275 Resume Action Verbs to Make Your Resume Pop

After making your first cup of coffee in the morning (or third, we don’t judge!), you sit down at your desk, ready to take on the day. You’re hiring for a new position, and this morning Human Resources sent over some candidates that look promising.

After scanning approximately 10 resumes, your eyes start to blur because each one looks the same. They're all using the same words to compile what they did in their previous job—all in the past tense.

That is until one resume graces your computer screen, which is clearly a cut above the rest.

It's the resume that finally shows how a candidate uses their communication skills—in the present tense!

The Resume Secret Sauce? Action Verbs 

What makes this resume stand out, you might ask? Simple! Action verbs. 

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to ensure your resume stands out, such as formatting, keywords, a punchy objective, just to name a few.

Some jobs require a cover letter, some don’t—but the fact remains that there are small tweaks you can make to ensure your resume immediately captures a hiring manager’s attention. 

So first, let’s get back to basics and focus on strong action verbs for your resume! Swap out a few words here and there, and recruiters will be knocking on your proverbial door in no time. 

If you want to skip ahead to the words, go ahead:

How Do Action Verbs Help My Resume? 

For those of us who didn’t major in English, here’s a quick refresher: an action verb describes a specific action, task, or movement that answers the question, "What is the subject doing?"

They are used to add impact to a sentence to provide relevant and important information, so they are key to an impressive resume.

In this case, “supervised” is the action verb. 

Action verbs are the opposite of linking verbs. Linking verbs do not express action, and instead connect the subject of a sentence with a word that gives more information about the subject. 

In this case, “been” is the linking verb.

When writing bullet points for your resume, it’s important to use action verbs because they provide information to hiring managers in a clear and concise way.

Whether you’re creating a brand-new resume or refurbishing an old one, be sure to research which verbs are most relevant to your industry. Also, keep in mind that many large companies have software that automatically removes weak resumes, so using strong action verbs can be crucial to a successful job search. 

Some examples of career-specific action verbs (and how to use them on your resume) include:

What Are Passive Verbs vs. Active Verbs?

This is where it can get a little tricky, but once you nail down using active verbs instead of passive verbs, your resume—and your writing—will improve exponentially. 

In short, passive verbs refer to someone who receives the action, rather than someone who performs the action. Not only does using active verbs make your resume more engaging, it reduces the number of words you need to get your point across. 

So when is it okay to use passive verbs or passive voice? If you don’t want your audience to know who is performing the action, or if the action itself is what’s important, then it’s recommended that you use passive voice. However, since a resume is all about you, it generally wouldn’t be appropriate. It’s best to stick to an active voice. 

Ultimately, the goal is to catch the hiring manager’s attention immediately, so you want to avoid superfluous words that detract from all of your achievements. 

Here are some examples of active verbs to help transform your resume:

Pro Tip: Pretend there is an “I” at the beginning of every bullet point on your resume, which forces you to immediately use an action verb. If one verb isn’t quite working, no worries—there are plenty of other resume buzzwords to consider. 

How to Liven Up Your Accomplishments with Action Verbs 

Trust us, your resume is not the time to be humble! On the contrary, it’s time to channel your inner Lizzo and “boss up and change your life” — by shouting your accomplishments from the rooftops!  

In the best case scenario, you’ve been documenting all of your achievements as they happen — but if not, no worries! That just means it’s time to take a deep dive into past roles in order to highlight why you are a good fit for this new one. 

The best way to illustrate your amazing career accomplishments is through powerful action verbs. Instead of using tired verbs like led, handled, and managed (aren’t you yawning just looking at those?), infuse some creativity and spark into those resume bullet points with more impactful words.

Here are some examples of action verbs you can use to show and tell. 

How to Show That You Streamlined a Process

Expedited the purchase order process by researching, vetting and securing a new contract management software, saving employees an average of three hours of extra work per contract. 

Integrated Salesforce dashboard with company’s intranet to eliminate cross-departmental silos. 

Other active verbs to use if you streamline a process: 

How to Show That You Brought in New Business

Secured new business with a Fortune 500 company, boosting overall revenue for 2021 by 15%. 

Generated $1.5 million in new business for FY20-21. 

Other active verbs to use if you brought in new business: 

How to Show That You Led a Team

Mentored a team of recent graduates and fostered a culture of empathy, transparency and trust. 

Supervised a work group dedicated to improving diversity and inclusion, and amplified employee engagement by 40% in 2020. 

Other active verbs to use if you led a team: 

How to Show That You Provided Support or Used Your Problem-Solving Skills

Resolved ongoing technology issues within the hospital’s patient support portal. 

Arbitrated a disagreement between a manager and their direct report. 

Other active verbs to use if you provided support: 

How to Show That You Conducted In-Depth Research

Surveyed 5,000 members to increase relevance and improve content development strategy. 

Forecasted education trends for teachers to utilize during the upcoming school year.  

Other active verbs to use if you conducted in-depth research: 

How to Strengthen Your Resume Using Action Verbs

When you consider the fact that recruiters and hiring managers are likely scanning dozens of resumes every day, it can be a challenge to figure out how to stand out from the crowd. Here are a few steps you can take to elevate your resume:

Below, we created a chart to help you upgrade your resume using strong verb synonyms. The words and phrases in the left-hand column are not necessarily wrong; however, they are typically overused.

Consider turning up the heat with this action verb list. Using these action verbs will automatically make your resume more unique!

Even More Strong Resume Action Verbs

Here are even more words to use instead of the old verbs everyone is using. Instead of these overused words and phrases, try some of these action verbs to illustrate the direct impact you made. 

Synonyms for Examined

Synonyms for Found

Synonyms for Got

Synonyms for Changed

Synonyms for Updated

Synonyms for Taught

Synonyms for Led

Synonyms for Combined

Synonyms for Increased

Synonyms for Prepared; Organized

Synonyms for Made

Synonyms for Handled

Synonyms for Recommended; Advised

Synonyms for Outlined

Synonyms for Urged

Synonyms for Assigned

Synonyms for Carried out

Synonyms for Exceeded

Synonyms for Planned

Synonyms for Wrote

Synonyms for Created

Synonyms for Assisted

Synonyms for Participated, Took part in

Synonyms for Showed

Synonyms for Studied

Synonyms for Thought through

Synonyms for Explained

Synonyms for Supported

Active Synonyms to Use for Key Skills on Your Resume

Anyone can list their leadership skills or communications skills, but what does that actually mean? How have you demonstrated that in your current or previous roles?

When hiring managers and recruiters read through resumes, they want to know exactly how you contributed to previous companies and how you might continue to do so in a new role. 

Ideally, you should list between five and 10 key skills on your resume. However, instead of just simply listing those skills, consider providing bullet points that illustrate specific examples. 

Here’s an example of what a communications professional might have on their resume—and how they can transform these skills into active examples to make a much bigger impact:

That is just an example for one specific industry, but if you’re looking for additional action verbs to amplify your skills on your resume, check out the below chart.

Instead of listing these skills, provide specific examples using these active synonyms!

How to Use Industry-Specific Action Verbs

Resumes are not one size fits all, and it’s important to pay attention to the keywords in a job description and adjust it depending on what’s listed.

Hiring managers can tell if potential candidates took the time to customize their resumes for the specific role, or if they are probably sending out the same version to everyone. This tailored language will also show that you have the qualifications to understand and excel at the role. 

If you’re struggling to find industry-specific action verbs, here are some examples that might help amp up your resume: 

More Resume Writing Resources

At the end of the day, remember to put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes and consider what you would want to see in a resume if roles were reversed and you were the one hiring for the position. If you are in the process of crafting the perfect resume, here are some resources to check out.

If you need more ideas for strong action verbs to use on your resume, all you have to do is Google synonyms and action verbs, and a whole library of words will be available to you. 

If you’re ready to revamp your resume but not quite sure where to begin, Career Contessa offers The 24-Hour Resume Makeover, which provides resume templates, step-by-step instructions, and downloadable resources filled with interactive and guided exercises that will improve your resume in just 24 hours. 

If you have a mentor who you trust in your industry, consider meeting with them to discuss how you can improve your resume. They might have some great insight!

College students, check out the career center at your school to find out if they offer free resume consultations.