Resume Action Words

Use Action Words to
Turbocharge your Resume

The National Institute of Writers notes more than 80% of resumes are now pre-screened using resume scanning software. Today, even the smallest companies can access job boards using scanning software.

What are resume action words? They are descriptive verbs used to describe your skills, qualifications, experiences or accomplishments.

How do you use resume action words? When listing your employment history they should be listed at the beginning on each bullet point.

Compare the job posting with your resume, make sure all qualifications required are addressed beginning with a strong action word.

Carefully review the qualifications required in each job posting, it will give you excellent clues to what action words the employer is looking for. It also allows you to customize your resume to target a specific job.

Like to see an example of key words used in a resume, follow the link to Resume Key Words

Professional Tip: Make the extra effort, tailor your resume to each job posting, use resume action words to project a positive attitude and focus on specific actions and results.

These actions will show the employer you are the type of person who goes the extra mile, the type of applicant they will call in for an interview.

Resume Action Word List

A

accelerated, acclimated, accompanied, accomplished, achieved, acquired, acted, activated, actuated, adapted, added, addressed, adhered, adjusted, administered, admitted, adopted, advanced, advertised, advised, advocated, aided, aired, affected, allocated, altered, amended, amplified, analyzed, answered, anticipated, appointed, appraised, approached, approved, arbitrated, arranged, ascertained, asked, assembled, assigned, assumed, assessed, assisted, attained, attracted, audited, augmented, authored, authorized, automated, awarded, avail

C

calculated, canvassed, capitalized, captured, carried, out, cast, cataloged, centralized, challenged, chaired, changed, channeled, charted, checked, chose, circulated, clarified, classified, cleared, closed, co-authored, cold, called, collaborated, collected, combined, commissioned, committed, communicated, compared, compiled, complied, completed, composed, computed, conceived, conceptualized, concluded, condensed, conducted, conferred, consolidated, constructed, consulted, contracted, contrasted, contributed, contrived, controlled, converted, convinced, coordinated, corrected, corresponded, counseled, counted, created, critiqued, cultivated

D

debugged, decided, decentralized, decreased, deferred, defined, delegated, delivered, demonstrated, depreciated, described, designated, designed, determined, developed, devised, devoted, diagrammed, directed, disclosed, discounted, discovered, dispatched, displayed, dissembled, distinguished, distributed, diversified, divested, documented, doubled, drafted

E

earned, eased, edited, effected, elected, eliminated, employed, enabled, encouraged, endorsed, enforced, engaged, engineered, enhanced, enlarged, enriched, entered, entertained, established, estimated, evaluated, examined, exceeded, exchanged, executed, exempted, exercised, expanded, expedited, explained, exposed, extended, extracted, extrapolated

F

facilitated, familiarized, fashioned, fielded, figured, financed, fit, focused, forecasted, formalized, formed, formulated, fortified, found, founded, framed, fulfilled, functioned, furnished G

gained, gathered, gauged, gave, generated, governed, graded, granted, greeted, grouped, guided 

H

handled, headed, hired, hosted

I

identified, illustrated, illuminated, implemented, improved, improvised, inaugurated, indoctrinated, increased, incurred, induced, influenced, informed, initiated, innovated, inquired, inspected, inspired, installed, instigated, instilled, instituted, instructed, insured, interfaced, interpreted, interviewed, introduced, invented, inventoried, invested, investigated, invited, involved, isolated, issued

J

joined, judged, 

L

launched, lectured, led, lightened, liquidated, litigated, lobbied, localized, located

M

maintained, managed, mapped, marketed, maximized, measured, mediated, merchandised, merged, met, minimized, modeled, moderated, modernized, modified, monitored, motivated, moved, multiplied

N

named, narrated, negotiated, noticed, nurtured

O

observed, obtained, offered, offset, opened, operated, orchestrated, ordered, organized, oriented, originated, overhauled, oversaw

style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 36pt">P

paid, participated, passed, patterned, penalized, perceived, performed, permitted, persuaded, phased, out, pinpointed, pioneered, placed, planned, polled, prepared, presented, preserved, presided, prevented, priced, printed, prioritized, probed, processed, procured, produced, profiled, programmed, projected, promoted, prompted, proposed, proved, provided, publicized, published, purchased, pursued

Q

quantified, quoted

R

raised, ranked, rated, reacted, read, received, recommended, reconciled, recorded, recovered, recruited, rectified, redesigned, reduced, referred, refined, regained, regulated, rehabilitated, reinforced, reinstated, rejected, related, remedied, remodeled, renegotiated, reorganized, replaced, repaired, reported, represented, requested, researched, resolved, responded, restored, restructured, resulted, retained, retrieved, revamped, revealed, reversed, reviewed, revised, revitalized, rewarded, routed

S

safeguarded, salvaged, saved, scheduled, screened, secured, segmented, selected, sent, separated, served, serviced, settled, shaped, shortened, showed, shrank, signed, simplified, sold, solved, spearheaded, specified, speculated, spoke, spread, stabilized, staffed, staged, standardized, steered, stimulated, strategized, streamlined, strengthened, stressed, structured, studied, submitted, substantiated, substituted, suggested, summarized, superseded, supervised, supplied, supported, surpassed, surveyed, synchronized, synthesized, systematized

T

updated, upgraded, used, utilized

V

validated, valued, verified, viewed, visited 

W

weighed, welcomed, widened, witnessed, won, worked, wrote

Added some positive resume action words? Great progress! Including powerful resume action words will help make your resume a winner.

Want to see great examples of resume action words in use, follow the link below to Resume Examples.

Included Resume Action Words, click here for Resume Examples