Struggling to get seen by recruiters? Using the right resume power words can make your resume work much more effectively. Here we list words to make your achievements pop and get you more job application conversions.
Quick Tips
- Using strong action verbs in your resume will get you noticed by recruiters, convey your accomplishments and strengths better.
- Tailor action verbs to job responsibilities—leadership verbs for management roles and teamwork verbs for team positions—will make your resume more impactful.
- Avoid overused buzzwords that water down your message; instead choose precise and powerful words that showcase your unique value and skills.
- Tailor your resume words to job descriptions to get past applicant tracking systems and get seen by hiring managers.
Resume Action Verbs
Resume action verbs will make your resume pop and significantly improve readabilty and format. These verbs get the recruiter’s attention and get you noticed among other applicants. Imagine starting your sentence with a strong action verb like “spearheaded” instead of a boring phrase like “worked on.” It sets the tone from the get go and grabs the reader’s attention. Using resume action words will take it to the next level.
Action verbs make your resume more presentable and your achievements more tangible. Resumes that use action verbs to highlight achievements are more concrete and to the point. Instead of saying you were “responsible for” a project, say you “led” it. It shows what you did and paints a picture in the recruiter’s mind.
Using action verbs all over your resume will make your achievements more impactful. Replacing old phrases like “worked on” with strong action verbs will get you noticed and make a better impression. So next time you update your resume make sure to find words that describe your achievements precisely and make your resume pop.
Top 100 Action Verbs - Quick Pick
| Category | Action Verbs |
|---|---|
| Leadership | Led, Directed, Managed, Supervised, Coordinated, Administered, Oversaw, Delegated, Facilitated, Guided |
| Communication | Communicated, Presented, Negotiated, Persuaded, Informed, Liaised, Corresponded, Publicized, Moderated, Authored |
| Problem Solving | Solved, Resolved, Analyzed, Diagnosed, Troubleshot, Investigated, Identified, Addressed, Reconciled, Rectified |
| Planning | Planned, Organized, Strategized, Developed, Designed, Formulated, Scheduled, Mapped, Orchestrated, Arranged |
| Creativity | Created, Conceptualized, Innovated, Designed, Developed, Initiated, Crafted, Engineered, Generated, Imagined |
| Research | Researched, Investigated, Examined, Explored, Studied, Surveyed, Assessed, Evaluated, Analyzed, Gathered |
| Technical | Engineered, Programmed, Operated, Assembled, Built, Constructed, Debugged, Designed, Coded, Automated |
| Efficiency | Streamlined, Optimized, Maximized, Minimized, Improved, Enhanced, Upgraded, Refined, Accelerated, Standardized |
| Financial | Budgeted, Forecasted, Audited, Allocated, Analyzed, Appraised, Evaluated, Negotiated, Invested, Projected |
| Sales | Sold, Marketed, Promoted, Expanded, Secured, Generated, Negotiated, Closed, Delivered, Outperformed |
| Teaching | Trained, Educated, Coached, Mentored, Guided, Tutored, Instructed, Demonstrated, Enlightened, Developed |
| Teamwork | Collaborated, Partnered, Contributed, Supported, Participated, Cooperated, Assisted, Integrated, United, Combined |
| Operations | Operated, Managed, Produced, Executed, Coordinated, Processed, Delivered, Controlled, Monitored, Implemented |
| Customer Service | Served, Supported, Assisted, Addressed, Resolved, Consulted, Facilitated, Handled, Improved, Advocated |
| Analysis | Analyzed, Evaluated, Assessed, Interpreted, Measured, Quantified, Investigated, Surveyed, Estimated, Predicted |
| Writing | Authored, Composed, Edited, Drafted, Documented, Created, Published, Revised, Summarized, Translated |
| Management | Managed, Directed, Supervised, Oversaw, Administered, Coordinated, Controlled, Organized, Governed, Led |
| Logistics | Managed, Scheduled, Coordinated, Organized, Planned, Distributed, Tracked, Executed, Supplied, Directed |
| Innovation | Innovated, Created, Engineered, Developed, Devised, Invented, Modernized, Pioneered, Transformed, Designed |
| Quality Control | Inspected, Evaluated, Tested, Audited, Ensured, Verified, Examined, Monitored, Certified, Assessed |
Leadership Verbs
Words like “oversee,” “administer,” “direct,” and “control” can summarise your leadership experience and the impact you made in previous roles. Besides showcasing your leadership skills, highlighting the candidate’s personal qualities will make a bigger impact on employers.
Examples
When it comes to leadership and executives, specific verbs matter in the resume. Using strong verbs like “spearheaded,” “mentored,” “transformed” will convey your leadership skills and achievements. These verbs show you can take charge, guide others and implement big changes.
Instead of saying you “managed” a team, say you “mobilised” or “executed” a project. These small changes will make a big difference in how recruiters perceive your leadership skills.
Leadership Verb Tips
Use leadership verbs to highlight your achievements and job description nuances. Use words that show inspirational leadership like “inspired” or “motivated” to show you can lead.
Give examples of your achievements. Instead of saying you “led” a team, say how you “inspired” your team to achieve a specific goal, it gives a clearer picture of your leadership style and impact. This will make your resume more interesting and more believable.
Creative Verbs for Creative Roles
Roles like artist, designer, marketing, advertising, or innovator will benefit from using verbs that describe creativity. Creative verbs will show your unique contributions and highlight your innovation.
Creative Verbs
Examples
Some verbs that describe creativity are “conceptualised,” “curated,” “fashioned.” These verbs will make your resume better by showing your innovation. For example instead of saying you “created” a new design, you could say you “conceptualised” a new design, it adds an extra layer of originality to your description.
Using verbs like “designed,” “conceptualised,” “envisioned” will show your creativity on your resume. These verbs will not only highlight your creative skills but also show employers you can think outside the box and bring new ideas to the table.
Putting Creativity in Your Resume
Candidates should put action verbs at the beginning of their bullet points to show their creative achievements. Focus on the outcome of your creative work not just the tasks you did. For example instead of saying you “created” a marketing campaign, you could say you “envisioned and executed” a campaign that increased brand awareness by 30%.
Don’t repeat the word “create” and give specific examples of what you created. This will make your resume more interesting and give a clearer picture of your creative contributions and impact.
Verbs for Problem Solving Skills
Strong verbs show you gathered and interpreted information, your problem solving skills. These power verbs will show you can analyse situations and come up with innovative solutions.
Problem Solving Verbs
Verbs like “analysed,” “resolved,” “innovated” will show problem solving skills on your resume. These verbs are important to show you can tackle challenges and find solutions. For example instead of saying you “fixed” an issue, you could say you “resolved” a critical problem, it adds an extra layer of achievement to your description.
Using verbs like “diagnosed,” “rectified,” “implemented” will show your analytical skills and problem solving skills. These verbs will not only highlight your technical skills but also show your strategic thinking and ability to deliver results.
Showing Problem Solving on Your Resume
Strong problem solving action verbs will show your contributions and skills. To show your analytical skills pair action verbs with quantifiable results from your experiences. For example instead of saying you “solved” a problem you could say you “implemented a solution that reduced costs by 20%”.
Specific problem solving scenarios in your work history will make your resume better. By showing examples of your problem solving skills and the impact of your solutions you can make your resume more interesting to potential employers..
Communication Verbs
Communication is a key skill in any job. Strong action verbs will show your communication skills and achievements on your resume.
These will help you stand out by showing you can communicate clearly and concisely.
Communication Verbs
Verbs like “articulated,” “facilitated,” “transmitted” will show communication skills. These words will show you can share information and ideas.
Action verbs will make your communication skills more presentable. Verbs like “clarified” and “negotiated” will add specificity and impact to your descriptions, so your communication skills will be more visible to potential employers.
Communicating Skills
Including communication achievements in your resume will make your profile better by showing your proven skills and contributions. Including measurable outcomes will show specific communication achievements. For example you could say you “negotiated” a deal that increased sales by 15%.
Communication is key in teamwork, resolving conflicts and building relationships. Including specific examples of communication in previous roles will make your resume more impactful.
By showing you can articulate, communicate and interact effectively you will impress hiring managers and stand out in job interviews.
Research and Analysis Verbs
Verbs like “analysed,” “evaluated,” “interviewed” are impactful for showing research skills. These verbs will show you can gather, assess and use information. For example instead of saying you “researched” a topic you could say you “evaluated” data, it adds more depth to your description.
Specific action verbs in research and analysis will show relevant skills and experiences. Verbs like “categorised,” “assessed,” “interviewed” will make your research skills more visible.
Showing Analytical Skills
Employers like concise examples that will show your analytical skills through specific achievements. Using metrics or data will make your presentation more impactful. For example describing how you “analysed market trends” and “increased sales by 20%” will give a better picture of your analytical skills.
Showing problem solving scenarios in your work history will show your analytical thinking. Tailoring your analytical skills to the job description will make your resume more relevant and you a more attractive candidate.
Verbs for Customer Support
Customer support roles need varied action verbs to make your skills more presentable in your resume, including the job duties that involve helping and resolving for clients.
Customer Support Verbs
Verbs for customer support are “advocated,” “coached,” “resolved,” “informed.” These verbs will show you can support and guide clients. For example instead of saying you “helped” customers you could say you “resolved customer issues” which will show your problem solving skills.
Verbs like “assisted,” “guided,” “advocated” will show your customer support skills. These action verbs will make your resume better.
Customer Service Descriptions
Strong verbs will make your customer service stories more impactful. Showing specific actions taken to resolve or improve service will make your resume more interesting. For example instead of saying you “dealt” with complaints you could say you “resolved customer complaints quickly and effectively” which will add efficiency to your description.
Focus on actions taken and results achieved when describing customer support experiences. Using specific examples will help you to show your customer service skills and make your resume more attractive to potential employers.
Verbs for Improvement and Change
From project leaders to executives, admin, and IT experts, everyone is involved in change. Action verbs like “transformed” and “enhanced” will show significant improvements in your previous roles. These verbs will show you can innovate and improve processes, making your resume more interesting.
Improvement and Change Verbs
Verbs like “redesigned,” “revamped,” “overhauled” will show specific actions taken to improve processes or outcomes. These verbs will show significant improvements in your previous roles. For example instead of saying you “improved” a process you could say you “revamped” it which will add thoroughness to your description.
Transformative verbs on your resume will show your impact and achievements. By using specific verbs you can show the improvements you made and the results.
Showing Improvements on Your Resume
Use more specific action verbs like “redesigned” instead of generic terms like “improved” to show your part in improvements. Detail improvements with specific metrics or outcomes to show the tangible results of your contributions. For example describing how you “redesigned a workflow that increased efficiency by 30%” will give a better picture of your achievements.
Show measurable achievements with action verbs to illustrate the impact of your improvements and problem solving skills on your resume. By giving concrete examples you can make your resume more interesting and attractive to hiring managers.
Adjectives to Bolster Your Resume
Adjectives will make your resume descriptions more interesting. Using these adjectives will add to your resume summary. They will make overall impression stronger.
Examples of Adjectives
Adjectives will describe your skills and experiences vividly. Words like “adaptable” and “resilient” will show flexibility in the workplace. For example instead of saying you are a “hard worker” you could say you are “dedicated” or “enthusiastic” which will show stronger work ethic.
Using words like “organised” and “methodical” will show strong organisational skills. Descriptive words will categorise your skills like communication, flexibility, attitude, management and creativity to make your resume more interesting.
Adjectives and Action Verbs Balance
Combining powerful adjectives with action verbs will strengthen your resume narrative. Combining adjectives with action verbs will make your resume more dynamic. For example instead of using a generic verb like “improve” you could say you “redesigned” a process which will give clarity to your achievements.
You must replace generic terms with specific action verbs to give clarity to your achievements. Mirroring the job description in your language will make your resume more relevant.
Resume Buzzwords to Remove
Resume buzzwords are verbs, nouns and adjectives that candidates use to stand out but overused terms will weaken your resume. Avoid clichés to keep the reader interested and make your resume more attractive.
Common Buzzwords
Common buzzwords like “team player” and “detail oriented” are so overused they don’t impress recruiters anymore. Instead of saying you are “motivated” which is redundant, share relevant experiences that show your motivation. For example instead of saying you are a “hard worker” describe specific instances where you showed hard work, these will reflect a candidate’s personal qualities.
Words like “synergy” and “fast learner” are often criticised for being unclear and unoriginal. Using the phrase “good communicator” is weak; show communication skills through examples.
Alternative to Buzzwords
Many resumes have overused buzzwords like “synergistic”, “hard working” and “professional” which don’t have impact. Stronger alternatives to “improved” are “optimised”, “boosted”, “revitalised” and “transformed”. For example instead of saying you “improved” a system you could say you “revitalised” it which will add a sense of freshness to your description.
A thesaurus is a must have to replace tired buzzwords with strong alternatives. By finding more specific and powerful words you can make your resume more interesting and attractive to employers.
And Finally…
Strong action verbs show a candidate’s achievements and impact rather than just listing duties. Highlighting problem solving skills in your resume summary will grab employer’s attention by showing relevant skills.
Power words can be used not only in resumes but also in LinkedIn profiles. Power adjectives can be used to enhance descriptions beyond professional experience to make resumes more attractive. By using impactful language you can make a big difference in the presentation of your achievements and skills including power word techniques. Using resume power words will make a big difference in the presentation of your achievements and skills.
Don’t use overused buzzwords and go for specific and impactful language that clearly shows your achievements. Now you are ready to turn your resume into a powerful tool that will impress hiring managers and get you that job interview.
FAQs
Why action verbs in a resume?
Action verbs are important because they grab the recruiter’s attention and show your achievements effectively, making your resume more impactful. They help you to show your skills and experiences clearly.
How to show teamwork on my resume?
To show teamwork on your resume use strong action words like “collaborated”, “united” and “coordinated”. This will show employers how you work with others.
Can you give examples of action verbs for leadership roles?
Yes! Use action verbs like “spearheaded”, “mentored” and “transformed” to highlight your leadership experience. These words show initiative and influence, your ability to drive change.
What are power adjectives to use in resume?
Using adjectives like “adaptable”, “resilient”, “dedicated” and “enthusiastic” will really make your resume look good. These words will paint a strong picture of your skills and commitment!
What are action verbs for problem solving skills?
Using action verbs like “analysed”, “resolved” and “innovated” will really show your problem solving skills on your resume. They will highlight your proactive approach and ability to tackle challenges.
