Get a new job: Vocabulary & grammar for your RESUME & COVER LETTER

Many people don't get a job because there are mistakes in their resume and cover letter. Don't let this happen to you. In this video, I will talk about the grammar and vocabulary expectations for resumes and cover letters. You will learn some important tips for your resume and cover letter, such as words you should use or avoid. If you follow my advice, you are much more likely to make a good impression on your future employer.

Test your understanding by taking the quiz at https://www.engvid.com/vocabulary-grammar-resume-cover-letter/
Download this POWER VERB resource: https://www.engvid.com/english-resource/power-verbs-in-english/

If you're looking for a new job, make sure to watch my other videos about job interviews and resumes:

1. COVER LETTER & RESUME TIPS & ADVICE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDMJVrVY3ME&index=6&list=PLaNNx1k0ao1u-x_nKdKNh7cKALzelzXjY

2. JOB INTERVIEW SUCCESS – BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aO6cGTcnUg&index=12&list=PLaNNx1k0ao1u-x_nKdKNh7cKALzelzXjY

3. POWER VERBS FOR YOUR RESUME: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVAIXGhwYt8&index=24&list=PLaNNx1k0ao1u-x_nKdKNh7cKALzelzXjY

TRANSCRIPT

Hello. My name is Emma, and in today's video I am going to talk about resumes and cover letters, and the vocabulary and grammar you can use on both. Okay? So in this video I am going to talk to you about some things that you should do for your cover letter and resume-some verbs you should use, some grammar that's really good to use, and, you know, some vocabulary-and I'm also going to talk about things you shouldn't do on your cover letter or resume. Okay? So this video is mainly about grammar and vocabulary. So let's get started.

So, first of all, when you're writing a cover letter and/or a resume, you want to be very professional. So this means that you want to make sure that, you know, you're presenting yourself in a very professional way. Your writing should be formal, instead of informal. So, what do I mean by that? Well, for example, in your cover letter or resume, you should not use contractions. Contractions are words, like: "I'm", "I'll", "can't", "don't". Okay? These are all examples of contractions, and they should not be used in a cover letter or resume.

You should also not use slang in a cover letter or resume; words, like: "cool", "screw up", "killed". There's a whole bunch of different slang words that you should avoid when you're writing a cover letter or resume. Another thing you should try to avoid - words, like: "really", "very", "totally". Okay? So if you want to say that you're really hardworking or you're, you know... You're totally right for this position - these words will make you sound unprofessional. Okay? So you do not want to use words, like: "very", "really", or "totally". They're great in conversation, but when you're writing something like a resume or cover letter, they're not good words to use. Okay.

You should not use idioms. Okay? So, idioms are expressions that we use a lot in conversation. So, for example, you might say: "Oh, I passed my test with flying colours", which means you did really well, or, you know: "My old job was a piece of cake", meaning it was very easy. Idioms are great in conversation, but they are not good in cover letters or resumes. Okay? They're not professional, so do not use idioms in your resume or cover letter.

You also want to be very polite in your resume or cover letter. So, expressions like... Or, you know, saying: "I want", "I want this job because" is not really polite. "I want" is a very strong... It's very strong, so it's better to use a more polite form of that, such as: "I would appreciate" or "I would like". These have pretty much the same meanings, but this is very strong, so we don't use it on a resume or a cover letter; whereas these are more polite so they're better to use in a cover letter. So this was a little bit about how to make your resume or the language in your resume and cover letter more professional; now we're going to learn more about great vocabulary to use and great grammar to use.

Okay, so let's talk about vocabulary on your resume and cover letter. Vocabulary is very important. It can make you look very smart, very professional, and also very confident. Okay? So the words you choose can really help you in this way. So it's important to really think about what words you want to use. So, one thing to think about is if you've found a job advertisement and you've seen the job description, and it's a job you want to apply for, they often will have keywords in the advertisement. They might say that they are looking for somebody who is hardworking, or maybe somebody who knows Microsoft Office, or is a strong communicator. Whatever they say in the job description, it's a good idea to take that same vocabulary and use it in your resume and cover letter […]