Actions Verbs for Improving Your Resume

What’s the biggest difference between a resume with a compelling work experience section and a weak one?

Resume action verbs.

A lot of job seekers make the mistake of beginning their resume bullet points with passive or weak verbs, or worse still – not beginning with any verbs at all.

This is unfortunate, because crafting a strong work experience section is one of the most important aspects of writing a resume.

Simply starting each work experience bullet point with a powerful action verb will completely transform your resume, and help you land more job interviews.

Not convinced? Take a look at how much more compelling even a basic sentence can become simply by beginning with a strong action verb:

Weak:

• Responsible for drinking 6 cans of beer.
  

Compelling:

• Crushed 6 cans of beer.

Adding a strong verb makes the meaning of a sentence much more powerful for the reader. Using this strategy on your resume is a quick and easy way to impress hiring managers without really changing the content of your resume.

Start enhancing your own bullet points with our list of action verbs for resumes below.

Convey Your Expert Ability to Communicate

Communication is one of the most essential skills to put on your resume. Instead of simply listing it, showcase how you used communication to achieve something with some of the following resume action words:

Demonstrate Leadership

If you’re applying for a management or leadership position, don’t say things like “Managed” or “Led”, use these action verbs instead:

Highlight How You Improved Something

Did you increase revenue, conversion rate, or scoop up a bunch of new clients? Convert those accomplishments into strong work experience bullets with some of the following verbs:

Showcase How You Solved a Problem

Sometimes accomplishments in the work place are more about solving problems than improving things that are already working. For those situations the following action words for resumes can do wonders:

Showoff Your Creativity and Innovation

If you’re applying to a job that requires some creative thinking or flair, the following verbs will add some pizzazz and power to your resume:

Prove Your Research and Analytical Prowess

Does your job require intensive research or analysis? Use the following verbs to showcase the extent of your abilities:

Advertise Your Teamwork or Interpersonal Skills

Do you excel when working in a team or dealing with clients and customers? These resume action words will convince the hiring manager they need you on their own team:

Plan to Display Your Organizational Skills

A lot of jobs require organizational skills, and all hiring managers prefer candidates who have them. This well-organized collection of action verbs are great for showcasing your proficiency:

Display Your Achievements

If you want to show off some of your great accomplishments, but none of the verb  categories above seem to fit, try one of the following:

Key Takeaways for Using Resume Action Words

The lessons of your 8th grade english teacher still hold true for resume writing – active voice is almost always superior to passive voice.

Which is why beginning each of your work experience bullets with action verbs will instantly make your resume more convincing, and increase your chances of landing a job interview.

If you’re not exactly sure how to begin weaving action words into your resume, try checking out some resume examples for inspiration.

Also, don’t forget that resume action verbs are also great when writing your cover letter!