250+ Action Verbs to Make Your Resume and Application Stand Out

Action verbs on your resume show how you got results by clearly highlighting your direct role in specific accomplishments and the impact.

In short? They focus on how you get (or got) results. They also give your resume a feeling of progress while highlighting your ability to handle responsibilities using your skills and expertise.

Below is a list of power verbs for your resume. You'll also learn more about why they're so important and how to add them to your experience the right way.

‍Want to align the language on your resume with any position? Sign up for Teal for free and try the Job Description Keywords Finder. 

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What are action verbs?

An action verb describes a physical or mental action.

Unlike a linking verb that connects a subject to additional information, an action verb indicates what the subject (in the case of your resume, you) of a sentence is doing or did.

Resume action verbs can be strong and direct like "spearheaded." They can also be more generic and weak, like "helped."   

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How to use action verbs in your resume

You can use strong action words in your resume to describe what you did in previous roles, clarify past accomplishments and achievements, and highlight skills and abilities.

So, how do you actually incorporate them the right way?

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1. Choose the strongest verb

‍Start each resume bullet point or sentence with a clear action verb that accurately describes your direct role.

For example, use "Managed" instead of "Was responsible for managing."

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2. Pick a verb tense

‍The exact choice of verb tense in your resume sentences isn't critically important for recruiters. The priority is clear communication.

Some guidelines might suggest strict rules about tense, but focus on what best conveys your experience. And be sure to keep the same verb tense for each unique position.

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Here are some tense suggestions:

Current position: Use the present tense for ongoing responsibilities in your current role, showing active engagement.

For example: "Manage a team of 10, optimizing marketing efforts to increase campaign conversion rates by 30% over six months."

Past Positions: Use the past tense for roles or projects you've completed, highlighting your achievements.

For example, "Led a marketing campaign, increasing company revenue by 20% over three months through strategic digital advertising, resulting in significant market share growth."

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3. Highlight results and impact

‍The #1 resume mistake is listing responsibilities or duties without results. As often as possible, link your action verb to a measurable outcome or significant impact. This approach emphasizes the effectiveness and impact of your work.

For example: "Developed a new inventory system that reduced supply costs MoM by 15%."

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Pro Tip: Making improvements to your resume can come down to word selection and language. Need some guidance on when, where, or how to use certain phrases? Check out this resume synonym library for specific guidance on finding the best word choice.

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Why is it important to use action verbs in your resume?

Using action verbs in your resume is important for several reasons:

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Makes a more dynamic and engaging resume

Action verbs create a sense of motion and activity in your resume, making it more vibrant and interesting.

Meaning that instead of using passive phrases like "was responsible for" or "assisted with," strong action verbs convey a sense of action and accomplishment.

For example, instead of writing "Worked on user interface updates," you could write: "Developed a new user interface for the main customer dashboard, improving user interaction metrics by 40% over four months, resulting in a 25% increase in customer satisfaction scores."

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Demonstrates skills and accomplishments

Action verbs allow you to move beyond listing tasks to describing how your actions have positively impacted your previous positions.

They also emphasize the specific steps you took and the measurable outcomes that followed, providing a straightforward view of your contributions.

For example, instead of saying, "Responsible for scheduling meetings," try something like, "Organize weekly team meetings for a 12-person department, streamlining communication and improving meeting efficiency by 30% over the past six months."

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Differentiates you from other candidates

Using action verbs in your resume helps differentiate you from other candidates by clearly showing the direct impact of your work.

These verbs show your specific contributions and successes (so how you've managed tasks and solved problems) in ways that are both quantifiable and unique from other candidates.

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Shows you're results-oriented

Action verbs in your resume highlight your ability to execute specific outcomes. By emphasizing results through your actions, you demonstrate a focus on achieving goals and improving processes.

Verbs like "resolved," "solved," "organized," "trained," or "optimized" can show how you identified or addressed tasks to achieve goals.

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Where to include action verbs in your resume

Incorporating action verbs throughout your resume does two things. 

1. Clarifies your roles and contributions

2. Emphasizes the impact of your actions

Here are some examples of areas where using action verbs can strengthen your resume.

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Professional Summary section

In this section of your resume, use action verbs to talk about the most impressive things you've done (relevant to the job you're applying for) alongside the tangible results of those things—similar to a highlight reel.

For example, "Growth Marketing Director with 7+ years of experience leading growth initiatives across digital platforms. I've developed and executed strategies that resulted in a 35% increase in customer acquisition. My efforts in optimizing digital advertising campaigns have increased conversion rates by 25% while reducing costs by 20%. Additionally, I've collaborated with product development teams to successfully launch new product lines, achieving a 40% increase in sales.

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Work Experience section

Start each resume bullet point with a strong action verb that describes your role in specific achievements and impact.

As often as possible, emphasize the results with specific metrics to underline the significance of your contributions.

For example, "Oversaw a team of 10, increasing sales by 20% over the fiscal year with stronger team collaboration and strategic planning, resulting in considerable market share growth."

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Projects section

When talking about relevant projects, use action verbs to underscore your direct involvement and the skills you used. Include specific outcomes to connect the relevance and impact of your work.

For instance, "Researched user behavior trends, identifying key patterns that led to the development of a new user engagement strategy. This strategy resulted in a 40% increase in user activity, significantly improving the platform's overall performance."

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Education section

If you're a recent grad or haven't had much professional experience, you can use action verbs to describe your coursework. This can showcase the skills you've sharpened in school that are also transferable to the workplace.

For example, "Conducted a comprehensive analysis of teaching methods and identified 50+ effective strategies for improving student engagement. The insights from this study were implemented in a classroom pilot program, resulting in a 40% increase in student participation and earning a 97% grade for the project."

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What are strong action verbs for multiple types of roles?

Some action words are more versatile than others. And they can be used across jobs and industries.

These words describe abilities such as leadership, innovation, and analytical thinking, which are highly valued by employers across different fields.

Here are some action verb examples to use in your resume for multiple types of roles:

• Advised
• Analyzed
• Communicated
• Conducted
• Coordinated
• Created
• Designed
• Developed
• Evaluated
• Facilitated
• Implemented
• Improved
• Led
• Managed
• Negotiated
• Organized
• Resolved
• Strategized
• Supervised
• Trained

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Resume action verbs for different types of experience

Any resume can benefit from the strategic use of action verbs, no matter what kind of work you do.

Whether you're a product manager, software engineer, marketing manager, teacher, painter, dog walker, or CEO, your resume is more likely to resonate with a prospective employer if you take the time to use the right adjectives, linking verbs, action verbs and other types of language.

Selecting the perfect action verbs for your resume, where every word counts, might require some effort. To simplify this process, below are a variety of examples categorized by general job types.

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Action verb examples

Action verbs to show management experience

Management experience isn't just about overseeing teams. It's also about taking charge of projects, managing diverse tasks, and leading initiatives—not just people.

Use these action verbs to describe any role where you had specific responsibilities for guiding a team, project, or process to completion:

• Authorized
• Arranged
• Augmented
• Centralized
• Chaired
• Championed
• Coordinated
• Controlled
• Directed
• Enabled
• Empowered
• Endorsed
• Enforced
• Ensured
• Executed
• Facilitated
• Formalized
• Formed
• Founded
• Headed
• Hired
• Identified
• Implemented
• Led
• Managed
• Merged
• Mentored
• Operated
• Orchestrated
• Organized
• Oversaw
• Planned
• Predicted
• Produced
• Programmed
• Refocused
• Replaced
• Reorganized
• Resolved
• Revitalized
• Shaped
• Supervised
• Sustained
• Trained

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Action verbs to show leadership experience

More than just a snazzy title, leadership is about taking charge of new projects and seeing them through to completion.

Use these verbs to show your leadership skills in roles where you've innovated, guided, or set new directions:

• Authored
• Built
• Created
• Designed
• Devised
• Developed
• Drafted
• Established
• Founded
• Initiated
• Modeled
• Pioneered
• Spearheaded
• Visualized
• Wrote

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Action verbs to show impact

Making an impact often involves improving, refining, or expanding processes and projects.

Use these verbs to clearly express the positive changes and results you've driven through your skills or efforts:

• Accelerated
• Achieved
• Amplified
• Boosted
• Converted
• Customized
• Delivered
• Demonstrated
• Expanded
• Integrated
• Maximized
• Overhauled
• Revamped
• Simplified
• Standardized
• Transformed

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Action verbs to show something you created

When you've brought a project or idea to life, it's essential to convey the creative and developmental aspects of your role.

Use these action verbs to emphasize how you've led or prepared new initiatives and generated and refined original ideas or projects.

• Brainstormed
• Conceptualized
• Designed
• Curated
• Customized
• Modeled
• Built
• Implemented
• Launched
• Crafted
• Developed
• Executed
• Finalized

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Action verbs to show creative experience

When detailing your creative skills, it's important to focus on how you generate and refine ideas.

Use these action verbs to illustrate your involvement in creative processes and your aptitude for bringing innovative solutions to life.

• Innovated
• Envisioned
• Sculpted
• Illustrated
• Composed
• Arranged
• Dreamed
• Shaped
• Conceived
• Styled
• Engineered
• Painted
• Choreographed

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Action verbs to show sales experience

In sales, it’s not just about what you do; it's also about your results.

Use these action verbs in combination with specific metrics to vividly demonstrate your impact and the tangible outcomes of your active role in driving sales and revenue:

• Accomplished
• Accelerated
• Convinced
• Constructed
• Cultivated
• Designed
• Developed
• Encouraged
• Exceeded
• Excelled
• Executed
• Facilitated
• Formed
• Generated
• Grew
• Initiated
• Launched
• Led
• Managed
• Negotiated
• Operated
• Promoted
• Presented
• Produced
• Pitched
• Recognized

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Action verbs to show finance experience

Conveying your skills in financial oversight means highlighting your ability to manage funds accurately and make informed financial decisions.

Use these action verbs to illustrate your depth of knowledge and the proactive role you've played in financial management:

• Administered
• Allocated
• Analyzed
• Appraised
• Audited
• Balanced
• Billed
• Budgeted
• Calculated
• Classified
• Collected
• Computed
• Controlled
• Developed
• Dispensed
• Earned
• Estimated
• Forecasted
• Grossed
• Halted
• Investigated
• Lowered
• Maintained
• Managed
• Minimized
• Secured

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Action verbs to show technical expertise

Technical expertise is essential in the tech industry, and the right action verbs can show how you've applied your knowledge to solve problems, improve systems, and drive technological advancements.

Use these verbs to effectively demonstrate your proficiency across technical disciplines and your contributions to past projects:

• Advanced
• Architected
• Automated
• Coded
• Deployed
• Detected
• Devised
• Diagnosed
• Discovered
• Engineered
• Enhanced
• Expedited
• Formulated
• Installed
• Launched
• Modified
• Networked
• Planned
• Programmed
• Remodeled
• Rewrote
• Refined
• Tested
• Updated
• Upgraded

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Action verbs to show marketing experience

In marketing, your ability to generate results through strategic actions and creative thinking is crucial.

Use these action verbs to articulate your skills and accomplishments, clearly demonstrating how you’ve driven successful marketing initiatives:

• Analyzed
• Collaborated
• Communicated
• Created
• Developed
• Evaluated
• Executed
• Generated
• Implemented
• Launched
• Managed
• Measured
• Monitored
• Optimized
• Planned
• Positioned
• Researched
• Segmented
• Strategized
• Targeted

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Action verbs to show data or analytical experience

Do you have data-driven experience? Action verbs can help you stress your analytical prowess and your capacity to leverage data for decision-making.

Use these action verbs to articulate your skills in analyzing and using data to get results:

• Analyzed
• Calculated
• Evaluated
• Forecasted
• Identified
• Implemented
• Improved
• Interpreted
• Measured
• Modeled
• Monitored
• Optimized
• Quantified
• Recommended
• Synthesized
• Tested
• Tracked
• Validated
• Verified
• Visualized

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Action Verbs to Show Communication Skills

Good communication is key to collaboration and leadership. It highlights how well you can convey messages and details, foster understanding, and facilitate interactions.

Use these action verbs to clearly express your ability to share ideas, manage discussions, and connect with colleagues effectively. 

• Advocated
• Clarified
• Coordinated
• Collaborated
• Conveyed
• Convinced
• Documented
• Educated
• Facilitated
• Guided
• Informed
• Instructed
• Mediated
• Negotiated
• Persuaded
• Presented
• Resolved
• Responded
• Translated
• Influenced

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How to align action verbs with a job description

Aligning action verbs with a job description is an important step to tailor your resume to a specific job. It also demonstrates that you have the skills and experiences required for the role.

Check out these steps to align your action verbs with a job description:

1. Review the job listing carefully: Read the job description thoroughly and highlight the key requirements and responsibilities of the role. Take note of any specific skills or experiences that are mentioned.
2. Pro Tip: Teal's Job Description Keyword tool can help you find the most important language in any job ad.

1. Identify relevant action verbs: Look for action verbs in the job posting that are used to describe the required skills and experiences. Make a list of these verbs and consider how you can use them in your own resume.
2. Use action verbs that match the job description: Select action verbs from your list that match the skills and experiences required in the job description. Then, use them throughout your resume.
3. Provide specific examples: Use specific examples of results and impact that demonstrate how you've used these skills and experiences in previous roles.
4. Avoid overusing generic action verbs: While generic action verbs like "managed" and "led" can demonstrate transferable skills, it's important to avoid overusing them.
5. Instead, try to use more industry-specific verbs that are directly relevant to the job and demonstrate your unique expertise.

By aligning your action verbs with a job description, you can tailor your resume to the specific requirements of the role and demonstrate that you hold the skills and experiences that are needed to be successful in the position.

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Create a stronger resume with Teal

Action verbs are one of the best ways to strengthen your resume. They can help you transform your content from a basic list of responsibilities to a powerful record of your results and how you got them.

Remember: The closer your resume is to the requirements of a position, the better your chances of being noticed by hiring managers.

To avoid overusing generic words and align your resume with any job, use Teal's AI Resume Builder to quickly compare the skills and keywords in the job posting to those in your resume. Then, make sure to add any missing relevant language to your customized resume and to your application answers.