Resume writing10 min read
Resume Action Verbs: 200 Stronger Words, Grouped by What You Did
200 action verbs for your resume, sorted by the kind of work you did, each group with an example bullet for a named job, plus the weak phrases to replace and the verbs that overclaim.
On this page
Key takeaways
- Pick the verb that matches what you actually did and how much of it you owned. “Led” and “supported” are different claims, and interviewers test them.
- Below are 200 action verbs for your resume in 11 groups, sorted by the kind of work, each with an example bullet for a named job.
- “Responsible for”, “helped with” and “worked on” describe a job title, not a result. Swap them for a verb that names the result.
- Use the verbs the job posting uses where they’re true. They’re keywords as well as verbs.
- Present tense for your current job, past tense for earlier ones, and no verb more than twice on the page.
A resume action verb is the first word of a bullet, and it sets the size of the claim that follows. “Coordinated” says you kept moving parts in step. “Directed” says people reported to you. Choose the one that’s true at the level you worked, then prove it with a number. This page lists 200 action words for a resume, grouped by what you did, weak phrases and their replacements, and the verbs that cause more trouble than they’re worth.
How to choose action verbs for your resume
Most verb lists skip this part, and it’s the part that matters. Three rules cover almost every bullet.
- Match your level of ownership. If you ran the project, write “directed” or “planned”. If you did one part of it, write what that part was: “built the intake form”, “tested the payroll import”. An interviewer will ask what you did personally, and a verb that overstates it turns a good answer into an awkward one.
- Name the result, not the activity. “Reduced” and “converted” carry an outcome inside them. “Handled” and “managed” don’t. When you can, pick the verb that forces you to add a number.
- Use the field’s own words. Nurses precept, electricians terminate and commission, accountants reconcile and accrue, teachers differentiate. A verb from inside the job tells the reader you’ve done it. A general verb could be anyone.
The second version says exactly what the work was, in the words an accounting manager uses, and it leaves space for a number the reader can ask about.
Resume action verbs grouped by skill
Each verb appears in one group only, filed where it’s most often used. Every group ends with an example bullet taken from the research behind our role kits. Swap the [BRACKETS] for your own details.
The field-specific verbs, such as precepted, roomed, terminated, commissioned and accrued, come from the action-verb lists in our role kits’ keyword banks, which were built from real job postings for each title. If a verb from your own field is missing here, that’s a sign it belongs on your resume.
Leading and developing people
Use these when people reported to you, or when you were formally responsible for their training or hiring.
Directed · Supervised · Coached · Mentored · Delegated · Chaired · Hired · Interviewed · Onboarded · Trained · Precepted · Assigned · Headed · Guided · Retained · Recruited · Represented · Convened
Example (registered nurse): Precepted [X] new graduate nurses on a [X]-bed telemetry unit through to competency sign-off.
Organizing and coordinating
For work that keeps other people’s plans on track: calendars, travel, shipments, schedules, launches.
Coordinated · Planned · Scheduled · Organized · Prioritized · Arranged · Booked · Allocated · Dispatched · Routed · Tracked · Monitored · Expedited · Sequenced · Consolidated · Standardized · Administered · Launched
Example (administrative assistant): Coordinated travel for [X] staff a month in [Concur], from booking through to the reconciled expense claim.
Building and creating
For anything that didn’t exist until you made it: a document, a dashboard, a lesson, a process, a product.
Built · Designed · Developed · Created · Wrote · Drafted · Authored · Produced · Established · Founded · Introduced · Composed · Illustrated · Engineered · Prototyped · Programmed · Formulated · Devised
Example (data analyst): Built [X] [Tableau] dashboards from raw [Snowflake] tables, used weekly by [X] managers.
Improving and fixing
The strongest group on most resumes, because each verb implies a before and an after. Give both numbers.
Improved · Reduced · Cut · Increased · Raised · Lifted · Fixed · Simplified · Automated · Redesigned · Rebuilt · Restructured · Revised · Refactored · Upgraded · Modernized · Accelerated · Shortened · Eliminated · Resolved
Example (accountant): Cut the month-end close from [X] to [X] business days by moving reconciliations into [BlackLine].
Analyzing and researching
For finding something out. Pair the verb with what you found and what changed because of it.
Analyzed · Assessed · Audited · Calculated · Compared · Diagnosed · Evaluated · Examined · Investigated · Mapped · Measured · Modeled · Queried · Researched · Surveyed · Tested · Validated · Verified · Reviewed
Example (data analyst): Queried [X] months of order data in SQL to find why [METRIC] fell, and presented the fix to [TEAM].
Communicating and writing
For explaining, persuading and putting things in writing, with customers, colleagues or the public.
Presented · Explained · Briefed · Negotiated · Persuaded · Mediated · Advised · Consulted · Corresponded · Edited · Translated · Interpreted · Published · Reported · Summarized · Clarified · Documented · Facilitated
Example (customer service representative): Explained billing and coverage decisions to [X] policyholders a day, resolving [X]% at first contact.
Selling and winning business
For revenue you brought in. Sales managers read the ratio before the total, so give conversion or attach rate where you can.
Sold · Converted · Closed · Prospected · Qualified · Upsold · Renewed · Recovered · Acquired · Pitched · Secured · Grew · Expanded · Exceeded · Generated · Won · Recommended · Demonstrated · Quoted
Example (sales associate): Attached [protection plans or accessories] to [X]% of my sales in [DEPARTMENT], against a store average of [X]%.
Managing money and numbers
For budgets, books, billing and buying. Name the system and the volume.
Budgeted · Reconciled · Posted · Forecast · Invoiced · Billed · Collected · Balanced · Processed · Estimated · Priced · Purchased · Procured · Saved · Recouped · Filed · Accrued
Example (accountant): Posted and reviewed [X] month-end accruals under [US GAAP] for the controller’s sign-off.
Caring, teaching and supporting
For work with patients, students and customers who need help. These read as soft until you add who, how many and what changed.
Supported · Assisted · Counseled · Educated · Taught · Tutored · Advocated · Triaged · Roomed · Comforted · Accommodated · Referred · Welcomed · Scaffolded · Differentiated · Escalated · Charted
Example (medical assistant): Roomed [X] patients a day, taking vitals and updating histories in [Epic] before the provider came in.
Technical and hands-on work
For equipment, systems and code. Name the tool or the standard; the verb alone is only half the claim.
Installed · Configured · Deployed · Maintained · Repaired · Troubleshot · Debugged · Calibrated · Wired · Terminated · Commissioned · Serviced · Operated · Assembled · Fabricated · Migrated · Integrated · Patched · Scripted
Example (electrician): Terminated and tested [X] circuits a week on [commercial] fit-outs, then commissioned panels to [NEC] requirements.
Safety, quality and compliance
For rules you kept, checks you ran and problems you caught before they cost anything.
Enforced · Certified · Logged · Safeguarded · Protected · Prevented · Controlled · Checked · Approved · Sterilized · Corrected · Remediated · Inspected · Screened · Cleared · Recorded · Flagged
Example (truck driver): Logged [X] years of driving on [Samsara] electronic logs with [zero] hours-of-service violations.
If you have a bullet written already and want to try it with a stronger verb, the free resume bullet rewriter suggests versions you can edit.
Weak phrases and stronger action verbs to use instead
These phrases show up at the start of bullets more than any others. Each one describes a duty rather than a result.
| Weak phrase | Try instead | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Responsible for | Directed, Supervised, Administered | Supervised [X] cashiers across [X] registers on weekend shifts |
| Helped with | Assisted, Supported (when true), or the specific task | Drafted the [quarterly] board pack for the [CEO] |
| Worked on | Built, Developed, Tested | Tested [X] releases of the [payroll] import before go-live |
| Handled | Resolved, Processed, Triaged | Resolved [X] escalated complaints a week that had already failed twice |
| Was in charge of | Headed, Chaired, Directed | Chaired the [SUBJECT] department’s weekly data meeting |
| Participated in | Contributed [what] to, Represented | Represented the unit in [Joint Commission] survey readiness |
| Dealt with | Mediated, Negotiated, Resolved | Negotiated [X] supplier renewals, saving [$X] a year |
| Utilized | Used, or name the tool in the bullet | Automated [report] in [Power BI], saving [X] hours a week |
| Duties included | Start with the first real verb | Scheduled [X] providers across [X] clinic sites |
Action verbs to avoid or use with care
Some verbs sold as resume power words look strong and read weak, because they turn up on so many resumes that readers skim past them, or because they promise more than the bullet shows.
- Spearheaded, orchestrated, pioneered. They sound big and say little. If you led it, “led” or “directed” is clearer. If you started it, “launched” or “founded”.
- Revolutionized, transformed. Save them for work that really did change how an organization runs, with a number to show it.
- Managed, used for everything. It’s fine for people and budgets. For tasks, name what you did to them.
- Tasked with, assigned to. Passive. They say someone gave you the work, not that you did it.
- Tried, attempted, hoped to. A bullet is for what happened.
- The same verb three times. Two uses of “coordinated” on a page are fine. Three and the reader starts counting instead of reading.
Action verbs for students, first jobs and career changers
If you haven’t had a professional job yet, the same verbs work on school, part-time and volunteer experience. The mistake is reaching for big verbs to make small jobs sound bigger. A hiring manager for an entry-level role wants proof that you turn up, follow a process and handle money or people carefully. Plain verbs with numbers show that better than “spearheaded”.
- Part-time retail or food service: Balanced a cash drawer of [$X] at close on [X] shifts a week with [zero] variances.
- Tutoring or coaching: Tutored [X] students in [SUBJECT] each week through the [fall] term.
- Clubs and events: Organized a [fundraiser] for [X] attendees and raised [$X] for [CAUSE].
- Coursework: Surveyed [X] local businesses for a [COURSE] project and presented the findings to [AUDIENCE].
- Volunteering: Welcomed and checked in [X] visitors a shift at [ORGANIZATION], keeping the sign-in log for [X] months.
Career changers have the opposite problem: plenty of experience, described in the old field’s words. Read postings in the field you’re moving into and borrow their verbs for work you’ve already done. A retail manager moving into operations “scheduled [X] staff” and “forecast weekly labor against sales”, which are operations verbs already. A teacher moving into training “designed”, “facilitated” and “assessed”. The work is the same; the verb decides whether the reader recognizes it.
Match action verbs to the job posting
Verbs are keywords too. When a posting says it wants someone who “reconciles accounts” or “commissions electrical systems”, the recruiter searching the applicant tracking system may type those exact words. If they’re true for you, use them in the same form. Resume keywords from the job description shows how to pull them out of a posting.
Look at the verbs in the duties list of three or four postings for your target job. The ones that repeat are the verbs that job is judged on. For a teacher they tend to be planned, taught, assessed and differentiated. For a truck driver: drove, delivered, inspected, secured. For a software engineer: built, shipped, debugged, deployed. Put the repeated ones at the start of your strongest bullets.
Tense and repetition rules
- Current job: present tense (“Reconcile”, “Supervise”). Earlier jobs: past tense (“Reconciled”, “Supervised”).
- A finished project in your current job can take past tense: “Launched [X] in [MONTH YEAR]”.
- No verb more than twice on one page. The lists above give you enough to vary.
- Your summary works differently. It describes who you are, so it can skip the verb-first format. How to write a resume summary covers it.
For the rest of the bullet, meaning the number, the scope and the result that follow the verb, see how to write resume bullet points.
Common questions
What are action verbs on a resume?
They’re the verbs that start each bullet and say what you did: reconciled, installed, taught, converted. A good one names the kind of work and sets up the result that follows in the rest of the bullet.
Should every resume bullet start with an action verb?
Almost every one, yes. It keeps bullets short and puts the most important word first, where a skimming reader sees it. The summary at the top is the exception.
Should resume verbs be past or present tense?
Present tense for your current job, past tense for earlier jobs. Whichever you use, keep it consistent within each job.
Can I use the same action verb more than once?
Twice on a page is fine, especially if it’s the verb the posting uses. Beyond that, pick another verb from the same group so the page doesn’t read as repetitive.
Are action verbs ATS keywords?
Some are. If a posting lists “reconcile”, “commission” or “triage” as duties, those verbs can be search terms. Use them where they’re true, in the same wording the posting uses.
What is the best action verb for a resume?
There isn’t one. The best verb is the most exact true description of what you did, ideally in the words your target job’s postings use. “Reconciled” beats “managed” for an accountant because it names the work; “precepted” beats “trained” for a nurse for the same reason.
See action verbs used in bullets for your job
Every role page on our site shows free sample bullets written for that job title, with the verbs and keywords that job’s postings use.
Find your job title
Written by
Founder, Disruptive Templates
Umair Sajid runs Disruptive Templates and has spent a decade in digital marketing, most of it looking at how people are found online. The resume templates here come from the same question asked of hiring software instead of search engines: what does the machine actually read?
Server Resume Examples: Covers, Checks and Upselling
Managers read a server resume for section size, covers per shift and how you move the check. Here are bracketed examples for casual, fine dining, banquet and bartender-server jobs.
Security Guard Resume Examples: License, Posts and Incidents
Recruiters at security companies check your guard card before anything else. Here is where it goes, with bullets for each post type, incident report wording and an armed version.
Project Manager Resume Examples: Scope, Budget and Delivery
Lead with your method and credential, give every project a size line, and write bullets about what the plan met in real life. With IT, construction and agile versions.