Résumé words · Contribution
Another word for “Attended”
What it is trying to claim: That you were present at a course, conference, or meeting.
Why it underperforms
Attendance is not an accomplishment and every reader knows it. The line is worth space only when what you did with the thing you attended is included, and at that point the attending is context rather than the claim. It also crowds out the bullet that could have been in that slot, which is the real cost.
Stronger than "Attended"
Not ranked. Each is right for one situation, and the situation is the column that matters.
| Word | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Completed | There was an assessment or a certificate at the end. |
| Presented at | You were speaking, not sitting. |
| Applied | The point is what you did afterwards with what you learned. |
| Certified in | It produced a credential worth naming. |
| Represented | You were there for your employer and that mattered. |
A real bullet, fixed
Before
Attended a two-day workshop on accessible design.
After
Completed an accessible-design course and used it to fix 40 contrast and focus-order failures across the booking flow, taking the site to WCAG AA.
The course is now the setup and the audit result is the bullet, which is the right way round.
When “Attended” is the right word
In a training or certifications section, listed rather than written as a bullet, where the fact of having done the course is the whole point and no verb is needed.
Common questions
- What can I say instead of "Attended" on a résumé?
- Completed, Presented at, Applied, Certified in. Pick the one that matches what you actually did, then follow it with a number. The course is now the setup and the audit result is the bullet, which is the right way round.
- Is "Attended" bad on a résumé?
- Attendance is not an accomplishment and every reader knows it. The line is worth space only when what you did with the thing you attended is included, and at that point the attending is context rather than the claim. It also crowds out the bullet that could have been in that slot, which is the real cost.
- When is it fine to use "Attended"?
- In a training or certifications section, listed rather than written as a bullet, where the fact of having done the course is the whole point and no verb is needed.
Fix these next
- Participated inThat you took part in a program, project, or event.
- DeliveredThat something finished and arrived.
- Involved inThat you were part of something.
- Assisted withThat you supported someone else on a piece of work.
All 72 words are on the résumé words index. For the verbs grouped by what they claim, read résumé power verbs.
After the résumé
Fixing the words is the easy half. The applying is the slow half.
Approve the jobs and we get them applied to, with a confirmation saved for each one. The free tier is 25 applications a month, no card, and a credit is only spent once a submission is confirmed.