Resume - Action Verbs

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Career Exploration and Development
261 Schwartz Center
330-672-2360
www.kent.edu/career

No one seeking employment should be without carefully chosen action verbs to describe accomplishments, skills, and experiences on their resumes and cover letters!

Administrative/Organizational Skills

abbreviated
abolished
accomplished
adjusted
administered
admitted
advanced
arranged
bid
categorized
changed

charted
closed
distributed
edited
filed
finalized
formalized
collected
combined
condensed
consolidated

continued
coordinated
deployed
displayed
gathered
highlighted
mapped out
merged
monitored
normalized
operated

optimized
orchestrated
ordered
organized
outlined
planned
prepared
prioritized
processed
produced
projected

registered
reorganized
repaired
replaced
rescheduled
reserved
retained
routed
scheduled
shipped
streamlined

submitted
summarized
supplied
supported
systemized
transcribed
transformed
updated
upgraded
utilized
verified

Communication/Helping Skills

acknowledged
acquainted
addressed
advertised
advocated
aimed
answered
appealed
arbitrated
articulated
assisted

bestowed
briefed
calmed
collaborated
communicated
contacted
contracted
conveyed
cooperated
corresponded
corroborated

debated
discerned
discussed
dispensed
diverted
elevated
emphasized
endorsed
greeted
influenced
interacted

interviewed
introduced
justified
listened
marketed
mediated
molded
motivated
navigated
negotiated
participated

partnered
persuaded
presented
prescribed
promoted
propelled
proposed
provided
queried
questioned
reconciled

renegotiated
represented
resolved
responded
sold
spoke
unified
verbalized

Creative Skills

accentuated
acted
catered
composed
conceived
conceptualized
crafted
customized
created
derived
designed

developed
devised
diversified
drafted
enacted
engineered
enhanced
entertained
established
exhibited
extricated

fashioned
forged
formed
fortified
founded
illustrated
imagined
implemented
improvised
individualized
initiated

innovated
inspired
integrated
intensified
invented
mastered
minimized
modeled
modified
optimized
originated

perceived
performed
positioned
photographed
pioneered
produced
proliferated
prospected
realigned
rebuilt
recycled

renewed
renovated
reused
solidified
sparked
specialized
transformed
transitioned
trimmed
wrote

Data/Financial Skills

accounted for
accumulated
added
adjusted
bought
budgeted
calculated certified
aligned
allocated
altered

analyzed
anchored
appraised
audited
balanced
budgeted
catalogued
collected
compared
computed
counted

counteracted
cut
decreased
documented
earned
economized
eliminated
entered
estimated
expedited
expended

exported
factored
financed
forecasted
furnished
garnered
generated
imported
increased
insured
inventoried

lowered
liquidated
maximized
measured
projected
processed
received
recorded
reduced
reviewed
revised

saved
secured
selected
slashed
supplemented
totaled
tracked
transferred
upgraded
yielded

Action Verbs for Resumes and Letters

Management/Leadership Skills

accomplished
achieved
adjudicated
appointed
approved
attained
attended
authorized
brainstormed
centralized

chaired
championed
closed
commanded
commissioned
considered
controlled
curtailed
critiqued
delegated

demonstrated
designated
determined
directed
distinguished
dominated
drove
elected
enforced
entrenched

executed
excelled
foresaw
governed
headed
housed
hosted
hired
involved
joined

launched
led
leveraged
managed
moderated
officiated
orchestrated
oversaw
presided
progressed

regulated
reinforced
repositioned
restructured
spearheaded
strategized
supervised
terminated
thwarted
won

Teaching/Training Skills

adapted
addressed
advised
affirmed
captivated
cautioned
celebrated
clarified
coached

conducted
consulted
corrected
counseled
debugged
delivered
demonstrated
educated
employed

empowered
enabled
encouraged
evaluated
explained
facilitated
fostered
graded
guided

handled
hired
implemented
informed
instilled
instituted
instructed
interviewed
lectured

licensed
mentored
observed
oriented
quizzed
recruited
rehabilitated
reinforced
serviced

stimulated
studied
substantiated
taught
trained
tutored
united

Technical/Research Skills

ascertained
analyzed
applied
authenticated
built
capitalized
certified
classified
coded
compared
complied

conceptualized
conducted
connected
constructed
converted
deciphered
decoded
defined
detected
diagnosed
differentiated

discovered
examined
experimented
explored
focused
generated
hypothesized
identified
indicated
inspected
installed

interpreted
investigated
located
logged
manipulated
manufactured
piloted
pinpointed
predicted
procured
programmed

rated
recaptured
reengineered
researched
restored
resulted in
retrieved
revealed
safeguarded
screened
searched

separated
solved
specified
standardized
surveyed
synthesized
tested
troubleshot
uncovered
upgraded
validated

Miscellaneous Skills

accelerated
acquired
administered
aided
assembled
assessed
assigned
assumed
assured
augmented
authored
awarded

captured
catapulted
commercialized
compelled
completed
concluded
conserved
crystalized
decided
detailed
doubled
earned

effected
elicited
endured
energized
enlisted
ensured
exceeded
exercised
exhorted
expanded
exploded
extracted

familiarized
formulated
gained
graduated
halted
honored
improved
incorporated
judged
masterminded
maximized
obtained

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overcame
overhauled
perfected
proved
purchased
purified
qualified
raised
recognized
rejuvenated
remedied
returned

revitalized
sanctified
satisfied
served
spearheaded
strengthened
succeeded
surpassed
synergized
targeted

Examples of action verbs in action ...

  • “Achieved highest annual sales volume among 90 employees at retail store.”

  • “Provided network and desktop support to over 100 users across six departments.”

  • “Collaborated with co-workers to develop a semester teaching unit on culture, ethnicity, and identity.”

  • “Organized and facilitated two, in-service training programs for residence hall advisors.”

For more information, visit www.kent.edu/career