Verbs with Impact

Your resume should show a potential employer the most critical skills, experiences, and accomplishments you bring to the table as they relate to the job at hand. Using action verbs to start your bullet points helps you demonstrate these in a way that quickly captures your reader’s attention. Consider the difference between these two descriptions:

Passive voice: Sales were increased by 20%
Active voice: Increased sales by 20%

By starting with an action verb someone skimming will be more likely to recognize the accomplishment, even if they don’t capture the entire bullet point in their initial review. Further, you quickly demonstrate a relevant skill and take ownership of the accomplishment, whereas the bullet written in passive voice makes it unclear who is responsible for this.

The list of verbs below can be used in describing your responsibilities and accomplishments. If used appropriately, it can help you write in a focused manner.

accelerateddemonstratedintroducedresearched
accomplisheddesignatedinventedreshaped
achieveddesignedinvestedresolved
acquireddeterminedinvestigatedrestored
activateddevelopedlaunchedrevamped
adapteddevisedlecturedreviewed
addresseddevotedledrevised
administereddirectedlightenedrevitalized
advanceddischargedliquidatedrevived
adviseddiscoveredlocalizedsaved
allocateddisplayedmadescheduled
analyzeddistributedmaintainedsecured
anticipateddiversifiedmanagedselected
applieddocumentedmarketedserved
appointeddoubledmeasuredset up
appraisedearnedmediatedsettled
approvededitedminimizedshaped
arrangedeffectedmobilizedshowed
assembledeliminatedmodernizedsimplified
assessedemployedmodifiedsold
assistedenforcedmonitoredsolved
attainedengineeredmotivatedspecialized
auditedestablishednavigatedspecified
augmentedestimatednegotiatedsponsored
authorizedevaluatedobtainedstaffed
avertedexaminedoperatedstandardized
avoidedexceededorderedstarted
boughtexecutedorganizedstimulated
briefedexercisedoriginatedstreamlined
broadenedexpandedovercamestrengthened
broughtexpeditedoverhauledstretched
builtextendedoversawstructured
calculatedextractedparticipatedstudied
capturedfacilitatedperformedsuggested
centralizedfinancedpersuadedsummarized
chairedforecastedpinpointedsupervised
clarifiedformedpioneeredsupported
collaboratedformulatedplannedsurpassed
combinedfoundpreparedsurveyed
communicatedfoundedpresentedsustained
completedframedpreventedsynthesized
comprisedfulfilledprocessedtailored
conceivedgeneratedprocuredtaught
concludedguidedproducedterminated
condensedhalvedprogrammedtested
conductedhandledprojectedtightened
consolidatedheadedpromotedtraded
consultedhelpedproposedtrained
consummatedhiredprovedtransacted
contactedidentifiedprovidedtransferred
contractedimprovedpublishedtransformed
contributedimprovisedpurchasedtranslated
controlledinauguratedreestablishedtrimmed
convertedincreasedrealizedtripled
coordinatedinfluencedrecommendeduncovered
correctedinformedreconciledundertook
correspondedinitiatedrecruitedunified
counseledinspectedredesignedused
createdinspiredreducedutilized
cultivatedinstalledregulatedverified
cutinstigatedreinforcedvitalized
decentralizedinstitutedrejectedvolunteered
decreasedinstructedrelatedwidened
definedinsuredrenegotiatedwithdrew
delegatedintegratedreorganizedwon
delineatedinterpretedreportedworked
deliveredinterviewedrepresentedwrote
By Beth Loell
Beth Loell Assistant Director, Career Services