Posted July 4, 2005 to Resumes | Section Home | Print

Action Phrases and Power Verbs for Resumes

Writing a general description of your work experience isn't easy. To help you, we've compiled a list of action phrases and power verbs. The purpose of using them is to show employers that you know how to get results. Begin your job descriptions with a power verb or phrase: enlisted the support..., formed a committee..., sold, budgeted, improved, increased, maintained the client relationship.

Action Phrases

CHRONO RESUME
Design, develop and deliver
Conduct needs analysis
Write course design documents
Manage development
Consult with clients
Facilitate problem-solving meetings
Implement solutions
Develop and implement formatting
Developed and delivered
Revamped product training
Assessed employee and client training needs
Analyzed evaluation data
Designed and implemented

EDUCATION EMPHASIS
Followed special task force
Assisted special task force
Proctored and scored
Facilitated discussion

SCANNABLE RESUME
Reduced manufacturing plant's burden
Reduced material costs

BLUE CHIP RESUME
managed an eleven-person team
negotiated over $tk
coordinated strategic five-year plan
created and implemented innovative approach
developed new product

Power Verbs

A-B
accelerated acclimated accompanied accomplished
achieved acquired acted activated actuated adapted
added addressed adhered adjusted administered
admitted adopted advanced advertised advised
advocated aided aired affected allocated altered
amended amplified analyzed answered anticipated
appointed appraised approached approved arbitrated
arranged ascertained asked assembled assigned
assumed assessed assisted attained attracted
audited augmented authored authorized automated
awarded avail balanced bargained borrowed bought
broadened budgeted built

C
calculated canvassed capitalized captured carried
out cast cataloged centralized challenged chaired
changed channeled charted checked chose circulated
clarified classified cleared closed co-authored
cold called collaborated collected combined
commissioned committed communicated compared
compiled complied completed composed computed
conceived conceptualized concluded condensed
conducted conferred consolidated constructed
consulted contracted contrasted contributed
contrived controlled converted convinced
coordinated corrected corresponded counseled
counted created critiqued cultivated cut

D
debugged decided decentralized decreased deferred
defined delegated delivered demonstrated
depreciated described designated designed
determined developed devised devoted diagrammed
directed disclosed discounted discovered
dispatched displayed dissembled distinguished
distributed diversified divested documented
doubled drafted

E
earned eased edited effected elected eliminated
employed enabled encouraged endorsed enforced
engaged engineered enhanced enlarged enriched
entered entertained established estimated
evaluated examined exceeded exchanged executed
exempted exercised expanded expedited explained
exposed extended extracted extrapolated

F-H
facilitated familiarized fashioned fielded figured
financed fit focused forecasted formalized formed
formulated fortified found founded framed
fulfilled functioned furnished gained gathered
gauged gave generated governed graded granted
greeted grouped guided handled headed hired hosted

I
identified illustrated illuminated implemented
improved improvised inaugurated indoctrinated
increased incurred induced influenced informed
initiated innovated inquired inspected inspired
installed instigated instilled instituted
instructed insured interfaced interpreted
interviewed introduced invented inventoried
invested investigated invited involved isolated
issued

J-M
joined judged launched lectured led lightened
liquidated litigated lobbied localized located
maintained managed mapped marketed maximized
measured mediated merchandised merged met
minimized modeled moderated modernized modified
monitored motivated moved multiplied

N-O
named narrated negotiated noticed nurtured
observed obtained offered offset opened operated
operationalized orchestrated ordered organized
oriented originated overhauled oversaw

P
paid participated passed patterned penalized
perceived performed permitted persuaded phased out
pinpointed pioneered placed planned polled
prepared presented preserved presided prevented
priced printed prioritized probed processed
procured produced profiled programmed projected
promoted promoted prompted proposed proved
provided publicized published purchased pursued

Q-R
quantified quoted raised ranked rated reacted read
received recommended reconciled recorded recovered
recruited rectified redesigned reduced referred
refined regained regulated rehabilitated
reinforced reinstated rejected related remedied
remodeled renegotiated reorganized replaced
repaired reported represented requested researched
resolved responded restored restructured resulted
retained retrieved revamped revealed reversed
reviewed revised revitalized rewarded routed

S
safeguarded salvaged saved scheduled screened
secured segmented selected sent separated served
serviced settled shaped shortened showed shrank
signed simplified sold solved spearheaded
specified speculated spoke spread stabilized
staffed staged standardized steered stimulated
strategized streamlined strengthened stressed
structured studied submitted substantiated
substituted suggested summarized superseded
supervised supplied supported surpassed surveyed
synchronized synthesized systematized

T-W
tabulated tailored targeted taught terminated
tested testified tightened took traced traded
trained transacted transferred transformed
translated transported traveled treated tripled
uncovered undertook unified united updated
upgraded used utilized validated valued verified
viewed visited weighed welcomed widened witnessed
won worked wrote