185+ Resume Action Verbs That Get You Hired

"Responsible for managing team communications."

If that's how your resume bullets read, you're losing interviews before you even start.

75%

Of resumes rejected

Before a human ever sees them—often due to weak, passive language

Source: Jobscan, 2024

Here's the truth: Recruiters spend 6-7 seconds scanning your resume. Passive phrases like "responsible for" and "worked on" make their eyes glaze over. Strong action verbs? They make recruiters stop and read.

This guide gives you 185+ proven action verbs—organized by skill type—that transform bland resume bullets into compelling achievement statements.

The Quick Version

Start every bullet with a past-tense action verb (present for current role)
Match verbs to the job description's language
Use varied verbs—never repeat the same verb more than twice
Combine action verb + metric for maximum impact
Try our Bullet Point Generator to auto-upgrade your bullets

Why Action Verbs Matter More Than You Think

Let's see the difference in action:

Before (Weak) ❌	After (Strong) ✅
Responsible for sales	Generated $1.2M in annual revenue
Worked with the engineering team	Collaborated with 8 engineers to ship 3 products
Helped improve customer satisfaction	Boosted customer satisfaction scores by 34%
Was in charge of social media	Grew Instagram following from 5K to 50K in 6 months
Had experience with project management	Delivered 12 projects on-time across 4 departments

The difference? Every "after" bullet starts with a power verb and includes a measurable result.

The Formula

Strong Action Verb + Specific Task + Quantified Result = Interview

Example: "Spearheaded (verb) customer retention program (task) that reduced churn by 28% (result)"

Struggling with your bullets? Our AI Bullet Generator creates powerful achievement statements automatically.

Action Verbs for Leadership & Management

For roles where you led, directed, or oversaw others.

Command & Direction

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Spearheaded	Major initiatives	Spearheaded company-wide CRM implementation
Orchestrated	Complex, multi-part projects	Orchestrated product launch across 5 markets
Directed	Large teams/departments	Directed team of 15 sales representatives
Oversaw	Ongoing operations	Oversaw $2M annual marketing budget
Chaired	Committees/meetings	Chaired weekly cross-functional syncs
Commanded	Military/security roles	Commanded 30-person platoon during deployment

Team Building & Development

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Mentored	Developing others	Mentored 8 junior developers, 3 promoted within year
Coached	Skills training	Coached sales team to exceed quota by 140%
Unified	Bringing groups together	Unified 3 siloed departments under shared goals
Mobilized	Activating resources	Mobilized cross-functional team of 20 for emergency response
Cultivated	Long-term development	Cultivated leadership pipeline with 90% retention
Empowered	Delegation/autonomy	Empowered team leads to own $500K project decisions

Leadership Bullet Formula

[Leadership Verb] + [Team Size/Scope] + [Outcome/Impact]

"Mentored team of 12 account executives, achieving 156% of quarterly revenue target."

Action Verbs for Achievement & Results

When you want to show the impact you made.

Revenue & Growth

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Generated	Revenue/leads	Generated $3.4M in new business revenue
Accelerated	Speed improvements	Accelerated sales cycle from 90 to 45 days
Amplified	Scaling existing results	Amplified email campaign reach by 300%
Boosted	Incremental gains	Boosted conversion rate from 2.1% to 4.8%
Captured	New markets/segments	Captured 23% market share in emerging segment
Exceeded	Targets/quotas	Exceeded annual quota by 145%

Efficiency & Optimization

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Streamlined	Process improvement	Streamlined onboarding, reducing time-to-productivity by 40%
Optimized	Performance tuning	Optimized database queries, cutting load times by 70%
Reduced	Cost/time savings	Reduced operational costs by $250K annually
Eliminated	Removing waste/errors	Eliminated manual reporting, saving 15 hours/week
Consolidated	Combining resources	Consolidated 4 vendor contracts, saving $180K
Automated	Replacing manual work	Automated invoice processing, cutting errors by 95%

10.6x

More likely to interview

When your resume uses the exact job title as a keyword

Source: Jobscan Study

Action Verbs for Communication & Collaboration

For roles requiring persuasion, writing, or teamwork.

Persuasion & Influence

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Negotiated	Deals/contracts	Negotiated supplier contracts saving $400K annually
Persuaded	Stakeholder buy-in	Persuaded C-suite to approve $2M technology investment
Advocated	Championing causes	Advocated for remote work policy, improving retention 25%
Convinced	Changing minds	Convinced 3 enterprise clients to renew at 120% value
Influenced	Soft power	Influenced product roadmap toward customer-centric features
Secured	Winning approvals	Secured $500K in grant funding for research initiative

Collaboration & Communication

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Collaborated	Teamwork	Collaborated with 5 departments to launch new product
Partnered	External relationships	Partnered with 3 agencies for integrated campaign
Consulted	Advisory roles	Consulted executive team on market entry strategy
Facilitated	Enabling others	Facilitated workshops for 200+ employees
Mediated	Conflict resolution	Mediated disputes between engineering and sales teams
Presented	Public speaking	Presented quarterly results to 500-person all-hands

Action Verbs for Creation & Innovation

For builders, designers, and creative problem-solvers.

Building & Developing

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Developed	Software/programs	Developed mobile app with 50K+ downloads
Designed	Visual/UX work	Designed UI that increased engagement by 35%
Engineered	Technical solutions	Engineered scalable API serving 10M+ requests/day
Architected	Systems/infrastructure	Architected microservices migration for 20 services
Built	General creation	Built analytics dashboard used by 500+ employees
Launched	New products/initiatives	Launched 3 product lines generating $5M first year

Innovation & Problem-Solving

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Pioneered	First-of-kind work	Pioneered AI-driven customer support bot
Innovated	New approaches	Innovated pricing model increasing margins by 15%
Transformed	Major changes	Transformed legacy system to cloud-native architecture
Revolutionized	Industry changes	Revolutionized fulfillment process, cutting delivery by 2 days
Reimagined	Creative overhauls	Reimagined onboarding experience with 50% higher completion
Conceptualized	Ideation	Conceptualized loyalty program now with 2M+ members

For Technical Roles

Use verbs that show both what you built and how well it performed. "Developed" alone is weak. "Developed and deployed microservice handling 1M daily transactions with 99.99% uptime" is strong.

Action Verbs for Analysis & Research

For data-driven roles and strategic thinkers.

Data & Analysis

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Analyzed	Data exploration	Analyzed 2M customer records to identify churn patterns
Evaluated	Assessment	Evaluated 15 vendor solutions, recommending $800K platform
Assessed	Risk/quality review	Assessed market risks, informing $10M investment decision
Investigated	Root cause analysis	Investigated system outages, reducing incidents by 60%
Synthesized	Combining insights	Synthesized research from 50 sources into executive brief
Interpreted	Making meaning	Interpreted A/B test results, optimizing CTR by 22%

Strategy & Planning

Verb	Best For	Example Usage
Forecasted	Predictions	Forecasted quarterly sales within 3% accuracy
Identified	Pattern recognition	Identified $2M cost savings opportunity in supply chain
Mapped	Process visualization	Mapped customer journey across 12 touchpoints
Modeled	Financial/data models	Modeled 5-year projections for Series B fundraise
Prioritized	Decision-making	Prioritized product backlog of 200+ features by ROI
Researched	Investigation	Researched competitor landscape across 25 companies

Verbs to Avoid (The Resume Killers)

Never Use These

Passive & Weak Verbs:

"Responsible for" — Tells me your job title, not your impact
"Helped" — Who did the real work?
"Worked on" — Vague and forgettable
"Assisted with" — Support role buried in passive voice
"Participated in" — Bystander energy
"Was involved in" — Maximum vagueness

Overused & Empty:

"Managed" (unless you quantify what)
"Handled" (too generic)
"Utilized" (just say "used")
"Leveraged" (buzzword bingo)

Before/After Fixes

Weak Verb ❌	Strong Replacement ✅
Responsible for training new hires	Trained 15 new hires, reducing ramp time by 30%
Helped with marketing campaigns	Executed 8 marketing campaigns reaching 500K users
Worked on customer issues	Resolved 200+ customer escalations with 98% satisfaction
Was in charge of budgets	Controlled $1.5M departmental budget, coming in 8% under
Participated in product launches	Launched 3 products generating $2M first-year revenue

Quick Reference: Action Verbs by Job Function

Sales & Business Development

Closed, Converted, Acquired, Prospected, Pitched, Negotiated, Expanded, Captured, Exceeded, Grew

Marketing & Content

Branded, Promoted, Publicized, Positioned, Segmented, Targeted, Engaged, Amplified, Launched, Crafted

Engineering & Technical

Architected, Coded, Debugged, Deployed, Engineered, Integrated, Migrated, Programmed, Refactored, Tested

Finance & Accounting

Audited, Balanced, Budgeted, Calculated, Forecasted, Projected, Reconciled, Reported, Valued, Verified

Operations & Project Management

Coordinated, Delivered, Executed, Expedited, Implemented, Orchestrated, Scheduled, Tracked, Prioritized, Streamlined

Human Resources

Recruited, Screened, Onboarded, Trained, Counseled, Resolved, Evaluated, Retained, Developed, Facilitated

Customer Success & Support

Resolved, Retained, Supported, Advocated, Escalated, Troubleshot, Documented, Educated, Guided, Satisfied

How to Choose the Right Action Verb

1
Match the job description
If they use 'collaborate,' use 'collaborated.' If they say 'drive revenue,' use 'generated' or 'accelerated.'
2
Lead with your most impressive action
Start with the verb that carries the most weight. 'Spearheaded' beats 'Participated.'
3
Vary your verbs
Don't start 5 bullets with 'Managed.' Mix leadership, achievement, and creation verbs.
4
Use past tense for past roles
All bullets for previous jobs should use past tense. Current role can use present tense.
5
Pair with metrics
A strong verb + a number = interview. 'Increased' alone is weak. 'Increased by 47%' is powerful.

The Complete Action Verb Cheat Sheet

A-D

Accelerated, Accomplished, Achieved, Acquired, Adapted, Addressed, Administered, Advanced, Advocated, Analyzed, Architected, Assembled, Assessed, Audited, Automated, Balanced, Boosted, Branded, Budgeted, Built, Calculated, Captured, Chaired, Championed, Coached, Coded, Collaborated, Commanded, Communicated, Compiled, Completed, Conceptualized, Conducted, Consolidated, Consulted, Contributed, Converted, Coordinated, Created, Cultivated, Debugged, Decreased, Delegated, Delivered, Demonstrated, Deployed, Designed, Developed, Devised, Directed, Documented

E-L

Earned, Edited, Educated, Elevated, Eliminated, Enabled, Engineered, Enhanced, Established, Evaluated, Exceeded, Executed, Expanded, Expedited, Facilitated, Finalized, Forecasted, Forged, Formulated, Founded, Generated, Grew, Guided, Headed, Identified, Implemented, Improved, Increased, Influenced, Initiated, Innovated, Inspected, Integrated, Interpreted, Interviewed, Introduced, Investigated, Launched, Led, Leveraged, Liaised

M-R

Maintained, Managed, Mapped, Marketed, Maximized, Measured, Mediated, Mentored, Merged, Mobilized, Modeled, Modified, Monitored, Motivated, Negotiated, Onboarded, Operated, Optimized, Orchestrated, Organized, Outperformed, Overhauled, Oversaw, Partnered, Performed, Pioneered, Planned, Positioned, Prepared, Presented, Prioritized, Processed, Produced, Programmed, Projected, Promoted, Proposed, Provided, Publicized, Purchased, Qualified, Quantified, Raised, Reached, Realized, Recommended, Reconciled, Recruited, Redesigned, Reduced, Refactored, Related, Remedied, Reorganized, Reported, Represented, Researched, Resolved, Restored, Restructured, Retained, Retrieved, Revamped, Reviewed, Revised, Revolutionized

S-Z

Saved, Scaled, Scheduled, Screened, Secured, Segmented, Selected, Set, Shaped, Simplified, Solved, Spearheaded, Specified, Staffed, Standardized, Steered, Stimulated, Strategized, Streamlined, Strengthened, Structured, Submitted, Succeeded, Summarized, Supervised, Supported, Surpassed, Synchronized, Synthesized, Systemized, Targeted, Tested, Tracked, Trained, Transcribed, Transformed, Transitioned, Troubleshot, Uncovered, Unified, Updated, Upgraded, Utilized, Validated, Valued, Verified, Visualized, Won, Wrote

Your Next Step

Stop telling recruiters what you were "responsible for." Show them what you accomplished.

Take 10 minutes right now: Go through your resume and replace every weak verb with a power verb from this list. Add metrics where you can. Watch your callback rate climb.

Upgrade your resume bullets automatically

Paste your role into our AI Bullet Point Generator. It creates powerful, action-verb-driven bullets with metrics—in seconds.

Generate Better Bullets

Writing Strong Resume Bullet Points — The full formula for powerful bullets
Power Words for Resume — Emotional impact words
How to Quantify Achievements — Adding numbers that matter
Resume Summary vs Objective — Get your intro right
Resume Examples — See action verbs in context
Resume Templates — Professional layouts
AI Resume Builder — Build your resume from scratch
Resume Builder — Create an ATS-optimized resume
Keyword Scanner — Match your verbs to job descriptions
Skills Finder — Discover skills to highlight

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best action verbs to start resume bullets?

The best action verbs are specific to your achievement: 'Spearheaded' for leadership, 'Generated' for revenue, 'Streamlined' for efficiency, 'Developed' for creation. Avoid weak verbs like 'helped,' 'was responsible for,' or 'worked on.'

Should every resume bullet start with an action verb?

Yes. Every bullet point should begin with a strong past-tense action verb (except current roles, which use present tense). This eliminates passive voice and creates punchy, scannable content.

How many action verbs should I use per resume?

Use different verbs for each bullet point—avoid repeating the same verb more than twice on your entire resume. With 15-20 bullets typical, you need at least 10-12 unique, varied action verbs.

What's the difference between action verbs and power words?

Action verbs describe what you did (Led, Created, Managed). Power words add emotional weight (Pioneered, Transformed, Orchestrated). The best resume bullets combine both—a strong action verb with quantified results.

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