Take Action! The Difference Between Active & Passive Resume Writing

As you know, we’re pretty obsessed with resumes.

We love the way resumes work, writing them, the way they smell…. Nevermind.

Since we’re all about helping our loyal RezScorians write the best resume possible and get their dream jobs, we’ve dedicated this blog, three times a week, to help with everything from bullet points to interview etiquette.

Today, we’ll be blogging about active and passive writing on your resume. Chances are, you probably haven’t put much thought into your resume’s active-ness. That’s okay. You’re a busy person. That’s why we’re here to help.

What is active writing?

Active writing takes place in the here and now. Typically, the subject is doing something to another subject (it’s performing the action). For instance, an example of an active sentence is “The RezScore team loves Cool Ranch Doritos.” Active writing is to the point and simple.

What is passive writing?

On the flipside, passive writing has the target subject acted upon by the subject. For example, a passive sentence would be something like “Cool Ranch Doritos are loved by the RezScore Team.” As you can see, the passive sentence says the same thing, but backwards.

Why should I care about active writing?

Apart from the fact that passive writers kind of sound like Yoda (we’re big fans), it turns out that passive writing is harder to understand. In fact, in a 2010 study, researchers found that less educated people (10th grade or less) have a substantially harder time understanding things written in a passive voice.

How can I actively write on my resume?

As we all know, it’s kind of redundant to include “I” in a resume. So, active resume writing would sound something like “Completed several tasks including world domination, Doritos quality control, and filing” instead of “Several tasks […] were completed”.

What do you think? How important do you think active writing is on your resume? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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