Action Words to Use in Resumes

The words you choose to use in your resume are a key way to show your strengths. Well-chosen action words, or power words, give you the opportunity to clearly describe your prior responsibilities and accomplishments.

Benefits of Using Action Words

There are four main reasons to use action words in your resume.

They make sentences easier to understand, so you avoid confusion.
They make sentences more concise, so you’re not wasting the hiring manager’s time.
They make your writing more impactful–portraying you as the ideal candidate for the position.
They make your writing more persuasive, thus increasing your odds of being asked to come in for an interview

Fresh Alternatives to Overused Resume Action Words

Action words are the verbs used to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments. Each bullet point in a resume typically starts with an action word, which is why it’s important to vary your language and choose words that best describe what you did. Instead of resorting to endless repetitions of “achieved” and “led”, try varying your language with some of the following suggestions.

Achieved

Attained	Demonstrated	Reached	Surpassed
Awarded	Earned	Outperformed
Completed	Exceeded	Succeeded

Budgeted

Allocated	Calculated	Inventoried	Reduced
Appraised	Compared	Invested
Assessed	Conserved	Planned
Audited	Corrected	Projected
Balanced	Forecasted	Quantified

Changed

Centralized	Merged	Restructured	Streamlined
Clarified	Modified	Revamped	Strengthened
Converted	Overhauled	Simplified	Updated
Customized	Replaced	Standardized	Upgraded

Created

Administered	Designed	Formed	Instituted
Built	Developed	Formulated	Introduced
Charted	Devised	Implemented	Launched
Constructed	Engineered	Incorporated
Defined	Established	Initiated

Helped

Advocated	Clarified	Encouraged	Referred
Aided	Coached	Facilitated	Supported
Answered	Counseled	Guided
Arranged	Demonstrated	Motivated
Assisted	Educated	Provided

Increased

Accelerated	Enhanced	Gained	Lifted
Advanced	Expanded	Generated	Maximized
Amplified	Furthered	Improved

Led

Administered	Executed	Mentored	Presided
Chaired	Headed	Moderated	Spearheaded
Controlled	Hosted	Orchestrated
Directed	Mediated	Oversaw

Organized

Arranged	Compiled	Maintained	Reviewed
Catalogued	Filed	Monitored	Sorted
Categorized	Inspected	Processed
Collected	Logged	Recorded

Participated

Collaborated	Contributed	Listened	Shared
Combined	Coordinated	Represented

Researched

Analyzed	Discovered	Interpreted	Tested
Assessed	Evaluated	Measured	Tracked
Audited	Examined	Quantified
Calculated	Identified	Surveyed

Wrote

Authored	Corresponded	Documented	Persuaded
Co-authored	Counseled	Drafted	Promoted
Condensed	Critiqued	Edited	Publicized
Composed	Defined	Explained	Reviewed

Context Is Key

While this list of action words should give you some inspiration for creating a more effective resume, remember that context is key. The words in this list are not all interchangeable synonyms. For example, the words “presided” or “chaired” are appropriate for describing a position leading a professional committee. If you were a referring to supervising a team of junior employees, you might use “directed” or “mentored” to more accurately describe what you did.

Once you’ve created a rough draft of your resume, ask a friend to help you proofread the document to make sure the words you’ve selected are appropriate for your particular needs.

And now you have selected your action words take a look at Examples of Resume Objectives to find out if an objective statement is right for your resume.

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