Action Verbs for Resumes

How to use action verbs to make your resume stand out.

By Paul Peters, Feb 21, 2024

Paul Peters is the Chief Editor of Betterteam. He's a former print journalist and small business owner and has written articles for a variety of newspapers, magazines and websites.

Clipboard with a page on it that reads 'my resume'

Resume action words are creative and powerful verbs that you should use on your resume to make it stand out. Most bullet points on resumes start with the same words, to the point that they lose their efficacy. By using a compelling action verb, you can catch the recruiter's eye and paint a vivid picture of how you are the best candidate.

Why Should You Use Resume Action Verbs?

Using resume action verbs will make your resume stronger by replacing those common, over-used words and phrases that recruiters see all the time with dynamic and compelling words that will catch the recruiter's eye. By starting your bullet points with action verbs, you can keep descriptions of your skills and work experiences short and powerful.

Best Action Verbs for Resumes:

Action Verb	Skills Illustrated
achieved	Work ethic and accomplishments.
improved	Organizational skills and how you made a positive difference in your previous position.
mentored	Leadership and management skills.
created	Creativity skills.
resolved	Problem-solving, management, and teamwork skills.
volunteered	Teamwork skills and work ethic.
influenced	Leadership and customer service skills.
increased/decreased	Drive.
developed	Creativity and innovation.
launched	Leadership and project management skills.
won	Ability to achieve results.

Action Verbs for Different Activities:

Candidates tend to use various tired phrases when describing their work activities that can lead to a boring, repetitive resume. Spice things up with some action verbs and synonyms for these over-repeated phrases:

"Responsible for."
"Developed," "created," or "introduced."
"Changed" or "improved."
"Managed" or "oversaw."
"Researched."
"Utilized."

We have also gathered lists of action verbs that are great for specific positions, such as:

Sales positions.
Financial positions.
Technical positions.
Teaching positions.

Creativity and Problem-Solving Action Verbs:

aided	alleviated	altered	ameliorated
augmented	built	corrected	counseled
crafted	customized	debugged	designed
determined	devised	drafted	eased
elevated	enhanced	enlarged	established
extended	extracted	fashioned	finalized
fixed	founded	formed	formalized
fulfilled	generated	identified	implemented
initiated	interceded	invented	launched
lightened	overhauled	patched	piloted
pioneered	polished	procured	rebuilt
reconciled	rectified	reduced	refined
reformed	rehabilitated	reinforced	rejuvenated
relieved	remedied	remodeled	repaired
resolved	restored	retrieved	revitalized
revived	settled	solicited	solved
spearheaded	streamlined	strengthened	supplemented
transformed

The Importance of Creative Action Verbs:

Creativity often goes hand in hand with problem-solving as coming up with out-of-the-box solutions to solve a problem requires a creative mind. Using these action verbs will show recruiters how you are creative, more than simply stating "I am creative," which doesn't actually prove that you are.

Example:

Overhauled our operating systems which increased production output by 35%.

Teamwork Action Verbs:

acknowledged	assessed	assimilated	assisted
blended	clarified	coached	coalesced
collaborated	contributed	cooperated	counseled
demonstrated	diagnosed	diversified	educated
embraced	encouraged	energized	facilitated
familiarized	gathered	guided	harmonized
ignited	inspired	joined	mediated
melded	merged	motivated	participated
partnered	provided	referred	reinforced
represented	supported	taught	trained
united	verified	volunteered

The Importance of Teamwork Action Verbs:

Using teamwork active verbs will display your achievements during times when you worked with others and got great results.

Example:

Built and motivated an international team to adjust our product for international markets that increased our sales by 60%.

Communication Action Verbs:

addressed	advocated	apprised	arbitrated
arranged	attested	authored	briefed
campaigned	clarified	co-authored	collaborated
communicated	composed	consulted	conveyed
convinced	corresponded	counseled	critiqued
defined	developed	directed	documented
drafted	edited	enlisted	enlivened
explained	fielded	formulated	illustrated
influenced	informed	instructed	interpreted
lectured	lobbied	marketed	mediated
moderated	negotiated	performed	persuaded
presented	promoted	proposed	publicized
queried	reconciled	recruited	reported
reviewed	spoke	summarized	trained
translated	wrote

The Importance of Communication Action Verbs:

A resume with powerful action verbs is a great way to demonstrate your communication skills. You can emphasize them even more with targeted communication action verbs.

Example:

Authored the bimonthly company newsletter that was directly responsible for enlisting at least 5 new subscribers each month.

Leadership Action Verbs:

administered	advised	allocated	allowed
analyzed	appointed	approved	arranged
assigned	augmented	authorized	centralized
chaired	championed	coached	consolidated
contracted	controlled	coordinated	cultivated
delegated	designated	developed	differentiated
directed	educated	elicited	employed
empowered	enabled	encouraged	endorsed
enforced	enhanced	ensured	evaluated
executed	facilitated	fostered	founded
guided	headed	hired	hosted
identified	influenced	inspired	instructed
integrated	interviewed	judged	led
leveraged	mentored	mobilized	moderated
monitored	motivated	officiated	operated
optimized	orchestrated	organized	oversaw
planned	predicted	prioritized	produced
programmed	recommended	reconciled	recruited
reduced	renovated	reorganized	replaced
resolved	reviewed	sanctioned	spearheaded
supervised	trained

The Importance of Leadership Action Verbs:

Demonstrate your leadership skills with these action verbs and show the recruiters what makes you a great leader.

Example:

Spearheaded a project to increase foot traffic to our retail store which was successful in driving sales up by 15%.

Work Ethic Action Verbs:

accelerated	achieved	attained	awarded
capitalized	completed	conceived	convinced
deciphered	demonstrated	discerned	discovered
drove	doubled	earned	effective
eliminated	enacted	endeavored	established
exceeded	expanded	expediated	founded
improved	increased	initiated	innovated
introduced	invented	launched	mastered
originated	outperformed	overcome	overhauled
pioneered	reached	reduced	resolved
revitalized	sharpened	shattered	showcased
sparked	spearheaded	steered	stimulated
strengthened	succeeded	supervised	surpassed
targeted	transformed	upgraded

The Importance of Work Ethic Action Verbs:

Your work ethic can be shown through your accomplishments on behalf of your previous jobs.

Example:

Improved the arrangements in the kitchen which allowed staff to move more freely and so improved efficiency.

Organization Action Verbs:

approved	arranged	assembled	boosted
budgeted	calculated	catalogued	centralized
charted	clarified	classified	collected
compiled	consolidated	converted	correlated
customized	dispatched	executed	filed
generated	grew	implemented	indexed
influenced	inspected	integrated	lifted
linked	merged	modified	monitored
operated	orchestrated	ordered	organized
oriented	overhauled	planned	prepared
processed	purchased	raised	recorded
redesigned	refined	refocused	regulated
rehabilitated	remodeled	reorganized	replaced
restructured	retrieved	revamped	revitalized
saved	scheduled	screened	simplified
slashed	specified	standardized	streamlined
strengthened	systematized	tabulated	transformed
updated	upgraded

The Importance of Organization Action Verbs:

Show off your organizational skills by letting the recruiter know how you improved things at your previous job.

Example:

Scheduled morning meetings to discuss the day's activities and ensure all team members knew their duties.

Time Management Action Verbs:

accelerated	achieved	advanced	amplified
boosted	capitalized	conserved	consolidated
decreased	deducted	delivered	diagnosed
enhanced	expanded	expediated	furthered
gained	generated	improved	lessened
lifted	maximized	outpaced	reconciled
reduced	stimulated	sustained	yielded

The Importance of Time Management Action Verbs:

Recruiters look for candidates who can show great time management skills. Using these action verbs can demonstrate how you saved your company time or money.

Example:

Consolidated the Software Development Roadmap to ensure all critical projects were completed on time.

Flexibility Action Verbs:

accommodated	adapted	adjusted	altered
amended	balanced	converted	grew
improvised	tailored

The Importance of Flexibility Action Verbs:

Show how you adapt to changes by using these great action verbs.

Examples:

Adjusted my tasks to cover for a coworker who unexpectedly had to take an extended sick leave.

Customer Service Action Verbs:

advanced	advised	advocated	aided
arbitrated	boosted	coached	consulted
cooperated	counciled	educated	endorsed
facilitated	fielded	helped	informed
maintained	promoted	reinforced	resolved
supported

The Importance of Customer Service Action Verbs:

There are a variety of words that can be used to describe how you assisted customers. Use one of these action verbs to grab the recruiter's attention.

Example:

Promoted the company's products and maintained a customer satisfaction rating of 85%.

"Responsible For" Action Verbs:

accelerated	accomplished	achieved	acquired
acted as	analyzed	assembled	built
completed	constructed	created	delivered
developed	executed	expanded	finalized
finished	forged	founded	guided
handled	headed	improved	increased
initiated	implemented	instituted	made
navigated	negotiated	operated	partnered
performed	prepared	produced	reached
secured	simplified	suceeded in	undertook
volunteered

The Importance of "Responsible For" Action Verbs:

Instead of simply stating what you were responsible for, try saying how you improved your tasks.

Example:

Succeeded in improving table turn over times by delivering consistent service.

"Created" Action Verbs:

acted	administered	arranged	authored
brainstormed	briefed	built	chartered
communicated	conceptualized	constructed	created
customized	derived	designed	developed
devised	diagramed	directed	drafted
edited	engaged in	engineered	envisioned
established	fabricated	fashioned	forged
formalized	formed	formulated	illustrated
imagined	implemented	incorporated	influenced
initiated	instituted	integrated	intensified
introduced	launched	made	made progress on
modeled	operated	organized	perfected
performed	pioneered	planned	produced
proofread	proved	published	pursued
put together	researched	revised	revitalized
set up	shaped	spearheaded	storyboarded
strategized	streamlined	structured	tabulated
translated	validated	visualized	undertook

The Importance of "Created" Action Verbs:

If in your previous job you worked on any projects or created, developed, or introduced a project, use one of our action verbs to help the recruiter visualize your creativity.

Example:

Engaged in updating our job board articles to provide readers with the most up-to-date information.

"Improved" Action Verbs:

accelerated	accomplished	achieved	acquired
advanced	bolstered	boosted	built
centralized	clarified	converted	coordinated
created	customized	dedicated	demonstrated
enriched	established	expanded	expediated
grew	implemented	improved	increased
influenced	initiated	innovated	inspired
integrated	introduced	launched	lifted
merged	minimized	mobilized	modernized
modified	multiplied	overhauled	pioneered
raised	redesigned	refined	refocused
rehabilitated	remodeled	reorganized	restructured
revamped	revised	revitalized	saved
simplified	slashed	spearheaded	standardized
stimulated	streamlined	strengthened	suggested
transformed	updated	upgraded

The Importance of "Improved" Action Verbs:

Instead of simply repeating "improved...", show the amazing changes you made with these action verbs.

Example:

Suggested a new layout in the beverage supply closet which improved the servers' efficiency by 15%.

"Managed" Action Verbs:

advised	aligned	arranged	augmented
authorized	blocked	centralized	championed
cultivated	delegated	differentiated	directed
dispatched	empowered	enabled	endorsed
enforced	ensured	facilitated	forcasted
fostered	guided	hired	identified
inspected	inspired	integrated	itemized
leveraged	mentored	mobilized	monitored
motivated	orchestrated	optimized	predicted
reconciled	recruited	reduced	regulated
renovated	replaced	resolved	screened
scrutinized	shaped	supervised	taught
trained	unified	united	verified

The Importance of "Managed" Action Verbs:

Those candidates who were in management positions in previous jobs can demonstrate their leadership skills by discussing their duties with these action verbs.

Example:

Authorized signatories on banking documents and maintained 100% financial security.

"Researched" Action Verbs:

analyzed	ascertained	assembled	assessed
audited	calculated	checked	clarified
collected	compared	computed	conceptualized
concluded	confirmed	critiqued	deciphered
deliberated	determined	devised	diagnosed
discovered	estimated	evaluated	examined
explored	extracted	forecasted	formulated
identified	inspected	inspired	integrated
interpreted	interviewed	investigated	justified
mapped	measured	negotiated	organized
prescribed	prioritized	probed	projected
proved	qualified	quantified	questioned
rated	recommended	researched	reviewed
scrutinized	studied	substantiated	summarized
surveyed	synthesized	systemized	tested
tracked	validated	verified

The Importance of "Researched" Action Verbs:

When the job description calls for research skills, use our list of action verbs to discuss your research, analysis, and fact-finding duties in your work history.

Example:

Extracted sales performance metrics from data analyses that improved sales by 15%.

"Utilized" Action Verbs:

applied	adopted	deployed	employed
exerted	handled	mobilized	operated
promoted	put to use	restored	revived
specialized in

The Importance of "Utilized" Action Verbs:

"Utilized" is a common word applied to resumes when describing previous work experience. Spice things up with these action verbs.

Example:

Specialized in Microsoft SPSS statistical software for data analysis.

Action Verbs for Sales Positions:

captured	conserved	converted	earned
generated	maximized	negotiated	won

Example:

Successfully negotiated and won 3 new accounts on average each month.

Action Verbs for Financial Positions:

administered	allocated	analyzed	appraised
audited	balanced	budgeted	calculated
classified	collected	computed	developed
dispensed	equalized	halted	investigated
lowered	maintained	managed	minimized
planned	projected	recognized	researched
secured

Example:

Audited companies in various industry sectors for financial discrepancies and maintained a 95% accuracy rate.

Action Verbs for Technical Positions:

advanced	architected	assembled	automated
built	calculated	coded	computed
deployed	designed	detected	devised
diagnosed	discovered	engineered	fabricated
formulated	installed	launched	maintained
networked	operated	pinpointed	planned
programmed	refined	remodeled	repaired
rewrote	solved	tested	troubleshoot
upgraded

Example:

Remodeled booking software systems that reduced bugs by 20%.

Action Verbs for Teaching Positions:

adapted	advised	clarified	coached
communicated	conducted	coordinated	developed
enabled	encouraged	evaluated	explained
facilitated	guided	informed	instructed
lectured	persuaded	set goals	stimulated
taught	trained

Example:

Evaluated students on the use of verbs in writing resumes.

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FAQs:

What are good action verbs for a resume?

There are a wide variety of resume action words that you should use on your resume to make it stand out. Using resume action verbs will make your resume stronger by replacing those common, over-used words and phrases that recruiters see all the time with strong, dynamic, and compelling action verbs that will catch the recruiter's eye.

How do you use action verbs in a resume?

You should use action verbs at the start of your bullet points when describing your responsibilities at your previous work experience or the skills you have achieved. By starting your bullet points with action verbs, you can keep descriptions of your skills and work experiences short and powerful.

What are some examples of action verbs?

Instead of "problem-solving skills," try starting with "overhauled."
Instead of "team working skills," try starting with "cooperated."
Instead of "communication skills," try starting with "lobbied."
Instead of "leadership skills," try starting with "founded."
Instead of "strong work ethic," try using "exceeded" to describe how you have his skill.
Instead of "organizational skills," try describing your skills with "modified."
Instead of "time management skills," try using "expediated."
Instead of "flexibility," try using "adapted" to demonstrate.
Instead of "customer service skills," try using "promoted" to explain.

What are action verb lists?

Action verb lists are categorized lists that you can use to replace commonly-used phrases or words in your resume to make your sentences more powerful and concise.

What are power words in a resume?

Power words are action verbs that are used in a resume to help recruiters better visualize your skills and qualifications. They are generally used to make your resume stand out.

What can I say instead of "responsible for"?

Accelerated.
Built.
Completed.
Delivered.
Executed.
Finalized.
Guided.
Handled.
Improved.
Made.
Navigated.
Operated.
Partnered.
Reached.
Secured.
Undertook.
Volunteered.

What words do employers look for in a resume?

In a resume, employers tend to look for skills, so they will look for words that describe the skills they want, such as problem-solving skills, leadership skills, communication skills, team working skills, and work ethic.

Action Verbs for Resumes

Why Should You Use Resume Action Verbs?

Best Action Verbs for Resumes:

Action Verbs for Different Activities:

Creativity and Problem-Solving Action Verbs:

The Importance of Creative Action Verbs:

Teamwork Action Verbs:

The Importance of Teamwork Action Verbs:

Communication Action Verbs:

The Importance of Communication Action Verbs:

Leadership Action Verbs:

The Importance of Leadership Action Verbs:

Work Ethic Action Verbs:

The Importance of Work Ethic Action Verbs:

Organization Action Verbs:

The Importance of Organization Action Verbs:

Time Management Action Verbs:

The Importance of Time Management Action Verbs:

Flexibility Action Verbs:

The Importance of Flexibility Action Verbs:

Customer Service Action Verbs:

The Importance of Customer Service Action Verbs:

"Responsible For" Action Verbs:

The Importance of "Responsible For" Action Verbs:

"Created" Action Verbs:

The Importance of "Created" Action Verbs:

"Improved" Action Verbs:

The Importance of "Improved" Action Verbs:

"Managed" Action Verbs:

The Importance of "Managed" Action Verbs:

"Researched" Action Verbs:

The Importance of "Researched" Action Verbs:

"Utilized" Action Verbs:

The Importance of "Utilized" Action Verbs:

Action Verbs for Sales Positions:

Action Verbs for Financial Positions:

Action Verbs for Technical Positions:

Action Verbs for Teaching Positions:

FAQs:

What are good action verbs for a resume?

How do you use action verbs in a resume?

What are some examples of action verbs?

What are action verb lists?

What are power words in a resume?

What can I say instead of "responsible for"?

What words do employers look for in a resume?

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