100 Action Words For Your Resume

A resume is supposed to be a career highlight reel, but most sound boring. Inject some life into your resume by peppering it with a variety of active words.

Variety is a key component of dynamic content. Don’t use the same verb more than once to describe your accomplishments. This can be tricky, so for inspiration, here is a list of 100 action words for your resume:

  1. Accelerated
  2. Accomplished
  3. Achieved
  4. Analyzed
  5. Attained
  6. Authored
  7. Awarded
  8. Began
  9. Boosted
  10. Brokered
  11. Built
  12. Cataloged
  13. Centralized
  14. Coached
  15. Composed
  16. Conducted
  17. Contracted
  18. Contributed
  19. Convinced
  20. Coordinated
  21. Corrected
  22. Counseled
  23. Created
  24. Customized
  25. Delegated
  26. Demonstrated
  27. Designed
  28. Developed
  29. Distributed
  30. Drafted
  31. Earned
  32. Edited
  33. Eliminated
  34. Encouraged
  35. Engineered
  36. Established
  37. Expanded
  38. Fixed
  39. Formulated
  40. Founded
  41. Generated
  42. Guided
  43. Hired
  44. Implemented
  45. Improved
  46. Increased
  47. Influenced
  48. Inspired
  49. Installed
  50. Instituted
  51. Invented
  52. Joined
  53. Launched
  54. Learned
  55. Led
  56. Made
  57. Managed
  58. Marketed
  59. Measured
  60. Motivated
  61. Negotiated
  62. Netted
  63. Obtained
  64. Operated
  65. Organized
  66. Oversaw
  67. Performed
  68. Persuaded
  69. Planned
  70. Presented
  71. Produced
  72. Programmed
  73. Proposed
  74. Quantified
  75. Raised
  76. Recognized
  77. Recommended
  78. Redesigned
  79. Reduced
  80. Released
  81. Resolved
  82. Restructured
  83. Revised
  84. Saved
  85. Served
  86. Simplified
  87. Spoke
  88. Sold
  89. Solved
  90. Started
  91. Supervised
  92. Surpassed
  93. Taught
  94. Trained
  95. Transformed
  96. Utilized
  97. Verified
  98. Volunteered
  99. Wrote
  100. Exceeded

 

Of course, an exciting resume is more than just action words. You’ll want to include compelling stories, not just facts. Show your personality. Make the most of every inch – especially the Top Third.

 

For more helpful job search tips, check out: Ultimate Job Search Guide: Recruiter Insider Tips