You can have a Master’s Degree in English and the language of a resumé can still be confusing.  And by language, I don’t mean simply the language you're speaking (English for this article), but learning how to use that language appropriately to apply for a job. 

This article will guide you on exactly that, on grammar including which tense to use and where, when you’re applying for jobs in North America.

You can be the strongest candidate but a glaring grammar mistake can throw off the hiring manager.  There is hope yet, as writing it well in the first place is an easy fix!

So, you can go on to paint yourself with words effectively on paper, without any befuddling errors distracting from the person the employer should call for an interview, you! 

Why is language important in a resumé?

It’s a given that employers would want you to be confident in your communication.  And your resumé is the first proof of that, the second is your interview.

This may seem a disadvantage for those who speak English as a second language, or third or fourth… but your transferable skills come into play here!

Every language has grammar and tenses.  And that language use is transferable to English.

By understanding certain principles, you will be well on your way not only to crafting an efficient resumé but communicating more effectively in the workplace.

That being said, it doesn’t mean that you will use the formal language you write on your resumé at the workplace – not all the time, anyway.  However, everyone is a customer, internally or externally, and is deserving of clear communication. 

Therefore, being clear on your resumé shows that you respect the employer’s proposal for work and will continue to practice that respect when you become part of their team.

How to use language effectively on a resumé... Wait, tenses for where?

Ah, the befuddlement of which tense to use and where.  Here is a rule of thumb.

Seems easy enough, right?

Let’s have a closer look at where to apply tenses.

The highlights of qualifications section is typically used for Canadian resumés, whereas the profile and skills sections are typically used for U.S. resumés.  They do the same thing functionally. 

Experience section

Tenses are most frequently used under the work experience section of the resumé.  Each job entry in the past (that has a start date and an end date) will be detailed in the past tense.  Whereas each job entry that is current (that has a start date to present) will be detailed in the present tense.

Here’s an example.  Crystal is an IT programmer applying for a job at an organization called Cyber Solutions Inc.

Example one: Using tenses (present tense and past tense) on the experience section of a resumé. 

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Job Posting: IT Programmer at Cyber Solutions Inc (Halifax, NS)

Candidate: Crystal Green

Experience

IT Programmer at Tech Solutions Inc. (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Jan 2022 to present (March 2023)

• Reprogramming the organization’s main interfaces.

IT Help Desk at Scotiabank (Bedford, Nova Scotia), June 2016 to Sept 2021

• Troubleshot employees' and customers' networking and drive access issues. 

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That is all well and fine, but hundreds of other applicants have that same description of their job entries on their resumés.  What will set you apart is your accomplishments in your field.  Since accomplishment statements describe things that have already been accomplished, you guessed it, you write them in the past tense.  Yes, even in current job entries.

Returning to the IT programmer, here is how their work experience will look with accomplishment statements.

Example two: Using tenses (present tense and past tense) on the experience section of a resumé, using accomplishment statements. 

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Job Posting: IT Programmer at Cyber Solutions Inc (Halifax, NS)

Candidate: Crystal Green

Experience

IT Programmer at Tech Solutions Inc. (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Jan 2022 to present (March 2023)

• Reprogramming the organization’s main interfaces; reprogrammed the cybersecurity flagship interface for larger organizations (from 500+ employees and 5K+ clients to 500K+ employees and millions of customers).

IT Help Desk at Scotiabank (Bedford, Nova Scotia), June 2016 to Sept 2021

• Troubleshooted employees and customers networking and drive access issues; resolved 50+ queries a day from internal and external clients, with 95% of cases not needing to be reopened.

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Now, doesn’t that sound better than a typical job description? You’re right, it sounds more like a person. And a person is who the employer calls, not a job description. 

Highlights of qualifications section

Tenses can also be used under the highlights of qualifications section of the resumé.

If the employer is asking for certain qualities in their candidate, you can address them in this section.  Let's underline the keywords that speak of those qualities in Cyber Solutions Inc.'s job posting and see how Crystal speaks to it on her resumé. 

Example three: Using tenses (past tense) on the highlights of qualifications section of a resumé. 

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Job Posting: IT Programmer at Cyber Solutions Inc (Halifax, NS)

Requirements:

The candidate must be detail-oriented and have the ability to handle large projects. 

Candidate: Crystal Green

Highlights of Qualifications

 - Detail-oriented; resolved cases thoroughly, achieving a 95% rate of closing.   - Ability to handle large projects; reprogrammed interfaces for use by larger organizations.

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Crystal can also describe skills in the present tense.

Example four: Using tenses (present tense) on the highlights of qualifications section of a resumé. 

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Job Posting: IT Programmer at Cyber Solutions Inc (Halifax, NS)

Requirements:

The candidate must be detail-oriented and have the ability to handle large projects.

Candidate: Crystal Green

Highlights of Qualifications

 - Detail-oriented; resolves cases thoroughly with a high rate of closing. 

 - Ability to handle large projects; reprograms interfaces to suit clients’ growing needs.

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Therefore, there is no need to be consistent in this section with which tense to use.  And you can describe both soft skills and hard skills this way.

Career profile section

Many job seekers opt to include a small section on their resumé called a career profile. 

This can either be a standalone section or be incorporated into the profile section (typical for U.S. resumés) or the first bullet of the highlights of qualifications (typical for Canadian resumés). 

Let's examine it as a standalone section for now, to see how the language of it works.  This section can be used, likewise as any other section, to connect with the employer and their needs.  And this section answers to what the organization is about. 

Crystal does her research about the organization, and speaks to how she'd be a fit for them on her career profile. 

Example five: Using tenses (present tense) on the career profile of a resumé.

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Job Posting: IT Programmer at Cyber Solutions Inc (Halifax, NS)

About the Organization:

Cyber Solutions Inc. is a top provider of hardware and software services for a range of organization sizes in different industries. 

Candidate: Crystal Green

Career Profile

IT Systems Designer that is adept at customizing systems for client’s unique and ever-growing needs, in multiple industries, from public schools to manufacturing and banking/financial institutions.

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Painting a Picture of You to the Employer

After all of this you can how powerful language is on a resumé.

The language use delivers a better overall picture of you on paper, so the employer feels a connection with you.

Here is another example with snips of various sections of a resumé where job seekers are using their grammar effectively.  

Adriana is a restaurant manager applying for a job at The Cheesecake Factory.  Here we see how she uses language on her resumé. 

Notice how the tenses change in the various sections, and how they use keywords in their language.  The keywords are underlined so you see how they work.  Keywords that work best for you are the ones you gather from the posting, and you can use keywords from the industry as well. 

Example six: Using tenses (present tense and past tense) on different sections of a resumé.

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Job Posting: Restaurant Assistant Manager at The Cheesecake Factory (Toronto, NY)

About The Cheesecake Factory:

The Cheesecake Factory, with over 300 locations in the U.S. alone, is a restaurant chain with a giant reputation.  With generous portion sizes, delicious meals, and signature cheesecakes, and award-winning customer service and dining experiences, we're sure to please both new and returning customers. 

Requirements:

 - At least two years of experience in a role managing restaurants or kitchens.

 - Experience hiring, training and supervising staff from chefs and cooks to servers and ancillary staff. 

 - Scheduling shifts and managing staff and resources during peak hours. 

 - Ability to function in high-paced environments. 

Candidate: Adriana Collins

Career Profile

Enthusiastic and ever-learning restaurant managing professional with experience working with small business owners to larger franchises, whose approach to collaborating with managers and staff yields stronger business.

Highlights of Qualifications

 - Five plus years of experience in the restaurant industry (over two years in managing restaurants).

 - Ability to function in a fast-paced environment; functioned in multiple roles, and managed staff and resources when understaffed.

 - Skilled at relationship building and improving processes; develops methods to increase staff efficiency, enhance customer experience and improve restaurant reviews.

Experience

Red Lobster (Scarborough ON), Shift Manager,  Aug 2022 to present

 - Scheduling shifts and managing staff for regular openings and booked events.

 - Hiring, training, retraining and supervising staff (chefs, cooks, and servers) for night shifts, and filling in for day shifts.

 - Collaborating with franchise manager and staff; increased the franchise’s rating from 4 to 4.5 stars on Yelp within three months by working with coworkers to to incorporate customer feedback on service and quality.

 - Solving problems from managing staff and resources when short-staffed and facilitating rush orders during peak hours. 

Jamaican Jerk (Queens NY), Partner,  Jan 2020 to Feb 2022

 - Established a restaurant in a co-partnership.  Developed menus and business systems.

 - Hired and trained staff from servers and cooks to accountants and ancillary staff.

 - Revamped dine-in to take-out and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, by scheduling, outsourcing (Skip the Dishes, Door Dash), retraining, revising menus, and advertising.

Sushi House (Atlanta GA), Server (20 to 40 hrs./wk.), Jan 2016 to Nov 2019

 - Served 10+ tables a night, and functioned in high-paced environments when short-staffed.

 - Devised a system between kitchen staff and servers called the “clockwork method” that reduced incorrect orders from 10% to 2%.

 - In under two weeks, completed one-month training on all menus and front functions.

Education and Professional Development

 - Ontario Food and Safety Certificate, Employment Ontario, 2022.

 - Bachelor of Commerce and Business Administration, Mount Allison University, 2018.

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Remember, for a Canadian resumé you can have a career profile or you can amalgamate it into the first bullet of the highlights of qualifications.  And for a U.S. resumé, you can incorporate your career profile into your profile and skills section. 

Altogether

Now with your increased understanding of how to use language to bring it all together on your resumé, you can better paint a picture of yourself as the employer’s one to call, from the interview to on the job.

Summary

Here is a recap of how to use language to your advantage on a resumé, with regards to tense. 

1. The language is important on a resumé because it is the first proof of your communication skills to the employer. 
2. A rule of thumb is to use present tense when talking about the present, and using past tense when talking about the past (regardless of which line you're on in a resumé).
3. Tenses are often used under the experience section of a resumé.  They can also be used under highlights of qualifications or the career profile. 
4. Under experience, use past tense to describe jobs you did in the past, and present tense to describe jobs you are at presently. 
5. Under the highlights of qualifications (typical for Canadian resumé) or the profile and skills sections (typically for U.S. resumés), you can describe aspects of your career using either tense, where relevant. 

Notes

This article contains no text pictures to ensure that every word can be read aloud by a text-to-speech application. And was tested using Google Chrome’s “Read Aloud” add-on.

Bio

Tiffany Persaud is a freelance writer and resumé writer who has helped dozens of people find jobs they like during the pandemic and coming out of it.

Resources

Want to land more interviews with your resumé? Book me for more information. Rates apply.

References

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: “Find A Better Job”. 2016. Accessed on Nov 22, 2022.