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

2 Responses to “How to write a resume – Action verbs”

  1. Jonney_kou Says:

    Hi, my name is Jonney, I am from Zaire.
    Just like your resource :) .

  2. How can I make more money? - myinvestingblog.com Says:

    [...] Blog has a bunch of good posts, but I liked “First Steps“. 3.  Isabont has a list of action verbs to use which are very important in resume writing. 4.  Career Encouragement talks about less being [...]

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