16 Phrases You Need To Strengthen Your Resume

When you are writing a resume/CV, preparing for a job interview or even just to describe your job in general conversation, it's important to know the common collocations that people use.

Below, you can find 16 common collocations that involve prepositions so that you can use the correct phrase when describing yourself as a professional.

Be careful about not translating this from your native language, and also be aware that a verb, such as "work", can use different prepositions to communicate different meanings. For example, "work for" is the company who is your employer, while "work in" is the general field that you belong to as a professional.

1. I work in + a field/industry/sector/area

2. I work for + a company

3. I work as + your job title

4. I work in + a department/a division

5. I work with + coworkers or team members

6. I report to + your manager’s title

7. I am responsible for + tasks

8. I am in charge + tasks that you were the leader for

9. I deal with + people that you interact with and difficult responsibilities that you manage

10. I graduated from + university / with + a degree

11. I have a degree in + subject

12. I specialize in + specialization

13. I am good at + skills

14. I have experience with + type of work

15. I am passionate about + your passion

16. I am motivated + your interest

You can see the language in context below:

I have worked in banking for over 10 years. I used to work for National Bank as a a financial planner, where I worked with a team of twenty staff at a branch. I was responsible for assisting customers and providing them with the products that suited their needs and also dealing with any complaints or problems that customers had. Then, I got promoted and was in charge of the whole sales team at my branch and I reported to the Branch Manager.

In 2009, I graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in business administration and and I specialize in finance. I think I’m good at identifying the needs of customers and finding solutions for their financial problems.

I have experience with sales and I am passionate about finance. I am always reading about the latest and most recent financial news. I am motivated by helping people reach their financial goals.

Practice

Choose the appropriate preposition from the list below to fill in the blank:

for / with / by / in / as / about / at / of / to / from

1. I have experience _______ managing people.

2. I worked ______ Sony.

3. I was in charge _______ training new staff.

4. I am passionate _______ sustainable energy.

5. I worked ______ an accountant.

6. I reported ______ the Director of Sales

7. I am motivated ______ helping people reach their fitness goals.

8. I am responsible ________ testing the products for quality.

9. I graduated _______ Harvard University ________ a Master's degree.

10. I have a degree _______ chemical engineering.

11. I worked ______ a team of engineers (I was a regular member of this team)

12. I specialize _______ public relations.

13. I worked ______ the Human Resources Department

14. I deal ______ our overseas clients.

15. I am good ______ analyzing financial data.

16. I work ______ marketing.

Answers

1. with

2. for

3. of

4. about

5. as

6. to

7. by

8. for

9. from, with

10. in

11. with

12. in

13. in

14. with

15. at

16. in