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Build my resume3 minute read | Aug 18, 2023 | By: Maria Correa, Professional Resume Writer
Give your resume more pep with these 140+ action verbs for a resume, instead of overused, cliché phrases.
When you write a resume, it’s important to feature the right skills and qualifications, but you should pay special attention to your words. Hiring managers don’t just care about what you’ve done in the past; they also care about how you talk about it. That’s where resume verbs come in!
To help your resume stand out, on this page we will:
Resume action verbs used to highlight strengths on your resume. You can use them in your resume summary or resume objective, and work experience sections.
Action verbs remove the need for personal pronouns like I & me or my, they make your statements stronger and more straightforward, and they allow you to talk about your technical skills, hard skills and soft skills in different ways.
For example, say you’re a customer service professional writing a bullet point in your work history section; instead of saying “Was responsible for taking phone calls” a verb like “answered” will strengthen your statement so that you could write instead, “Answered an average of 40 incoming calls per day.” Notice how using an action verb gives a stronger impression, showing you’re fully in charge of your responsibilities and achievements.
Or imagine you’re a software developer and want to tell the recruiter how many people you worked with on projects. Instead of writing “I worked with six people to successfully launch new apps,” you could say, “Collaborated with six people across departments to successfully launch new apps.”
Here are a few resume writing tips to properly use action verbs:
Looking at resumes related to your career or industry is a great way to get inspiration. They can give you an idea of industry-specific verbs you can use and provide an excellent foundation for your resume.
Beyond giving you instructions on how and where to submit your resume, the job posting should serve as a guide to determine what skills and work accomplishments you should highlight. Including some of these keywords in your resume will also help make it past the applicant tracking systems (ATS) employers use to determine which action verbs you used.
For example, if the job stresses financial analysis, you’ll likely use action verbs like analyzed, organized, budgeted and oversaw.
Get straight to the point in your statements and make sure the wording you’re using matches the action verb. “Facilitated patient screening for 100+ bed hospital” is more impactful than “I was responsible for screening patients for a hospital with 100 beds,” and also gives you more room on your resume to add other major qualifications and skills.
Ensure your action verbs are extra powerful by combining them with a number. So instead of just saying “Tasked with editing articles,” you should say, “Edited an average of eight articles a day.”
If you managed a project and have management skills or leadership skills that are important for the job, here are some powerful action verbs you can use:
For the job of an account executive:
Do problem-solving skills come naturally to you? Here are other words you can use in your resume to show potential employers:
For the job of a programmer:
If you had to actively use your research skills or analyze numbers and the competition, mix up your wording by including some of the following resume action verbs:
For the job of a research assistant:
If there’s one universal soft skill that is needed in every single job, regardless of industry, it would be communication skills. Here are some action verbs that express good verbal and written communication skills:
For the job of a copywriter:
Did you accomplish something big at work? Did you successfully complete a project? These are all important snippets that you should include in your resume’s work experience section, with power words like:
For the job of a car salesman:
If you were tasked with using imagination and innovative thinking, here’s a list of strong action verbs you can use on your resume to show employers your creative skills:
For the job of a graphic designer:
Knowing how to give excellent customer service is a skill that more and more employers are requiring. Here are several action verbs to convey your sales experience and ability to provide great customer support:
For the job of a sales associate:
As a teacher, you’re bound to wear many hats throughout your career. Here’s a list of the right words to portray your highly valuable skills and professional experience:
For the job of an English teacher:
Does your job require you to possess highly specialized technical skills? Resume power adjectives for the tech industry will convey that you’re a results-driven professional who knows how to get the job done.
For the job of a game designer:
Nailing down how to write a resume can be tough when you’re not sure what words to use to substitute generic words and phrases. Not to worry! Here are synonyms for overused resume words that you can use:
Even action verbs can be carried too far. Check our resume examples and resume templates for how to best use action verbs and hold back from being too casual or “colorful.”
For instance, you wouldn’t want to use words like “destroyed” or “smashed,” even if you’re using them in a positive context. Not only do these words very rarely actually provide anything extra to your resume but they can also be read in a negative light rather than a positive one.
Saying “Systematized paperwork submission processes” is much more effective than saying “Destroyed paperwork issues at previous workplace.” The second reads very unprofessionally, but the first gives helpful information.
Unlike power verbs, keywords are certain words that you’ll find in the job description during your job search that tell you the specific skills and experiences an employer is looking for. These words will be picked up by applicant tracking systems (ATS) employers often use to scan resumes and make sure you’re qualified for a specific job.
Resume action verbs, on the other hand, describe how you do certain things in your job (e.g., “Oversaw production line of 50 employees”). Both words you’ll use all throughout your resume, but one of them helps with ATS and the other helps when it actually gets to a hiring manager.
Here are some bullet points with powerful resume verbs you can use:
What action verb you use will depend on the job you are applying for and the industry. It’s important to add them to your resume to give the recruiters and hiring managers the impression that you’re a proactive and energetic professional.
Words can have the power to make or break a resume, so it’s crucial that you choose the right action verbs. Some weak resume words to avoid include:
As you can see, the words mentioned above are generic and vague. They don’t paint a clear picture of what you did or your impact and may result in a bland resume that leaves hiring managers desiring more.
Some examples of power verbs include to create a strong resume: Conveyed, moderated, negotiated, authored, explained, mastered, standardized, organized, devised, piloted and managed.
As you can see, these power verbs are there to start the beginning of your phrases and help you in describing professional experience. You can use them in the professional experience section to highlight accomplishments, the resume summary or the resume objective. Power verbs replace statements like “Was responsible for…” or “I was in charge of…”
Power verbs will make your phrases more punchy and easier to read. Take a look at these 10 examples and how they’re worded:
“Organized retreat for over 40 employees with daily team activities.”
“Moderated panel for debate event where more than 30 students participated.”
“Authored 15 lifestyle and fashion articles based on social media trends.”
“Carried out plan of care for over 25 patients in safe and competent manner.”
“Generated 14% sales increase by initializing transactions and implementing new marketing strategy.”
“Presented new idea to prospective clients and won the agency a new account with $1M budget.”
“Assisted with organizing, restocking and answering customer questions.”
“Streamlined work by ensuring resources were purchased, cleaned and available for use.”
“Transported clients to locations outside the home such as to physicians’ offices.”
“Provided life-saving medical interventions to injured and ill individuals.”
You can write power verbs in your resume summary, resume objective and work history sections. Resume action verbs will help you create an engaging, professional and strong resume that captures and retains the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.
Action verbs give your resume an active voice when talking about your key responsibilities and accomplishments, so it’s important to mix them around and use the appropriate one depending on what you want to say. If you’re talking about something that relates to your communication skills, for example, instead of writing “I spoke to the clients,” you can use a statement like, “Communicated with clients weekly to ensure satisfaction and provide ideas for upcoming events.”
Action verbs on a resume summary may look like this:
“Playful elementary school teacher with experience in capturing student attention through dynamic and stimulating educational activities. Energetic, trustworthy and trained in providing top learning assistance to students, learning assessments and grading techniques. Known for positive attitude, excellent leadership skills and open communication.”
You can also include action verbs in your cover letter, so be sure to read our How to Write a Cover Letter article to learn how.
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