Why Should Action Verbs Be Used In Writing A Resume

Some recruiters must read through hundreds of resumes, and so you have a limited amount of time to catch their attention. When writing a resume, it's important to avoid weak and passive verbs, stay away from business jargon or clichés, and watch out for tired words and phrases. These faulty word choices can undermine the strength and effectiveness of your resume. Instead, make a point of using powerful action verbs and avoid overusing the same verbs (such as "assisted," "oversaw" and "utilized").

Resume Format

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Resume Format
1. Name and contact information
2. Summary or objective
3. Professional history
a. Company name
b. Dates of tenure
c. Description of role and achievement
4. Education
5. Skills
6. Optional (Awards & Achievements, Hobbies & Interests)

What are action verbs?

Action verbs are words that express an action. In a resume, action verbs are used to highlight your skills, experience and accomplishments. They are specific, clarify your contributions and bring a confident tone to your resume. Using action verbs that are unique and powerful can increase your chances of capturing the attention of an employer and moving to the next step in the hiring process. Here's an example:

Lacks strength and clarity: "Held weekly status meetings to share client updates."

Empowered and detailed: "Spearheaded weekly status meetings to communicate agency revenue growth."

Can you see how the second option is stronger and more detailed? The action verbs make your contribution clear and impactful.

Read more: 6 Universal Rules for Resume Writing

Pro tip: Combine your selection of action verbs with quantifiable results to show both what you did and the effect it had. For example, "Championed use of user feedback in program improvements, resulting in 50% boost in customer satisfaction ratings."

Resume action verbs

Below, you will find several action verbs grouped by impact type so you can select the most relevant words for your resume.

Action verbs to showcase accomplishments:

Achieved
Amplified
Attained
Capitalized
Chaired
Consolidated
Deciphered
Decreased
Discerned
Drove
Enacted
Endeavored
Established
Exceeded
Founded
Pioneered
Outperformed
Overhauled
Sharpened
Shattered
Sparked
Spearheaded
Steered
Stimulated
Streamlined
Strengthened
Supervised
Surpassed

Action verbs to explain responsibilities:

Accelerated
Accomplished
Analyzed
Assembled
Built
Charted
Created
Constructed
Coordinated
Delivered
Developed
Executed
Expanded
Facilitated
Finalized
Forged
Guided
Handled
Headed
Improved
Increased
Initiated
Implemented
Instituted
Operated
Organized
Produced
Reached
Simplified
Volunteered

Action verbs to express communication skills:

Briefed
Campaigned
Collaborated
Composed
Conveyed
Convinced
Documented
Enlivened
Instructed
Performed
Presented
Promoted
Spoke
Trained

Action verbs for creative experience:

Authored
Brainstormed
Communicated
Conceptualized
Curated
Customized
Derived
Designed
Diagramed
Drafted
Edited
Illustrated
Imagined
Influenced
Inspired
Intensified
Modeled
Proofread
Published
Redesigned
Researched
Strategized
Storyboarded
Translated
Transformed
Visualized
Wrote

Related: Here's Everything You Should Include on a Resume

Action verbs for sales experience:

Acquired
Boosted
Captured
Conserved
Converted
Earned
Gained
Generated
Maximized
Negotiated
Outpaced
Won
Yielded

Action verbs for leadership and management:

Advised
Aligned
Arranged
Augmented
Centralized
Championed
Cultivated
Differentiated
Directed
Empowered
Enabled
Endorsed
Enforced
Ensured
Forecasted
Formalized
Formed
Fostered
Furthered
Hired
Identified
Implemented
Integrated
Leveraged
Mentored
Merged
Motivated
Orchestrated
Optimized
Predicted
Reconciled
Reduced
Refocused
Renovated
Reorganized
Replaced
Resolved
Restructured
Revitalized
Shaped
Supervised
Sustained
Trained

Action verbs for experience with finance:

Audited
Calculated
Classified
Collected
Equalized
Evaluated
Dispensed
Halted
Investigated
Lowered
Maintained
Minimized
Recognized
Secured

Action verbs for technical experience:

Advanced
Architected
Automated
Coded
Deployed
Detected
Devised
Diagnosed
Discovered
Engineered
Enhanced
Expedited
Formulated
Installed
Launched
Modified
Networked
Planned
Programmed
Remodeled
Rewrote
Refined
Tested
Troubleshoot
Updated
Upgraded

Related: Create an Indeed Resume to easily apply to jobs