RE: pronouns in resumes

["Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>]

Erik Hare wrote: 
 
> The problem with banning pronouns is that it creates a tendency toward
> passive voice.  "I initiated experiments that proved" becomes
"Experiments
> were initiated, proving".  Active verbs are by far the most
compelling, and
> if they require a pronoun then by all means a pronoun is called for.

I dislike both those options. Eons ago, I was taught to write experience
descriptions using sentences with an implied subject (I): 

"Authored and edited user manuals and online help. Initiated experiments
that proved far too much. Leapt tall buildings in a single bound.
Decreased dangling modifiers by 73.46% in six months. ..." 
 
A quick Google of "resume subject implied sentence" (sans quotes)
suggests it's still frequently recommended. For instance, one college
career services page includes this: 

"Make your resume easy to look at and follow. It should read more like
an outline than narrative. Do not use first person pronouns. The 'I' is
implied as the subject when you are writing about yourself. Use
incomplete sentences or phrases and maintain a consistent format."

Absolutely, avoid passive voice use compelling action verbs. But they
don't require a pronoun -- the implied subject has a long and
distinguished history. :-)

Richard


Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------







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