9/24/2015 Action Verbs

Action Verbs
How to use action verbs in resume and cover letter benefit
statements

This is VERY important! Use this format for your resumes and cover letters:
Action verb Tell what you did State the result (cost savings, increased sales, etc.).

Examples:

Reduced expenses by comparative shopping and saved the company $100k over six months
Applied lean startup principles from product idea to release and grew sales to one million in just one year

Action Verbs by Topic

Clerical or Detail Management All Action Verbs
Communication Research
Creative Resume Action Verbs
Financial Teaching
Helping Technical

Clerical or Detail Communication Creative

activated addressed acted

altered arbitrated applied
assembled arranged composed
approved authored conceived
arranged communicated conceptualized
catalogued corresponded created
classified counseled designed
collected developed developed
compiled defined directed
described directed established

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dispatched drafted evaluated

edited edited fashioned
estimated enlisted formed
executed formulated formulated
gathered influenced founded
generated interpreted illustrated
implemented lectured instituted
inspected mediated integrated
listed moderated introduced
maintained motivated invented
monitored negotiated loaded
observed persuaded molded
operated promoted originated
organized publicized perceived
overhauled reconciled performed
prepared reunited planned
processed renegotiated presented
proofread reported produced
published researched refined
purchased summarized rewrote
recorded spoke updated
reduced translated
retrieved wrote
screened
specified
streamlined
systematized

Financial Helping Management

audited advised achieved
balanced aided administered
budgeted assessed analyzed
calculated assisted assigned
compared brought attained
adjusted clarified chaired

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administered coached conceived

allocated coordinated contracted
analyzed counseled consolidated
appraised dealt coordinated
computed demonstrated decided
developed diagnosed delegated
estimated educated developed
forecast encouraged directed
forecasted enlisted encouraged
managed expedited evaluated
marketed facilitated executed
planned familiarized handled
projected guided implemented
reevaluated helped improved
reconciled inspired incorporated
researched maintained increased
sold modified inspired
performed launched
referred led
rehabilitated managed
represented motivated
supported organized
upheld outlined
oversaw
planned
prioritized
produced
recommended
reevaluated
rejected
reported
reviewed
scheduled
strengthened
supervised
united

Research Teaching Technical

clarified adapted analyzed

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collected advised assembled

conceived clarified built
critiqued coached calculated
detected communicated computed
diagnosed coordinated designed
disproved defined devised
evaluated developed engineered
examined enabled fabricated
extracted encouraged inspected
identified evaluated maintained
inspected explained operated
interpreted facilitated overhauled
interviewed guided programmed
investigated informed remodeled
organized initiated repaired
researched instructed solved
reported lectured trained
reviewed persuaded upgraded
searched presented
studied set goals
summarized stimulated
surveyed taught
systematized trained
wrote updated

Resume Action Verbs

anticipated inspected printed
arbitrated installed processed
ascertained instituted produced
charted instructed programmed
checked integrated projected
classified interpreted promoted
collected interviewed proof-read
completed invented protected
conducted inventoried provided
conserved investigated publicized
consolidated judged purchased
constructed kept recorded
controlled led recruited

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coordinated learned reduced

counseled lectured referred
created lifted rehabilitated
decided listened related
defined logged rendered
delivered maintained repaired
detailed made reported
detected managed represented
determined manipulated researched
devised mediated resolved
diagnosed memorized responded
directed modeled restored
discovered monitored retrieved
dispensed motivated reviewed
displayed navigated risked
disproved negotiated scheduled
dissected observed selected
distributed obtained sensed
diverted offered separated
dramatized operated served
drew ordered sewed
drove organized shaped
eliminated originated shared
empathized painted showed
enforced perceived sketched
established performed solved
estimated persuaded sorted
evaluated photographed summarized
examined piloted supervised
expanded planned supplied
experimented played symbolized
explained predicted synergized
expressed prepared synthesized
extracted prescribed systematized
filed presented talked
financed printed taught
fixed processed tended
followed produced tested
formulated programmed trained
founded questioned transcribed
gathered raised translated
gave read traveled
generated realized treated

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guided reasoned troubleshot

handled received tutored
headed recommended typed
helped reconciled unified
hypothesized painted united
identified perceived upgraded
illustrated performed used
imagined persuaded utilized
implemented photographed verbalized
improved piloted warned
improvised planned washed
increased played weighed
influenced predicted wired
informed prepared worked
initiated prescribed
innovated presented

All Action Verbs

achieved
acted
activated
adapted
addressed
adjusted
administered
advised
aided
allocated
altered
analyzed
applied
appraised
approved
arbitrated
arranged
assembled
assessed
assigned
assisted

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attained
audited
authored
balanced
brought
budgeted
built
calculated
catalogued
chaired
clarified
classified
coached
collected
communicated
compared
compiled
composed
computed
conceived
conceptualized
consolidated
contracted
coordinated
corresponded
counseled
created
critiqued
dealt
decided
defined
delegated
demonstrated
described
designed
detected
developed
devised
diagnosed
directed
dispatched
disproved
drafted

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edited
educated
enabled
encouraged
engineered
enlisted
established
estimated
evaluated
examined
executed
expedited
explained
extracted
fabricated
facilitated
familiarized
fashioned
forecast
forecasted
formed
formulated
founded
gathered
generated
guided
handled
helped
identified
illustrated
implemented
improved
incorporated
increased
influenced
informed
initiated
inspected
inspired
instituted
instructed
integrated
interpreted

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interviewed
introduced
invented
investigated
launched
lectured
led
listed
loaded
maintained
managed
marketed
mediated
moderated
modified
molded
monitored
motivated
negotiated
observed
operated
organized
originated
outlined
overhauled
oversaw
perceived
performed
persuaded
planned
prepared
presented
prioritized
processed
produced
programmed
projected
promoted
proofread
publicized
published
purchased
recommended

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reconciled
recorded
reduced
reevaluated
referred
refined
rehabilitated
rejected
remodeled
renegotiated
repaired
reported
represented
researched
retrieved
reunited
reviewed
rewrote
scheduled
screened
searched
set goals
sold
solved
specified
spoke
stimulated
streamlined
strengthened
studied
summarized
supervised
supported
surveyed
systematized
taught
trained
translated
united
updated
upgraded
upheld
wrote

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