlight the hard skills you used. Use present tense for things you still do, use past tense for.
Present tense verbs refer to current or ongoing actions—either something you're doing right now, or
that you do repeatedly General responsibilities that you hold in your current position; More often
than not, present tense verbs will be utilized for a job, volunteer work, or academic achievement
which you are. Thus, you may choose to list all your responsibilities for your current job in present
tense while listing the responsibilities for past positions in past tense. Include a link to your online
portfolio (if applicable). It’s usually the section that succeeds your contact information details. Start
with an action verb to describe what you did and use numbers to quantify the results. Dr. Jaime
Alvarez, M.D.-Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology. The Answer To This Question Seems
Straightforward: This also applies to your resume and the qualifications you include. Using past
tense verbs in your resume makes a very solid presentation of what you have to offer a new
company. You should use action verbs in the simple present tense when you’re writing bullet points
for your current role that describe: Use past tense for past jobs. Skilled at expanding the brand’s
reach while improving customer experience and upholding the company’s brand reputation. Fast-
forward a couple of years, and the same person was involved in developing some SOPs. For
example, past or present tense or may be future tense. There are short-sentence responses that
contain no verb at all. How to feature projects on your resume So, you’ve decided to include one or
two well-chosen projects on your resume — but how do you format them.
To safeguard against this problem, if a job listing emphasizes past achievements, use past tense to
ensure you capture those particular keywords, and only use resume present tense for roles that
emphasize ongoing responsibilities. Still, there are some instance where a slight hint of future tense
can be observed. Present tense verbs refer to current or ongoing actions—either something you're
doing right now, or that you do repeatedly General responsibilities that you hold in your current
position; More often than not, present tense verbs will be utilized for a job, volunteer work, or
academic achievement which you are. There’s a list of rules in transforming specific verbs into their
past forms. Most verbs in past tense contain an added “-d” or “-ed” after its base form, while some
change in spelling. Fast-forward a couple of years, and the same person was involved in developing
some SOPs. It will aid you in presenting your skills and achievements in the most compelling
manner. Ongoing accomplishments Some accomplishments may make more sense written in present
tense. Resume Worded's Coached email series is my secret weapon to trick them though. Resume
summary Your resume summary is another section where it’s fine to write in present tense. I found
out why I wasn't getting interviews and exactly what to add to get past resume screeners. Identifying
the correct tense of the verb is just as important in achieving effective communication. ATS refers to
the Applicant Tracking System that most companies now use for faster and more efficient hiring
processes. The progressive tense is easy to identify since it uses the present participle form of the
verbs, which are those ending in “-ing” and are employed as main action words. It is universally
accepted and almost everyone uses it. His research has been featured on the New York Times,
Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. The present participle is a verb with an -ing
ending, usually preceded by a “to be” verb such as “is,” “am,” or “are.”. To form this verb tense, use
the word had and then add it with the past participle form of a verb. He has hired over 50 people in
his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. Many companies today
use the applicant tracking system (ats) to scan applications for resume keywords. In general, you
should avoid mixing past and present tense under a single heading. It follows the same formula as
the past perfect progressive, only that you use has or have instead of had. Create your resume with
the best templates Choose Choose Create your resume in 15 minutes Our free collection of expertly
designed cover letter templates will help you stand out from the crowd and get one step closer to
your dream job. If you're citing things you have accomplished, that would be past tense. If you’ve
been selected for a position such as a student body president but won’t actually hold that office until
the following school year, you can say something like, “Elected to serve as student body president
beginning August 2021.”. To Help You Choose The Right Resume Tense, Use The Following
Guidelines: Use past tense for past jobs. This is especially true if you’re trying to break into a highly
specialized or technical field. Tailor the projects to the specific job you’re applying for. Projects
might be particularly relevant if: You have a lot of freelance or contract work If some (or all) of your
work has been project-based, your resume should highlight this — not hide it. Stick to past tense for
all roles you're no longer engaged in, and only use present tense on your resume for your current
position. Passive vs active voice You may have heard the advice to always use active voice, but what
does that mean.