What Tense to Use in a Resume Past or Present What Voice

What Tense to Use in a Resume Past or Present What Voice Whether you only start your job search journey, or youre on an intense career lookoutTheres probably one thing on your mind:Get ready for the new and leave the past behind!But wait a secondIn terms of work experience, the past matters. A lot!And so does the present.What tense to use on a resume to reflect both and create a professional resume experience section? Read on and get to know.In this article youll learn:When to use the past tense in your resumeWhat duties to describe using the present tenseHow to use the right resume tense to pass the ATS testWhat voice to use in a resume.Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. Its fast and easy to use. Plus, youll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.Sample resume made with our builderSee more templates and create your resume here.One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one pag e long, not three. With the same stuff.Create your resume nowLooking for more advice on how to write resumes? Check our dedicated guides:Resume FormatsResume LayoutHow to Make a ResumeBest Resume TemplatesResume Styles1Use Past Tense for Past PositionsShould a resume be in the past tense?The answer to this question seems straightforward:If you write about the pastuse the past tense, if you write about the presentuse the present tense.Thats the simplest rule.Whenever talking about the job you no longer do, use the past tense.To brush up on grammar:Most verbs in the past end with -ed, e.g., worked, discovered, designed. The irregular ones live their own lives though, like made, ran, oversaw.But dont just use any verbs when describing your job experienceIf you select them carefully, theyll become resume power words.So how to paint a vivid picture of what youve done so far?List your duties and achievements in bullet points (around 6 bullets for each position).Use resume action verbs in Past Simple (one verb per each bullet point).Dont go responsible for kind of style; choose verbs that name specific activities.Heres a list of example resume action verbs in the past tense:AcknowledgedAuthorizedBlendedCollaboratedContributedCreatedDiversifiedDelegatedDesignedDirectedExecutedEncouragedEnergizedFosteredGatheredHarmonizedInspiredIncreasedMadeMentoredMergedLedParticipatedPartneredPerformedProducedSet upTrainedVolunteeredAs you can see, they all name real actions.They lead the recruiter towards your work experience and career wins.Note: Perfect resumes dont use Perfect tenses. They also stay away from continuous forms. Keep your resume simplePresent or Past Simple.Pro Tip: Whenever you use resume action verbs, add a number to back them up. E.g., Increased sales by 20% in six months.If youre wondering how many jobs you should list on a resume, check out our dedicated guide: How Far Back Should a Resume Go?2Use Present Tense for Current Job DutiesPresent tense on a resume is for what you do now. As simple as that.Use the present tense to describe:Things you still do in your current job.Other relevant activities you perform after work.Voluntary actions you take regularly.Any activities related to industry associations you belong to.Verbs in the present tense are those without any eds added: brainstorm, reinvent, educate.Mixing Past and Present TenseBut what if there are projects in your current job that are already closed? Or you want to show the goals you achieved so far?Then (and only then!) you can combine the two tenses on a resume under one header.List your current duties using the present tense first. Then, follow up with the finished actions and accomplishments using the past tense. See the example below:Tenses on a ResumeESL TeacherVictoria High School, New York, NYMay 2016-nowKey Qualifications ResponsibilitiesTeachesESL to 60 students of diverse cultural backgrounds in an international classroom.Createsaudio-visual educational resources to help students develop their language skills.Preparesextra-curricular activities and after-school assistance for individual students.Providesmentoring for a new teaching assistant.Key AchievementsPlannedandruna 1-year educational program for beginner students that concluded with an intermediate-level final exam (100% positive exam scores).Wona Teacher of the Year award in 2017.Pro Tip: Whenever you use both the present and past tense on a resume, keep them separate. Dont change the tense here and there. Presentresponsibilities, pastachievements and completed tasks.One more thing.If youre updating your resume with new positions, remember to change the verb tense of your so far positions to past, and keep your current duties in the present tense.Whats the secret of writing an ideal resume? Find out in our article: *The* Perfect Resume: 8 Things the Best Resumes Have in Common3Choose the Right Tense and Optimize Your Resume for the ATSMost big companies nowadays use the Applicant Tracki ng System (ATS) that scans job seekers applications for resume keywords.It turns out that even the tense of the verb can affect the way ATS searches for results.If the job ad said research (present tense) and you went for researched (past tense) on your resumeATS will overlook the result.The only way to figure out which search terms the recruiter is likely to put into their ATS is to read the job description closely.You have to recognize the form of the keyword the company uses in the job ad and optimize your resume accordingly.For instance, when they use the verb inspire in the present tense, you can always change your resume phrase from inspired students to prepare creative projects to managed to inspire students' creativity.Such little optimizing tricks will help your resume beat the system.Read more about tailoring your resume to the job description in our guide: Targeted Resume: How to Match Your Resume to the Job You Want?When making a resume in our builder, drag drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.Create my resume nowWhen youre done, Zetys resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.4Write Your Resume in Active VoiceThough we naturally use passive voice on a daily basis, it is not recommended for resume writing purposes.Why?Passive voice makes your resume less engaging to the reader and downplays your achievements.Lets take a look at some examples.Passive voice: Website traffic was increased by 150% in 12 months.Active voice: Increased website traffic by 150% in 12 months.Passive voice: A new marketing strategy was implemented resulting in 20% product sales growth.Active voice: Implemented a new marketing strategy and increased product sales by 20%.Why are the active voice examples better?Because they show you took responsibility and were directly involved.Plus, they are easier to read.Pro Tip: How can you identify youre using active or pass ive voice? If you can add by me at the end of the sentence, it means you are using passive voice (e.g. CRO was improved by 1.5% by me).Forcing passive voice onto your resume job description as a sign of formal detachment is old school.Hiring managers want to get to know you as a person. If they see you as the main character of the piecethey will identify with you.ButIf Im the one who speaks, can I use I in my resume?Even if youre writing your resume using active voice, avoid using the personal pronoun I.In a career summary or career objective and in your work experience section, say Developed a new marketing strategy instead of I developed a new marketing strategy. Thats a preferred form according to academic sources.Keen on other grammatical intricacies related to the job hunt? Check out our resume spelling guide: How to Spell Resume: Accents or Not? Resume, Rsum, Resum?Key TakeawayDescribe your past duties and accomplishments in the past tense.When referring to your current job: u se present tense for things you still do, use past tense for achievements.Optimize your resume for keywords to pass the ATS test.Avoid using passive voice and personal pronouns in your resume.Still wondering if resumes should be in the past tense or present tense? Did you face any problems with a resume tense when applying for a job? Drop me a line in the comments.