10 great action verbs for your resume
- 1 Accelerated
- 2 Accomplished
- 3 Calculated
- 4 Created
- 5 Developed
- 6 Executed
- 7 Improved
- 8 Maximized
- 9 Planned
- 10 Solved
To excite the hiring manager who’s reading your resume or cover letter, you’ll need to use action verbs that are clear, specific and engaging. We’ve compiled cheat sheets of active verbs and organized them by the types of situations in which you should use them.
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Verbs are words that describe an action or a state of being. If you’re trying to land a job, you must use action verbs in your resume and cover letter to describe your capabilities and achievements.
A phrase like, “I’m a good worker” isn’t going to help you get a job. It’s unclear what makes you a good worker and that makes your statement fall flat.
Action verbs are more descriptive and paint a clearer picture of what you do to achieve results at work than state-of-being (inactive) verbs like “is, am, are, were.” You should be specific by using active verbs to describe what makes you a good employee like your ability to “deliver orders” or “follow instructions.”
Below, we’ve provided helpful cheat sheet lists of resume action verbs and organized them by the types of situations in which you should use them.
You’ll find action verbs for:
Achievement action verb examples:
Execution action verb examples:
Teamwork action verb examples:
Management action verbs examples:
Customer or client action verb examples:
Creative action verb examples:
Analysis or problem-solving action verbs:
Research action verb examples:
Teaching and training action word examples:
Improved performance action word examples:
Communication action word example:
Action verbs are more attention-grabbing for your resume reader and will give you an edge over other candidates who aren’t as precise with their language.
In a resume, active verbs are best used in the professional summary and work experience sections. You should also include them in your cover letter.
Now you’ve seen a lot of great action words you can use on your resume, and just need to incorporate them!
If you want an extra edge in adding these action verbs, check out LiveCareer’s best tool to create a well-written document, our Resume Builder.
Our builder makes it easy for you to include the right action verbs because it has prewritten industry-specific phrases that you can select and add to your resume.
Our database targets these suggested phrases for the job to which you’re applying. They include active verbs in smart, best practice business language.
It cuts out a lot of the guesswork in writing a resume! That’ll save you a lot of stress, and you can complete your document in 15 minutes.
A common mistake many people make when writing their resume is relying on adjectives to present themselves instead of verbs to explain what they do. You need both!
To be clear, adjectives are words that describe something, like its size, shape or color. That includes personal traits like “helpful,” “ambitious” or “hard-working.”
In contrast, verbs are action words that refer to doing things like, for example, talking, seeing or listening.
Adjectives alone aren’t as effective as verbs on a resume because they tell, but they don’t show or prove.
Your claims will be more convincing if you reinforce adjectives with verbs to support or demonstrate the skills you mention.
We’ve compiled this list to show you verbs that reinforce or prove adjectives you might use to describe yourself:
Avoid cramming your resume with tired, overused or boring language –– it will hurt your chances of getting noticed by hiring managers!
Action verbs are a great way to avoid uninspired or passive resume-speak. They add clarity and urgency to your message.
We created this chart that illustrates how you can enhance your resume by swapping out overused buzzwords with action verbs:
If you’re still not sure if your resume’s language is fresh, active and exciting, you should use our Resume Builder.
Our builder was created by career experts who understand the best-use phrases to include in resumes and cover letters.
They’ve paid careful attention to ensure that the written suggestions our builder offers you are active, engaging and up-to-date.
It’s like having an expert guide you through the whole process!