Excite potential employers with an action-packed resume
What is your resume, really? It's the story of your professional life. When an employer faces a stack of resumes, often they all look similar. They say similar things. Many of them are just plain boring.
Don't let your resume be one of the boring ones. Use action verbs for your resume to make it jump up and demand attention. Simply regurgitating job descriptions on your resume is no longer enough.
What are action verbs?
Verbs are “doing” words, for example, run, contribute, and sell are all verbs. You can usually put “to” before them (to run, to contribute), and change them according to when something was done and who did it (I ran, Bob was running). The reason verbs are so powerful is that they show an action happening.
Why are action verbs important in a resume?
In life, and in the professional world, you can either be doing nothing, having things done to you, or you can be the one doing things. You obviously don't want your resume to suggest that you've done nothing or that you’re someone who was along for the ride. You want your resume to clearly show that you are in charge of your own career and you take the reins.
Using strong action verbs for your resume helps to show what you’ve done and what you’ve accomplished. Let’s dive into exactly how to achieve that, and look at some action verb examples for a resume to make sure your document has the impact it needs.
How can I use action verbs in my resume?
1. Use strong action verbs at the start of each bullet point
Starting all your sentences with an action verb is an easy way to highlight your contribution.
Compare these two sentences:
Responsible for completing projects
Planned and managed projects through to completion
The first one does no more than state what you were meant to be doing. The second one, starting with the verbs “planned” and “managed” shows exactly how you contributed.
2. Write in the active, rather than the passive, voice
Even the best verbs are watered down by using passive voice. The passive voice is when something is being done passively – almost by accident. The active voice means an action is being taken. Deliberately.
For example, if you completed a project in record time, your resume might say:
The old record for project completion was shattered.
However, that’s pretty uninspiring and doesn’t emphasize that it was you who did it. The easy way to change that is to get the verb up front and center at the start of the sentence:
Shattered the previous company record for project delivery.
There’s no doubt that you were the person responsible for this amazing feat now!
3. Complement your action verbs with achievements
By adding quantifiable outcomes to your action verbs, you can emphasize the result of your great work and the benefit to the business.
Sticking with the same example, let’s see how adding accomplishments levels it up:
Shattered the previous company record for project delivery, enabling the product to launch 2 months ahead of schedule and delivering an additional $15,000 profit.
The action verbs “Shattered,” “enabling,” and “delivering” – coupled with a quantified impact – have taken a weak bullet point and transformed it into a strong, confident, hard-hitting sentence. Doesn’t that sound better than “responsible for completing projects?”
4. Know your industry
Regardless of your field of work, there’s probably a list of killer action verbs for your resume out there. How do you know which ones are right for you?
Easy. Scour postings for jobs that interest you. Chances are, that job posting is telling you what kind of candidate they would like to find. Print out that ad and circle all of the verbs they use. How can you incorporate those words into the work experience on your resume?
Another simple trick is to simply Google “resume words for [career field].” You're sure to get a number of great suggestions. When you do that for sales, you'll find lists that use words like collaborating, cross-selling, and negotiating. Right there, you have some great action verbs to use on your resume.
5. Tell your whole story
Scan your resume to see if it really does tell the story of your career. Does it highlight your greatest accomplishments? Your resume should show just how you got to where you are and all the battles you have fought and won to get there. Then, it needs to show why those amazing feats make you the best possible candidate for the job you want.
Remember, an employer with an opening may be facing a stack (or an inbox) full of resumes and, yes, you're just one of the many. In the humdrum of dozens of resumes littered with phrases that could put them to sleep, a resume that uses great action verbs and tells a vivid story of who you are as an employee will make them perk right up and reach for their phone.
Inspiration for action verbs for a resume
If you’re lacking inspiration, here’s a general list of action verbs for your resume to get you started:
Advised
Coached
Designed
Directed
Established
Improved
Negotiated
Oversaw
Resolved
Upgraded
Those are good action verbs for your resume, but not every verb is created equal! Try to avoid weak, generic verbs such as “worked” – that really doesn’t tell the reader anything more than the bare minimum.
You’ll also want to avoid empty adjectives that say how you see yourself. Describing yourself as punctual, dependable, or enthusiastic is a no-no on today's resume. Shouldn't all employees be those things? That's why action verbs for your resume are so important – they don't just describe you, they say what you have done. That's what employers really want to know.
Take control of your career
Your resume is your story and you're the hero. Make sure your story has plenty of action verbs to prove your contributions and you’ll be well on your way to landing an interview.
Are you using the passive voice or action verbs in your resume? Request a free resume review today to find out!
This article was originally written by MA Smith and Tyler Omoth and has been updated by Jen David.
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Jen David is the Director of CV Shed. She has been writing CVs since 2010 and is a certified CV Writer. She has worked with clients in numerous industries and at all stages of their careers, from students through to senior executives of global businesses. She loves producing polished, focused CVs, enabling her clients to take the next step in their careers. Jen has written numerous articles for publication on industry-leading job boards.
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