How to write a resume – Action verbs

The best achievement statements begin with a strong action verb. Here’s a list to get you started.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Accelerated	Acclimated	Accompanied	Accomplished	Achieved
Acquired	Acted	Activated	Actuated	Adapted
Added	Addressed	Adhered	Adjusted	Administered
Admitted	Adopted	Advanced	Advertised	Advised
Advocated	Affected	Aided	Aired	Allocated
Altered	Amended	Amplified	Analyzed	Answered
Anticipated	Applied	Appointed	Appraised	Approached
Approved	Arbitrated	Arranged	Articulated	Ascertained
Asked	Assembled	Assessed	Assigned	Assisted
Assumed	Attained	Attracted	Audited	Augmented
Authored	Authorized	Automated	Awarded

B

Balanced	Bargained	Began	Borrowed	Bought
Broadened	Budgeted	Built

C

Calculated	Canvassed	Captured	Cast	Cataloged
Catalogued	Categorized	Centralized	Chaired	Challenged
Changed	Channeled	Charted	Checked	Circulated
Clarified	Classified	Cleared	Coached	Co-authored
Collaborated	Collected	Combined	Commissioned	Committed
Communicated	Compiled	Completed	Complied	Composed
Computed	Conceived	Conceptualized	Condensed	Conducted
Conserved	Consolidated	Constructed	Consulted	Contributed
Controlled	Converted	Conveyed	Convinced	Coordinated
Corrected	Counseled	Created	Critiqued	Customized

D

Debugged	Decentralized	Decreased	Deferred	Defined
Delivered	Demonstrated	Depreciated	Described	Designated
Designed	Detected	Determined	Developed	Devised
Diagnosed	Directed	Discovered	Dispatched	Dissembled
Distinguished	Distributed	Diversified	Divested	Doubled

E

Earned	Eased	Educated	Effected	Elicited
Eliminated	Emphasized	Enabled	Encouraged	Endorsed
Enforced	Engaged	Engineered	Enhanced	Enlarged
Enlisted	Enriched	Ensured	Established	Examined
Exceeded	Exchanged	Executed	Exempted	Expanded
Expedited	Explored	Exposed	Extended	Extracted

F

Fabricated	Facilitated	Fashioned	Fielded	Financed
Focused	Forecasted	Formalized	Formed	Formulated
Fortified	Founded	Fulfilled	Furnished	Furthered

G

Gained	Gathered	Gauged	Generated	Governed
Graded	Granted	Greeted	Grouped	Guided

H

Handled

Helped

Hired

Hosted

I

Identified	Illuminated	Illustrated	Implemented	Improved
Improvised	Inaugurated	Incorporated	Increased	Incurred
Individualized	Indoctrinated	Induced	Influenced	Initiated
Innovated	Inquired	Inspected	Inspired	Installed
Instigated	Instilled	Instituted	Instructed	Insured
Integrated	Interacted	Interpreted	Intervened	Interviewed
Introduced	Invented	Inventoried	Invested	Investigated
Invited	Involved	Isolated	Issued

J

Joined

Judged

K

L

Launched	Lectured	Led	Lightened	Liquidated
Litigated	Lobbied	Localized	Located	Logged

M

Maintained	Managed	Mapped	Marketed	Maximized
Measured	Mediated	Merchandised	Merged	Minimized
Modeled	Moderated	Modernized	Modified	Monitored
Motivated	Moved	Multiplied

N

Named

Narrated

Navigated

Negotiated

Netted

Noticed

Nurtured

O

Observed	Obtained	Offered	Opened	Operated
Orchestrated	Ordered	Organized	Oriented	Originated
Overhauled	Oversaw

P

Participated	Patterned	Performed	Persuaded	Phased
Photographed	Pinpointed	Pioneered	Placed	Planned
Polled	Prepared	Presented	Preserved	Presided
Prevented	Processed	Procured	Profiled	Programmed
Projected	Promoted	Prompted	Proposed	Proved
Provided	Publicized	Published	Purchased	Pursued

Q

Qualified

Quantified

Quoted

R

Raised	Ranked	Rated	Received	Recommended
Reconciled	Recorded	Recovered	Recruited	Rectified
Redesigned	Reduced	Refined	Regained	Registered
Regulated	Rehabilitated	Reinforced	Reinstated	Rejected
Remedied	Remodeled	Renegotiated	Reorganized	Repaired
Replaced	Reported	Represented	Researched	Resolved
Responded	Restored	Restructured	Resulted	Retained
Retrieved	Revamped	Revealed	Reversed	Reviewed
Revised	Revitalized	Rewarded

S

Safeguarded	Salvaged	Saved	Screened	Secured
Segmented	Selected	Separated	Served	Serviced
Settled	Shaped	Shortened	Shrank	Signed
Simplified	Simulated	Sold	Solicited	Solved
Spearheaded	Specialized	Specified	Speculated	Spoke
Spread	Stabilized	Staffed	Staged	Standardized
Steered	Stimulated	Strategized	Streamlined	Strengthened
Stressed	Structured	Studied	Submitted	Substantiated
Substituted	Suggested	Superseded	Supervised	Supplied
Supported	Surpassed	Surveyed	Synchronized	Systematized

T

Tabulated	Tailored	Targeted	Taught	Tightened
Took	Traced	Traded	Trained	Transacted
Transferred	Transformed	Translated	Transmitted	Transported
Treated	Tripled	Troubleshot	Tutored

U

Uncovered

Undertook

Unified

United

Updated

Upgraded

Utilized

V

Validated

Valued

Verified

Viewed

Visited

Volunteered

W

Weighed

Welcomed

Widened

Witnessed

Won

Worked

Wrote

X

Y

Z