100 + Action Verbs for Resume Success (to Impress Hiring Managers)

No matter how qualified you are, your resume needs to be more than just a list of duties. In order to stand out from the crowd, you need to show what you’ve done, and how well you’ve done it.  That’s where action verbs for resume writing come in. 

The right words show results! To compete with top candidates, your resume needs to deliver a compelling message that convinces hiring managers you're the right person for the job. The best way to do that is to prove you have the career achievements to back up your skills and qualifications. 

What are action words for a resume?

Compiling the right action verbs for resume writing tells your career story in a way that shows what you did, how you did it, and why it mattered. They’re how you turn boring bullet points into proof that you get things done.

Don’t be confused, though. Not all action verbs are created equal when it comes to delivering a compelling career narrative. For example, weak phrases like “responsible for,” “charged with,” and “accountable for” are all technically verb phrases, but they don’t show action. 

Use action verbs for resume writing to sound more active, clear, and results-focused. 

Instead of writing a very dry and boring bullet like:

• Responsible for leading team meetings to present ideas

Try this:

• Facilitated weekly team meetings to brainstorm new ideas to enhance revenue and client growth by 20%

Just the addition of a few key power words helps to create a more interesting and dynamic accomplishment. In this instance, by adding words like facilitated, brainstormed, and enhanced to the sentence, you communicate additional value-based information for prospective employers. Of course, the metric added to the end can only help your candidacy.

If you’re a hiring manager, which one would impress you the most?

Why strong action verbs matter

There are several important reasons to use powerful resume verbs in your resume. Most importantly, hiring managers don’t have time to guess, nor will they put in the effort to try to figure out what you mean. 

Strong action verbs for resume writing show your efforts fast, which is great since no human being is actually reading your resume. They’re skimming through it and will dump it if nothing jumps out at them in about six seconds. 

• Resume action words can be a terrific way to deliver more information to employers. Many of the most overused resume words – like led, managed, and responsible for – don't really provide the kind of information hiring managers need to see to determine whether you're worthy of an interview. While they provide basic details, they offer no insight into how you achieved your goals.

• Strong action verbs for resume writing can help guarantee that you get past applicant tracking systems. By matching the verbs you use to language in the job posting, the ATS will recognize your application as being on that has what it takes to get the job done. 

Tips for using action verbs on your resume

Naturally, you won't benefit much if you just start indiscriminately tossing power words into your resume. Like every other aspect of resume creation, selecting strong resume action verbs needs to be done consciously and with purpose. 

Here’s what you need to do:

Choose resume action verbs that match the job posting

Make sure you align the action words you use with the job you're seeking. To do this effectively, you'll need to examine the job posting to see which core skills and experiences the employer considers to be key qualifications. Once you've identified those qualifications, you should:

• Identify skills and achievements that match those qualifications

• Choose power verbs that effectively illustrate those achievements

• Show the outcomes by injecting as many numbers, i.e., metrics as possible

• Avoid fluff by sticking to facts and eliminating over embellishment through subjectivity

Don't overuse action verbs on your resume

Have you heard of keyword stuffing? It’s a resume writing trick that doesn’t work. It might be tempting to litter your resume with all the resume action words you can find but you must resist that urge. 

If you overdo it, your entire resume will become nothing more than an obvious attempt to oversell your qualifications. Good hiring managers will recognize the hype and may just toss your resume to the side.

Instead, take a more measured approach and follow these simple rules for using action words:

• Use a mix of different action words to avoid repetition

• Add some resume action words to your summary paragraph, too

• When you're considering two or more action words, choose the one that offers the most information about your activities and provides the best alignment with your quantifying information

Attach quantifiable results to your achievements

Finding the right action verbs for resume writing is only half the battle. You also need to ensure the verbs you choose can help you as you quantify your results. That's why words like managed often fall flat when they're used in resume achievements. They're not sufficiently action-oriented to support a quantifiable result.

When you're creating those achievement bullet points and adding measurable results, always remember to use real numbers. 

For example, you could write that you “coordinated an interdepartmental sales campaign that boosted company sales by 32% in one month.” It’s the type of line that tells a story in a single sentence. 

Avoid words that could be viewed as subjective

While you shouldn't be afraid to highlight your skills and achievements, you also need to make sure you do so using objective language. Instead of bragging, use clear action verbs tied to real results. It’s the best way to prove value without sounding over-the-top.

For example, don’t write:

• Exceptional leader who dramatically improved team performance.

Instead, let the numbers and verbs do the talking for you by writing something like:

• Led a team of 10, increased project delivery speed by 30%, and cut customer inquiries by 15%. 

You might want to tell the whole story, like what you did to cut customer inquiries, but you don’t have to do that on your resume. That’s what the interview is for. 

100+ action verbs for resume writing

And now for the main event: the list of more than one hundred resume action words you can include in your resume to deliver a more compelling message about your qualifications. They’re broken down by category to help you quickly find what fits.

Leadership and management verbs

Use these action words for your resume when you need to emphasize leadership ability. These verbs can help you to better communicate your accomplishments as a leader.

• Initiated

• Coordinated

• Developed

• Mobilized

• Orchestrated

• Advised

• Directed

• Implemented

• Supervised

• Shaped

Teamwork and collaboration verbs

These action verbs can be used to describe times when you worked with others to support group goals and achievements.

• Cooperated

• Collaborated

• Enabled

• Facilitated

• Supported

• Fostered

• Encouraged

• Inspired

• Guided

• Motivated

Analytical thinking verbs

If you need to highlight achievements and experiences involving problem analysis, research, or data, this list of action verbs for resume credibility may be just the thing you need to create a more persuasive resume.

• Discovered

• Detected

• Studied

• Evaluated

• Experimented

• Measured

• Tracked

• Surveyed

• Quantified

• Tested

Innovation and creativity verbs

Creativity and the ability to innovate, i.e., bring new ideas to life, are skills that are in great demand. The following list of resume action words can help you display and illustrate instances when you improved processes or drove change.

• Devised

• Drafted

• Conceptualized

• Designed

• Invented

• Originated

• Introduced

• Created

• Customized

• Modernized

Value and impact verbs

To describe the real value you've provided for past employers, you need great action verbs that help illustrate when you made things better, faster, cheaper, or more effective. This list of value-related resume action verbs can help you tell that story.

• Accelerated

• Amplified

• Boosted

• Conserved

• Consolidated

• Enhanced

• Expedited

• Maximized

• Generated

• Stimulated

Problem-solving verbs

Today's employers place a high priority on candidates who can help them solve problems. To highlight those achievements and skills, however, you need to select action words that help to describe times when your work involved fixing issues or improving systems..

• Analyzed

• Calculated

• Regulated

• Standardized

• Maintained

• Reconciled

• Rectified

• Diagnosed

• Verified

• Estimated

Communication verbs

It’s critical to remember that communication is more than what you say. If you’ve ever written something, trained someone, or promoted a product or service, you’ve used communication. Adequately describe your communication skills by selecting an action verb from this list:

• Conveyed

• Documented

• Presented

• Briefed

• Composed

• Instructed

• Promoted

• Trained

• Interpreted

• Advocated

Change management verbs

The right action words can be invaluable when you're trying to depict yourself as an agent of positive change. You can show how you led or supported positive shifts in the workplace with these resume action verbs.

• Reorganized

• Refocused

• Simplified

• Transformed

• Refined

• Centralized

• Modified

• Clarified

• Converted

• Restructured

Finance and budget verbs

No business can survive without being solvent. You can highlight financial impact or planning skills with these resume action verbs. 

• Adjusted

• Appraised

• Balanced

• Budgeted

• Forecast

• Netted

• Projected

• Researched

• Assessed

• Audited

Technical achievement verbs

It's sometimes helpful to use specific tech-related resume action words when you're noting systems you’ve used, bugs you’ve worked out, or technical migrations you’ve overseen. Try some of the following options:

• Debugged

• Networked

• Updated

• Upgraded

• Engineered

• Constructed

• Computed

• Coded

• Programmed

• Operated

Sales and revenue verbs

There are many distinct aspects to successful sales activities, including building partnerships and developing customer pipelines. The list of sales achievement action words can be a fantastic way to help you describe those accomplishments.

• Acquired

• Sourced

• Partnered (with)

• Negotiated

• Signed

• Closed

• Secured

• Forged

• Pitched

• Upsold

Customer service verbs

Customer-facing roles need action-based resume verbs, too. Here are some support-based action verbs for writing a customer service resume. 

• Informed

• Educated

• Investigated

• Advocated

• Consulted

• Fielded

• Resolved

• Assisted

• Helped

• Championed

Goal-oriented verbs

All roles in all industries across the globe require you to bring results. These are good action verbs for a resume when you need to highlight success in a measurable way, especially as it relates to how you achieved specific goals. 

• Achieved

• Attained

• Delivered

• Drove

• Exceeded

• Outperformed

• Surpassed

• Expanded

• Raised

• Strengthened

Use resume action words for a more powerful message

The bottom line is simple: one of the easiest ways to create a more compelling message in your resume is to incorporate strong verbs that help to illustrate your achievements and qualifications. By learning how to effectively use resume words to enhance your narrative, you can earn the attention you need to land more interviews and job offers.

Still not sure how to incorporate resume action words into your job search effort? Get a free resume review from the experts at TopResume today!

This article was originally written by Ken Chase. It’s been updated by Marsha Hebert.

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