Write This, Not That: 360+ Resume Action Verbs that Demand Attention
Eat This, Not That. Those books permeated the early aughts as the illustrated reference guide for healthy out-to-eat substitutions and name brand selections. Basically: Choose this hamburger at Chili’s over this one at White Castle.
Not that this advice made for a slimmer waist or fewer pounds on the scale. A juicy hamburger with butter-toasted buns felt healthier, darn it! It may not be the book’s exact advice, but that’s how memory serves.
Just like food choice, you have word choice in your resume. Food can comatose and so can bland, boring verbs. Don’t let your resume reader nod off. Soup up your file with juicy action verbs that catch their attention and keep them wanting more.
Resume Bullets Start with Action Verbs
Resume writing is a different kind of writing. The “I” is implied. And you aren’t writing true complete sentences. Articles can be missing (a, an, the).
The job of a resume bullet point is to cut to the chase of your impact…and fast. Lead with your results and share relevant context as needed. Less is more! The role summary under your job title is where you delineate the nitty gritty of your job duties, level of authority and scope of the role. Check out this example of a work experience from a career pivoter:
Wanted: Juicy Action Verbs for your Resume
Spoiler alert: Your resume doesn't have to be boring. How do you know if yours is? Here’s the litmus test: If you’re bored reading your resume, others will be too. No need to lie or word vomit to get the resume reviewers’ attention. Hook your read with specific, strong action words. And don’t repeat yourself. Echoing ‘manage’ over and over as a bullet point starter doesn’t make for an interesting read. Take a look (warning: your eyes may glaze over):
Not this:
Managed over 10 projects from reporting and planning to stakeholder partnership.
Managed key employee engagement initiatives with thousands of attendees.
Managed training for global staff in partnership with Engineering department on cybersecurity best practices.
Write this:
Executed 10+ projects simultaneously from reporting and planning to stakeholder partnership.
Masterminded content for key employee engagement initiatives – Town halls, leadership summits, virtual learning seminars – with ~2K attendees yielding 80-90% post-event comprehension.
Trained 150 global VPs in partnership with Engineering department on cybersecurity best practices.
Language Strong
Women use more “communal” words on their resumes, according to a 2024 study. The research indicates that women use relational words that link to being helpful, interpersonal and caring while men are associated with assertive and ambitious traits based on language use alone.
So, when choosing action verbs, think strategically about how you portray skills and experience. Helping and interpersonal skills are important, but choose words that’ll pump up the volume of your candidacy not deflate it.
Write This, Not That Action Word List
What are you to do when the blinking cursor makes your mind go blank? Here’s your ‘Write This, Not That List,’ resume edition.
Instead of responsible for, consider:
*This is the dreaded phrase in all of resume-land. Avoid it altogether.
Accomplish
Administer
Control
Coordinate
Deliver
Direct
Drive
Execute
Facilitate
Guide
Implement
Influence
Initiate
Lead
Monitor
Organize
Oversee
Plan
Produce
Run
Supervise
Instead of assist, consider:
*This is a weak verb. Use a stronger alternative.
Aid
Advise
Advocate
Bolster
Coach
Collaborate
Consult
Contribute
Facilitate
Guide
Instead of participate, consider:
*Not necessarily weak, but you can get more action-specific.
Collaborate
Contribute
Engage
Join
Partner
Coordinate
Involve
Convene
Instead of work on, consider:
*You can definitely do better with a verb that points to the action you took to make the BIG impact happen.
Accomplish
Achieve
Administer
Address
Apply
Coordinate
Create
Design
Develop
Execute
Facilitate
Implement
Operate
Organize
Produce
Perform
Progress
Realize
Run
Utilize
Build
Drive
Garner
Generate
Plan
Instead of manage, consider:
*This verb gets worn out! There’s no harm in using it, but don’t use it more than once or twice.
Administer
Champion
Conduct
Control
Coordinate
Delegate
Direct
Execute
Facilitate
Guide
Handle
Implement
Influence
Instruct
Lead
Monitor
Motivate
Navigate
Organize
Oversee
Plan
Run
Supervise
Instead of lead, consider:
*Nothing wrong with using ‘lead or led’ in your resume, but if you’re in leadership, you’ll need to enhance your vocabulary to further share about your kick-butt contributions.
Administer
Champion
Control
Coordinate
Direct
Drive
Facilitate
Guide
Head
Influence
Initiate
Motivate
Navigate
Orchestrate
Oversee
Spearhead
Steer
Supervise
Instead of help, consider:
*This is a weak one. Avoid!
Advise
Advocate
Coach
Collaborate
Consult
Contribute
Facilitate
Guide
Partner
Support
Empower
Encourage
Enable
Foster
Instead of increase, consider:
*Nothing wrong with using this verb in your resume, but if you are boosting dollars, productivity and efficiency like it's your job, you’ll need more words to share your wins.
Accelerate
Advance
Amplify
Augment
Boost
Cultivate
Elevate
Enhance
Expand
Expand
Extend
Fortify
Generate
Heighten
Improve
Intensify
Magnify
Maximize
Multiply
Raise
Skyrocket
Instead of decrease, consider:
*Last disclaimer: There’s no shame in using this word in your resume, but if you are slashing for an impact, you’ll want to share even more wins without repeating yourself.
Curtail
Cut
Decline
Deflate
Diminish
Eliminate
Eradicate
Lessen
Lower
Minimize
Recede
Reduce
Shrink
Slash
Trim
360 More Power Verbs
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