A comprehensive list of action words to improve your resume
When crafting your resume’s bullet points, make sure that they are achievement-based and quantify your accomplishments whenever possible.
Your bullet points should also start with action verbs.
You never want to give off the impression that you are a passive employee who is simply “responsible for” carrying out his day-to-day tasks, “assisted with” projects around the office, and “helped” reach targets.
Think of action verbs as resume power words: they reposition you as a proactive go-getter who will add real value to an organization.
Use this list of action-oriented verbs to diversify and elevate your phrasing:
A
Accomplished
Achieved
Acted as/on
Adapted
Addressed
Adjusted
Administered
Advised
Advocated
Aided
Allocated
Amended
Analyzed
Applied
Appraised
Approved
Arranged
Ascertained
Assembled
Assessed
Assigned
Attained
Attended
Audited
Augmented
Authorized
Authored
B
Balanced
Bargained
Benchmarked
Broadened
Budgeted
Built
C
Calculated
Canvassed
Carried Out
Catalogued
Centralized
Chaired
Checked
Chose
Clarified
Classified
Coached
Collaborated
Collected
Combined
Communicated
Compared
Compiled
Completed
Composed
Computed
Conceived
Conceptualized
Concluded
Condensed
Conducted
Confirmed
Consolidated
Constructed
Consulted
Controlled
Converted
Convinced
Coordinated
Corrected
Corresponded
Counseled
Created
Critiqued
Cultivated
Customized
D
Dealt With
Decided
Decreased
Defined
Delegated
Delivered
Demonstrated
Described
Designated
Designed
Determined
Developed
Devised
Directed
Discovered
Displayed
Disseminated
Distinguished
Distributed
Documented
Drafted
E
Edited
Eliminated
Employed
Encouraged
Enforced
Engineered
Enhanced
Enlisted
Ensured
Established
Estimated
Evaluated
Examined
Exceeded
Executed
Exercised
Exhibited
Expanded
Expedited
Explained
Explored
Extracted
F
Facilitated
Familiarized
Fielded
Finalized
Financed
Forecasted
Formalized
Formatted
Formulated
Founded
Furnished
G
Gathered
Gauged
Generated
Guided
H
Headed
Hired
Hosted
I
Identified
Illustrated
Implemented
Improved
Improvised
Incorporated
Increased
Influenced
Informed
Initiated
Inspected
Installed
Instituted
Instructed
Integrated
Interacted
Interpreted
Interviewed
Introduced
Invented
Inventoried
Investigated
Involved
Issued
L
Launched
Lectured
Led
Leveraged
Lobbied
Located
M
Maintained
Managed
Marketed
Maximized
Measured
Mediated
Minimized
Modeled
Moderated
Modified
Monitored
Motivated
N
Negotiated
O
Observed
Obtained
Operated
Orchestrated
Ordered
Organized
Oriented
Originated
Overhauled
Oversaw
P
Participated
Performed
Persuaded
Planned
Polled
Predicted
Prepared
Presented
Preserved
Presided
Priced
Prioritized
Probed
Processed
Produced
Programmed
Projected
Promoted
Proofread
Proposed
Provided
Publicized
Published
Purchased
Pursued
Q
Quantified
Quoted
R
Raised
Ranked
Rated
Recommended
Reconciled
Recorded
Recruited
Redesigned
Reduced
Referred
Refined
Registered
Regulated
Reorganized
Replaced
Reported
Represented
Researched
Resolved
Responded
Restored
Restructured
Revamped
Reviewed
Revised
Revitalized
S
Scheduled
Screened
Searched
Secured
Selected
Served (As)
Set (Up)
Settled
Shortened
Simplified
Sold
Solicited
Solved
Spearheaded
Specified
Spoke
Standardized
Streamlined
Strengthened
Studied
Submitted
Substantiated
Suggested
Summarized
Supervised
Supplied
Supported
Surpassed
Surveyed
Synthesized
Systematized
T
Tailored
Targeted
Taught
Team-Taught
Tested
Trained
Transferred
Transformed
Translated
Transmitted
Trimmed
Tutored
U
Unified
Updated
Upgraded
V
Validated
Verified
W
Wrote
Source: Cornell Hotel School Resume Guide
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About the AuthorMatt Glodz
Matt Glodz is the Founder and Managing Partner of Resume Pilots and a Certified Professional Resume Writer.
After studying business communication at Cornell University, Matt worked within Fortune 500 companies, where he noted that qualified candidates were frequently denied interview opportunities due to poorly written documents.
At Resume Pilots, Matt combines his business and writing background - which includes prior work for a Chicago Tribune publication - to craft resumes that give his clients the best chance of landing interviews. He works with clients ranging from CEOs to recent graduates and has been writing resumes for over 10 years.
He has been quoted on numerous business and career-related topics in outlets including Business Insider, CNBC, Fortune, Glassdoor, The Ladders, and Thrive Global.