These powerful positive action verbs make your resume achievements sound even more impressive.
Photo by Joanna Kosinska
Good resumes highlight achievements that are relevant to the job you're applying for.
But there's a trap.
On the one hand, these are your achievements, so it could make sense to write “I grew…”, “I built…”, “I led…” and so on.
On the other hand, there's a good reason why first-person resumes are frowned upon: as the saying goes, there's no “I” in “team”, and all those “I's” make you sound self-centered with a big ego.
The solution?
Write your resume in the 3rd person, and begin each achievement mention or bullet point with a different positive action verb. Using action words this way implies the achievements are yours without you appearing conceited.
Here's a long this list of powerful action verb examples to get you started.
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All the resume action verbs you’ll ever need
In alphabetical order:
- Accelerated
- Accomplished
- Accounted for
- Accumulated
- Achieved
- Acquired
- Acted
- Activated
- Active in
- Adapted
- Addressed
- Adjusted
- Administered
- Advanced
- Advertised
- Advised
- Advocated
- Affected
- Aided
- Alerted
- Allocated
- Amplified
- Analyzed
- Answered
- Anticipated
- Applied
- Appointed
- Appraised
- Approved
- Arbitrated
- Arranged
- Arraigned
- Arrested
- Articulated
- Ascertained
- Aspired
- Assembled
- Assessed
- Assigned
- Assisted
- Assumed responsibility
- Assured
- Attained
- Attracted
- Audited
- Authored
- Automated
- Awarded
- Balanced
- Billed
- Blazed
- Boosted
- Bought
- Briefed
- Broadened
- Budgeted
- Built
- Calculated
- Campaigned
- Captured
- Carried out
- Cataloged
- Caused
- Centralized
- Chaired
- Championed
- Changed
- Channeled
- Charted
- Checked
- Clarified
- Classified
- Closed
- Coached
- Co-directed
- Collaborated
- Collected
- Co-managed
- Combined
- Commanded
- Commended
- Commented
- Communicated
- Compared
- Compiled
- Completed
- Composed
- Computed
- Conceived
- Conceptualized
- Condensed
- Conducted
- Conferred
- Conserved
- Considered
- Consolidated
- Constructed
- Consulted
- Contacted
- Contained
- Contracted
- Contributed
- Controlled
- Converted
- Convicted
- Coordinated
- Corrected
- Correlated
- Corresponded
- Corroborated
- Costed
- Counseled
- Counted
- Created
- Critiqued
- Crowned
- Cultivated
- Cured
- Customized
- Cut
- Dealt with
- Decided
- Decreased
- Defined
- Delegated
- Delivered
- Demonstrated
- Described
- Designated
- Designed
- Detected
- Determined
- Developed
- Devised
- Diagnosed
- Directed
- Discovered
- Dispatched
- Dispensed
- Displayed
- Dissected
- Distinguished
- Distributed
- Documented
- Doubled
- Drafted
- Drove
- Earned
- Economized
- Edited
- Educated
- Effected
- Eliminated
- Emphasized
- Employed
- Empowered
- Enabled
- Enacted
- Encouraged
- Ended
- Endorsed
- Energized
- Enforced
- Engaged
- Engineered
- Enhanced
- Enlarged
- Enlisted
- Ensured
- Entertained
- Established
- Estimated
- Evaluated
- Examined
- Exceeded
- Executed
- Expanded
- Expedited
- Experienced
- Experimented
- Explained
- Explored
- Expressed
- Extended
- Extracted
- Fabricated
- Facilitated
- Familiarized
- Fashioned
- Filed
- Filled
- Finalized
- Financed
- Fine-tuned
- Fixed
- Focused
- Forecast
- Forecasted
- Formed
- Formulated
- Fostered
- Found
- Founded
- Fulfilled
- Functioned as
- Furnished
- Gained
- Gathered
- Generated
- Graded
- Graduated
- Granted
- Grew
- Guided
- Halved
- Handled
- Harmonized
- Harnessed
- Headed
- Helped
- Hired
- Hypothesized
- Identified
- Illustrated
- Imagined
- Implemented
- Impressed
- Improved
- Improvised
- Incorporated
- Increased
- Indexed
- Indoctrinated
- Influenced
- Informed
- Initiated
- Innovated
- Inspected
- Inspired
- Installed
- Instigated
- Instituted
- Instructed
- Insured
- Integrated
- Interpreted
- Interviewed
- Introduced
- Invented
- Inventoried
- Invested
- Investigated
- Involved
- Issued
- Joined
- Judged
- Justified
- Kept
- Launched
- Lead
- Learned
- Leased
- Lectured
- Led
- Liaised
- Licensed
- Listed
- Located
- Logged
- Machined
- Made
- Magnified
- Maintained
- Managed
- Marketed
- Mastered
- Matched
- Maximized
- Measured
- Mediated
- Mentored
- Merged
- Met
- Met with
- Minimized
- Mobilized
- Moderated
- Modernized
- Modified
- Monitored
- Motivated
- Moved
- Named
- Navigated
- Negated
- Negotiated
- Netted
- Observed
- Obtained
- Opened
- Operated
- Optimized
- Orchestrated
- Ordered
- Organized
- Originated
- Outlined
- Overhauled
- Oversaw
- Participated
- Perceived
- Performed
- Persuaded
- Photographed
- Piloted
- Pinpointed
- Pioneered
- Placed
- Played
- Planned
- Predicted
- Prepared
- Presented
- Presided
- Prevented
- Printed
- Prioritized
- Processed
- Procured
- Produced
- Programmed
- Prohibited
- Projected
- Promoted
- Proofread
- Proposed
- Protected
- Proved
- Provided
- Publicized
- Published
- Purchased
- Pursued
- Qualified
- Queried
- Questioned
- Raised
- Ran
- Ranked
- Rated
- Reached
- Realigned
- Realized
- Reasoned
- Received
- Recognized
- Recommended
- Reconciled
- Recorded
- Recruited
- Redesigned
- Reduced
- Referred
- Registered
- Regulated
- Rehabilitated
- Reinforced
- Related
- Remodeled
- Rendered
- Reorganized
- Repaired
- Replaced
- Replied
- Reported
- Represented
- Reputed
- Researched
- Resolved
- Responded
- Restored
- Restructured
- Retrieved
- Revamped
- Reversed
- Reviewed
- Revised
- Revitalized
- Routed
- Saved
- Scheduled
- Screened
- Searched
- Secured
- Selected
- Separated
- Served
- Serviced
- Set or set up
- Shaped
- Shared
- Showed
- Simplified
- Simulated
- Sketched
- Slashed
- Sold
- Solidified
- Solved
- Sorted
- Sought
- Sparked
- Spearheaded
- Specialized
- Specified
- Spoke
- Sponsored
- Staffed
- Standardized
- Started
- Steered
- Stimulated
- Stored
- Streamlined
- Strengthened
- Stressed
- Stretched
- Structured
- Studied
- Submitted
- Substituted
- Succeeded
- Suggested
- Summarized
- Superseded
- Supervised
- Supplemented
- Supplied
- Supported
- Surpassed
- Surveyed
- Synchronized
- Synergized
- Systematized
- Tabulated
- Tackled
- Targeted
- Taught
- Terminated
- Tested
- Tightened
- Took or took over
- Totaled
- Toured
- Traced
- Tracked
- Traded
- Trained
- Transcribed
- Transferred
- Transformed
- Translated
- Transmitted
- Transported
- Traveled
- Treated
- Triggered
- Trimmed
- Tripled
- Triumphed
- Troubleshot
- Turned
- Tutored
- Typed
- Umpired
- Uncovered
- Understood
- Understudied
- Undertook
- Underwent
- Underwrote
- Unearthed
- Unified
- United
- Unraveled
- Updated
- Upgraded
- Urged
- Used
- Utilized
- Validated
- Valued
- Verbalized
- Verified
- Visited
- Vitalized
- Volunteered
- Waged
- Weighed
- Widened
- Won
- Worked
- Wrote
Most overused action verb in resumes: "spearheaded." Sounds like everyone wants to go kill some fish.
— Mee-Sun (@meesasun) October 13, 2010
Share this list with anyone you know who’s updating their resume.
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