These powerful positive action verbs make your resume achievements sound even more impressive. Read these 20 action verbs for your resume to make it stand out. You should use plenty of action verbs in your resume, matched to your skills, and use. Instead of prepositional phrases like responsible for use managed planned. They stress results and impact, which are what employers care about.
Make sure you arrange your resume in such a way as to highlight the most. Action verbs to enhance your resume when promoting yourself, you must express your skills, assets, experience, and accomplishments in an active voice which is in an easy, straightforward and economical manner. Using powerful verbs in your resume shows that you know how to action and know the right words to use when describing your accomplishments. Begin each descriptive section with an action verb. Weve pulled together a lengthy list of action verbs designed to help you describe your educational and employment experiences.
Using action verbs in your resume not only helps make your resume stronger but also makes it look. Actionverbswithsamplephrases bysusanwhitcomb,authorof. These can be used in listing your accomplishments and skills on your resume. Boston college career center action verbs adapted, enlarged list inspired by employment development department of palo alto, ca management skills communication skills clerical or. Then scan through the list of verbs and make those that describe activities you have done in other situations. If youre looking to show your leadership skills, consider using words like, orchestrated, spearheaded, headed, or developed. Now lets take a step back and return to action verbs. These faulty word choices can undermine the strength and effectiveness of your resume. List of action verbs for resumes business english englishclub. Reproduction or transmission of any part of this work by any means including copying, without express permission of publisher, is prohibited. Find out which action verbs work best in resumes and cover letters.
For example, assisted faculty with a wide variety of duties is vague. Career strategy 55 whitney avenue, 3rd floor, new haven, ct, 06510 online at. All of this makes action verbs more persuasive and. Limit to one or two pages printed on 8 12 x 11 bond paper using high quality printer with familiar fonts times, palatine, etc. Instead, make a point of using powerful action verbs and avoid overusing the same verbs such as. Which of these two sentences do you think is the more powerful. Action verbs 4361 you increased efficiency, sales, revenue, or customer satisfaction.
Continue down the list until you have identified a handful of examples that demonstrate your competency using this skill. Power verbs for education resumes pomerantz career center. Action verbs 3442 you saved the company time or money. Action verbs make your resume stand out, catch the employers eye, and keep your resume from sounding like a person who just did things. When writing a resume, its important to avoid weak and passive verbs, stay away from business jargon or cliches, and watch out for tired words and phrases. Power verbs for your resume getting results example. Skills administrator analyze apply approve assign attain chair conduct consolidate contract coordinate delegate. Resume action verbs yales office of career strategy. Limit to one or two pages printed on 8 12 x 11 bond paper using high. Resume action verbs helping skills assessed assisted clarified coached counseled demonstrated diagnosed educated expedited facilitated familiarized. Resume action verbs accomplished achieved administered advised analyzed arranged assessed authored compiled conducted constructed coordinated corresponded. It is recommended that departments use action verbs when describing the essential and nonessential duties on a position description. Learn job hunting tricks of the trade to ensure a foot in the door. Leadership skills administered analyzed appointed approved assigned attained.
Resume writing tips action verbs for resumes and cover letters. Action verbs the most difficult part of resume writing is describing your experiences. Since every function of a job should be a description of something an employee does, it makes sense to lead with a word that describes that action. Be concise, use past tense verbs, avoid first person pronouns i, me, my. May 31, 2018 these powerful positive action verbs make your resume achievements sound even more impressive. You know, the stuff that explains what you did at each of your jobs. Action verbs make your resume stand out, catch the.
Increased student participation by 25% over a 6month period accomplished constructed ensured hastened minimized reduced losses achieved contributed excelled heightened modernized rejuvenated added delivered expanded improved obtained renovated. Accelerated created guided operated sold accomplished defined. First identify 2 or 3 skill sets most relevant to the position you hope to attain. An action verb explains what the subject of the sentence is doing or has done. Action words for resumes northern illinois university. Resume action verbs document creation resumes you know not to start your power bullets with responsible for or duties included, but do you find yourself repeatedly using the same verbs. The best approach is to begin each job description with a power verb. Action verbs for resumes use some of these action verbs in your job resume and cover letter to describe your skills and experiences.
Appearance resumes are professional correspondence. For example, you managed the staff or you audited the books. Skills administered analyzed assigned attained chaired consolidated contracted coordinated delegated developed. Action verbs can be used to amplify both responsibilities and achievements, but when it. These verbs are known as action verbs, and when placed strategically, they can reenergize your whole resume. Stronger verbs for accomplishments accelerated achieved attained completed conceived convinced discovered doubled effected eliminated expanded expedited founded improved increased initiated innovated introduced invented. Examples of action verbs for use in a resume accelerated activated adapted administered analyzed anticipated appraised approved arranged assembled assisted. Go ahead, take out your resume and cover letter and take a good look at it. Great action verbs for resumes administrative communication creative financial helping management research teaching technical approve address act administer assess. Along similar lines, if you can show that your work boosted the.
Action verbs, also called dynamic verbs, express an action whether it be physical or mental. Hiring managers love candidates whove helped a team operate more efficiently or costeffectively. Action verbs for resumes listed below are common action verbs to use when writing resumes and examples of how to you may use them in your resume. This is a selective education specific list a more extensive list can be found here. Mar 23, 2017 actions verbs are just what they sound like. As you continue your research on what makes a professional resume, add your own additional action words that you find to the section below. Just replacing your common verbs with these action verbs can kick your resume up a notch to get you noticed. Boston college career center action verbs adapted, enlarged list inspired by employment development department of palo alto, ca management skills communication skills clerical or detailed skills administered analyzed assigned attained chaired contracted consolidated coordinated delegated developed directed evaluated executed. Action verbs can be used to amplify both responsibilities and achievements, but when it comes to resumes, achievements always trump responsibilities. If youre looking to show your leadership skills, consider using words like. Try to lead with an action verb past tense except for current position and avoid ing verbs or nouns at the start. This is a beginning list of action words often used in resumes to provide potential employers with a clear and specific impression of what resume writers have done and what they can do. You should use plenty of action verbs in your resume, matched to your skills, and use them in the active form, not the passive form. Good resumes highlight achievements that are most relevant when applying for a job.
Substitute the action verbs from the list below for the less powerful verbs you have currently used. Click the type of skill set to see a list of words to help you describe your skills. Your resume is the first thing recruiters and human resources see when you apply for a position. We have listed action verbs below that will help you make your resume and cover letter more notable. Action verbs by skill set 68 center for career exploration. The following represents a very extensive list of actions verbs that you can peruse and use to assist with writing your resume.
Yale office of career strategy 55 whitney avenue, 3rd floor, new haven, ct, 06510 online at. Action verbs use them in your resume you should use action verbs in your business writing, especially in your resume, because they are easy for the reader to understand, find, and summarize. Adjectives for resumes able accurate active adept advantageous appreciable artful artistic. Try to lead with an action verb past tense except for current position and avoid ing verbs or. Action verbs for resumes consider using these verbs to describe your skills and accomplishments when writing your resume. Avoid this common mistake by getting using compelling verbs to catch the hiring managers eyes. These may also give you ideas on how to discuss your skills in a cover letter. On the one hand, these are your achievements, so it could make sense to write i grew, i built, i led and so on. Increased student participation by 25% over a 6month period accomplished constructed ensured hastened minimized reduced losses achieved. Weak, vague or overused verbs can actually diminish the excellent work you did at your last job, so choose action verbs that more accurately reflect what you do. When employers read resumes they look for words that precisely describe the writers accomplishments, because accomplishments predict potential. Stronger verbs for accomplishments accelerated achieved attained completed conceived convinced discovered doubled.