Résumé words · Improving and fixing
Another word for “Streamlined”
What it is trying to claim: That you made a process simpler or faster.
Why it underperforms
It is one of the small set of words that appear far more often on résumés than in ordinary speech, which is what makes it read as filler. It also hides the mechanism: streamlining could mean removing steps, automating them, or merging two teams, and those are very different achievements.
Stronger than "Streamlined"
Not ranked. Each is right for one situation, and the situation is the column that matters.
| Word | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Simplified | The plain word, and it does not smell of a résumé. |
| Automated | A machine now does what a person did. |
| Consolidated | Several things became one. |
| Cut | Steps, time, or cost came out. Give the count. |
| Merged | Two processes or teams became one. |
| Eliminated | Something stopped being done at all, which is often the best outcome. |
A real bullet, fixed
Before
Streamlined the invoice approval process.
After
Cut invoice approval from nine steps to three by removing two duplicate sign-offs; average payment time fell from 21 days to 9.
Nine to three and 21 to 9 are the two numbers this bullet always has available, and the original stated neither.
When “Streamlined” is the right word
When you name the mechanism in the same sentence. "Streamlined X by removing Y" is fine, because the useful information is in the second half.
Common questions
- What can I say instead of "Streamlined" on a résumé?
- Simplified, Automated, Consolidated, Cut. Pick the one that matches what you actually did, then follow it with a number. Nine to three and 21 to 9 are the two numbers this bullet always has available, and the original stated neither.
- Is "Streamlined" bad on a résumé?
- It is one of the small set of words that appear far more often on résumés than in ordinary speech, which is what makes it read as filler. It also hides the mechanism: streamlining could mean removing steps, automating them, or merging two teams, and those are very different achievements.
- When is it fine to use "Streamlined"?
- When you name the mechanism in the same sentence. "Streamlined X by removing Y" is fine, because the useful information is in the second half.
Fix these next
- OptimizedThat you tuned something to perform better.
- ImprovedThat something works better than it did.
- EnhancedThat you made something better.
- ReducedThat a number you can name went down because of you.
- OrganizedThat you brought order to people, information, or an event.
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.
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