Resume Action Verbs to Use to Stand Out

You only have a small window to capture the attention of a busy recruiter who is reading through hundreds of resumes. While crafting a resume, avoid certain terms that can undermine the efficacy and strength of your resume. These include the use of passive and weak verbs and worn-out business clichés and buzzwords. An addition to soft and hard skills, making use of powerful action verbs instead and negating the overuse of verbs like ‘utilized’, ‘assisted’, and ‘oversaw’, is equally prudent.

What are action verbs?

Words that convey an action are called action verbs. These are effective when used in a resume to highlight your experience, accomplishments, and skills. They are not only specific, but they also bring a tone of confidence and point to your contributions. By using action verbs on your resume, you stand a higher chance of capturing the recruiter’s attention, helping you to progress to the next stage of the hiring process.

Consider the following examples and note the difference in how these statements read:

“Held weekly status meetings to share client updates.” (vague, unclear, and lacking strength)
“Spearheaded weekly status meetings to communicate agency revenue growth.” (strong in terms of detail, sounds empowered)

Examples of how to use action verbs

Examples of vague statements often seen on resumes, followed by improved statements that incorporate action verbs:

Vague: “Responsible for managing a team of employees.”
Improved: “Led a team of employees, fostering collaboration and achieving departmental goals.”

Vague: “Assisted with project implementation.”
Improved: “Contributed to the successful implementation of projects by coordinating tasks and ensuring timely delivery.”

Vague: “Worked on customer service.”
Improved: “Provided exceptional customer service, resolving inquiries and ensuring customer satisfaction.”

Vague: “Handled administrative tasks.”
Improved: “Managed administrative tasks, including scheduling, document preparation, and data analysis.”

Vague: “Participated in meetings.”
Improved: “Actively contributed to team meetings, offering insights and suggestions to drive project progress.”

Vague: “Involved in sales activities.”
Improved: “Drove sales growth by prospecting, nurturing leads, and closing deals.”

Vague: “Contributed to marketing efforts.”
Improved: “Developed and executed strategic marketing campaigns to increase brand visibility and drive customer engagement.”

Vague: “Assisted in the development of new products.”
Improved: “Collaborated with cross-functional teams to conceptualize, prototype, and launch innovative products.”

By replacing vague statements with specific action verbs, you provide clearer and more impactful information about your skills, accomplishments, and contributions. This helps potential employers better understand your abilities and the value you can bring to their organization.

With the use of action words:

• Responsible transforms to Improved…
• Worked with transforms to Collaborated on a team that…
• In charge of transforms to Directed 20 employees to…

Instead of merely describing your job, these verbs help to manifest a vivid portrait of your professional accomplishments and your experience.

How the right resume action verbs make your resume stronger

There are two reasons why action verbs make resumes stronger.

The first reason is that they increase the engagement factor by eliminating redundant terms and phrases that hiring managers see all the time. The second is that they direct your specific job-winning attributes. By using action verbs you didn’t simply handle a responsibility, you slashed costs by X% or saved your employer X hours per week.

Employers inherently want to hire people who are team players, but that is not a term they like seeing on resumes. That puts the onus of showing that they are a team player without actually stating it outright on the resume. Therefore, a resume should contain bullet points of your accomplishments as well as examples of times you have worked with others, getting the optimal output and results. You need to state that you made a process more efficient, raised revenue, and/or cut costs in the process. Don’t be shy about throwing in exact hour numbers, dollar amounts, or specific percentages.

Pairing quantifiable results with action verbs

“Championed the use of user feedback in process improvements, resulting in a 50% boost in customer satisfaction ratings.”

“Increased website traffic by 50% through implementing SEO strategies and content optimization.”

“Achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 95% by implementing a new feedback system and addressing customer concerns.”

“Generated $1 million in sales revenue within the first quarter through strategic lead generation and conversion tactics.”

“Reduced production costs by 20% through process optimization and vendor negotiation, resulting in increased profitability.”

“Implemented a new project management system, resulting in a 30% improvement in project completion time and team productivity.”

“Streamlined inventory management processes, reducing stock holding costs by 15% and minimizing stockout incidents.”

“Optimized social media advertising campaigns, leading to a 40% increase in click-through rates and a 20% boost in conversions.”

“Revitalized the customer loyalty program, resulting in a 25% increase in repeat purchases and a 15% growth in customer retention.”

Use the STAR method to build perfect bullet points.

Are action verbs keywords?

Action verbs can be considered as keywords in the context of resumes and job applications.

When employers or applicant tracking systems (ATS) scan resumes, they often look for specific keywords to quickly assess a candidate’s qualifications and suitability for a position. By incorporating action verbs relevant to the job description and industry, you can align your resume with the desired skills and attributes sought by employers, increasing your chances of being noticed and considered for the role.

Using action verbs strategically throughout your resume can make your accomplishments more compelling, provide clarity on your responsibilities, and demonstrate the value you can bring to a potential employer.

Resume action verbs

Start your bullet points with one of these powerful verbs. Use them to enhance your quantified accomplishments and qualifications.

Top 7 action verbs experts recommend:

• Improved
• Advanced
• Spearheaded
• Exceeded
• Grew
• Built
• Directed

Here you are a list of action verbs, grouped by impact type.

Management skills

These action verbs can be used to describe your management abilities, experiences, and achievements on your resume or in a cover letter.

1. Delegated
2. Led
3. Directed
4. Supervised
5. Coached
6. Motivated
7. Guided
8. Mentored
9. Developed
10. Empowered
11. Coordinated
12. Organized
13. Facilitated
14. Aligned
15. Managed
16. Inspired
17. Resolved
18. Evaluated
19. Strategized
20. Communicated

Financial skills

Select the verbs that best align with your background and demonstrate your abilities effectively.

1. Analyzed
2. Forecasted
3. Budgeted
4. Evaluated
5. Assessed
6. Calculated
7. Audited
8. Managed
9. Monitored
10. Strategized
11. Optimized
12. Controlled
13. Allocated
14. Tracked
15. Reported
16. Developed
17. Implemented
18. Streamlined
19. Negotiated
20. Advised

Communication skills

Highlight your strong communication skills. Showcase your ability to effectively convey information, build relationships, and collaborate with others.

1. Presented
2. Articulated
3. Conveyed
4. Facilitated
5. Persuaded
6. Influenced
7. Mediated
8. Listened
9. Collaborated
10. Negotiated
11. Clarified
12. Engaged
13. Connected
14. Adapted
15. Coordinated
16. Corresponded
17. Expressed
18. Discussed
19. Resolved
20. Transmitted

Research skills

Best verbs to demonstrate your ability to gather and analyze information, draw meaningful conclusions, and effectively present research findings.

1. Investigated
2. Analyzed
3. Collected
4. Gathered
5. Synthesized
6. Examined
7. Evaluated
8. Validated
9. Interpreted
10. Documented
11. Discovered
12. Explored
13. Reviewed
14. Queried
15. Compiled
16. Assessed
17. Identified
18. Generated
19. Proposed
20. Presented

Technical skills

Action verbs that align with your specific technical proficiencies, projects, and accomplishments, and that effectively showcase your ability to work with various technologies, solve technical problems, and contribute to technical initiatives.

1. Programmed
2. Coded
3. Developed
4. Designed
5. Implemented
6. Configured
7. Troubleshot
8. Debugged
9. Maintained
10. Upgraded
11. Installed
12. Integrated
13. Tested
14. Automated
15. Resolved
16. Optimized
17. Documented
18. Migrated
19. Collaborated
20. Trained

Teaching skills

Showcase your teaching methods, accomplishments, and contributions, and that effectively demonstrate your ability to create engaging learning environments, facilitate student growth, and foster effective communication and collaboration in the classroom.

1. Instructed
2. Facilitated
3. Guided
4. Adapted
5. Developed
6. Planned
7. Created
8. Evaluated
9. Motivated
10. Engaged
11. Demonstrated
12. Encouraged
13. Assessed
14. Solved
15. Collaborated
16. Communicated
17. Implemented
18. Inspired
19. Mentored
20. Nurtured

Creative skills

Present your creative endeavors, projects, and contributions, and that effectively demonstrate your ability to generate unique ideas, bring concepts to life, and produce visually appealing or artistic outputs in various creative fields.

1. Designed
2. Conceptualized
3. Created
4. Innovated
5. Illustrated
6. Developed
7. Crafted
8. Imagined
9. Produced
10. Transformed
11. Visualized
12. Composed
13. Constructed
14. Drafted
15. Painted
16. Sculpted
17. Curated
18. Fashioned
19. Authored
20. Choreographed

Clerical or detail-oriented skills

These verbs represent your tasks, responsibilities, and achievements in maintaining accurate records, coordinating administrative duties, and ensuring attention to detail in various clerical or administrative roles.

1. Organized
2. Managed
3. Filed
4. Cataloged
5. Recorded
6. Updated
7. Verified
8. Arranged
9. Maintained
10. Scheduled
11. Prioritized
12. Reviewed
13. Proofread
14. Prepared
15. Processed
16. Coordinated
17. Documented
18. Cross-checked
19. Assembled
20. Logged

Helping skills

Skills that represent your roles, responsibilities, and contributions in helping or supporting others, and that effectively demonstrates your ability to provide guidance, empathy, and positive impact in various helping professions or situations.

1. Assisted
2. Supported
3. Guided
4. Counseled
5. Mentored
6. Empowered
7. Advocated
8. Listened
9. Collaborated
10. Nurtured
11. Encouraged
12. Facilitated
13. Provided
14. Educated
15. Resolved
16. Engaged
17. Alleviated
18. Empathized
19. Volunteered
20. Served

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