A resume reads best when each line starts with a strong action verb and leaves out empty phrases. This cheat sheet lists action verbs from A to W, useful words and phrases for your skills, and the phrases you should not write.
A resume is only one part of a job application. For the whole picture, with the cover letter and the interview, read how to create the perfect job application. Which words and phrases work especially well on the resume itself, and which ones should you avoid? Here is the short version.
Action verbs for your resume
Start each point in your work history with a verb that says what you did, and add the result where you can: Reduced delivery times by a third says more than Was responsible for deliveries.
| Letter | Action verbs |
|---|---|
| A | accomplished, achieved, adapted, adjusted, administered, advised, aided, allocated, analyzed, appraised, arranged, assisted, assured, audited, authored, authorized, awarded |
| B | balanced, boosted, briefed, budgeted, built |
| C | calculated, certified, coached, collaborated, collected, communicated, compared, compiled, completed, composed, computed, conducted, conserved, consolidated, consulted, contributed, coordinated, counseled, created, critiqued, cut |
| D | delegated, demonstrated, designed, detected, determined, developed, diagnosed, directed, discovered, documented, doubled, downsized, drafted |
| E | economized, educated, effected, eliminated, empowered, encouraged, enforced, established, evaluated, examined, executed, expanded, experimented, explored |
| F | facilitated, financed, forecast, formed, formulated, founded |
| G | gained, generated, governed, guided |
| H | headed, hired, hypothesized |
| I | identified, illustrated, implemented, improved, increased, influenced, initiated, installed, instructed, integrated, interpreted, interviewed, invented, investigated |
| J | justified |
| L | launched, lectured, led |
| M | maintained, managed, marketed, mentored, molded, monitored, motivated |
| N | navigated, negotiated, networked, nursed |
| O | obtained, operated, optimized, ordered, organized, overhauled, oversaw |
| P | performed, pioneered, planned, prepared, prioritized, processed, produced, programmed, projected, promoted, proposed, provided, publicized |
| R | realized, recruited, reduced, referred, reformed, remodeled, repaired, represented, researched, resolved |
| S | saved, secured, set goals, settled, solved, sponsored, started, stimulated, strengthened, supervised, surveyed, systematized |
| T | trained |
| U | unified, upgraded |
| V | validated |
| W | won, wrote |
Words and phrases to use
These adjectives and adverbs describe how you work:
- appropriate, attentive, punctual, self-confident, sensitive, supportive, understanding
- attentively, clearly (in writing, speaking, or explaining), concisely, effectively, openly
These phrases describe skills that employers look for:
- give feedback
- speak confidently in public
- meet deadlines
- multitask
- lead groups and group discussions
- make decisions
What you should not write
Leave these phrases and items out of a good resume:
- Phrases like "I loved to" or "I tried to": say what you did and what it achieved.
- "References available upon request": employers assume it, and it takes up a line you can use better.
- "My responsibilities included": list your accomplishments, not your duties. How to write an accomplishment statement shows how.
- A general objective that says what you want from the job: open with a short summary of what you offer instead.
For the structure of the whole document, see how to write a resume in 4 steps. And before you send it, check its spelling with the Spell Checker: a single typo can undo the impression your verbs make.