Positive action verbs make your resume achievements sound even more impressive. Use this long list of action verbs to make your resume sizzle.
All the resume action verbs you’ll ever need
In alphabetical order:
- Accelerated
- Accomplished
- Accounted for
- Accumulated
- Achieved
- Acquired
- Acted
- Activated
- Active in
- Adapted
- Addressed
- Adjusted
- Administered
- Advanced
- Advertised
- Advised
- Advocated
- Affected
- Aided
- Alerted
- Allocated
- Amplified
- Analyzed
- Answered
- Anticipated
- Applied
- Appointed
- Appraised
- Approved
- Arbitrated
- Arranged
- Arraigned
- Arrested
- Articulated
- Ascertained
- Aspired
- Assembled
- Assessed
- Assigned
- Assisted
- Assumed responsibility
- Assured
- Attained
- Attracted
- Audited
- Authored
- Automated
- Awarded
- Balanced
- Billed
- Blazed
- Boosted
- Bought
- Briefed
- Broadened
- Budgeted
- Built
- Calculated
- Campaigned
- Captured
- Carried out
- Cataloged
- Caused
- Centralized
- Chaired
- Championed
- Changed
- Channeled
- Charted
- Checked
- Clarified
- Classified
- Closed
- Coached
- Co-directed
- Collaborated
- Collected
- Co-managed
- Combined
- Commanded
- Commended
- Commented
- Communicated
- Compared
- Compiled
- Completed
- Composed
- Computed
- Conceived
- Conceptualized
- Condensed
- Conducted
- Conferred
- Conserved
- Considered
- Consolidated
- Constructed
- Consulted
- Contacted
- Contained
- Contracted
- Contributed
- Controlled
- Converted
- Coordinated
- Corrected
- Correlated
- Corresponded
- Corroborated
- Costed
- Counseled
- Counted
- Created
- Critiqued
- Crowned
- Cultivated
- Cured
- Customized
- Cut
- Dealt with
- Decided
- Decreased
- Defined
- Delegated
- Delivered
- Demonstrated
- Described
- Designated
- Designed
- Detected
- Determined
- Developed
- Devised
- Diagnosed
- Directed
- Discovered
- Dispatched
- Dispensed
- Displayed
- Dissected
- Distinguished
- Distributed
- Documented
- Doubled
- Drafted
- Drove
- Earned
- Economized
- Edited
- Educated
- Effected
- Eliminated
- Emphasized
- Employed
- Empowered
- Enabled
- Enacted
- Encouraged
- Ended
- Endorsed
- Energized
- Enforced
- Engaged
- Engineered
- Enhanced
- Enlarged
- Enlisted
- Ensured
- Entertained
- Established
- Estimated
- Evaluated
- Examined
- Exceeded
- Executed
- Expanded
- Expedited
- Experienced
- Experimented
- Explained
- Explored
- Expressed
- Extended
- Extracted
- Fabricated
- Facilitated
- Familiarized
- Fashioned
- Filed
- Filled
- Finalized
- Financed
- Fine-tuned
- Fixed
- Focused
- Forecast
- Forecasted
- Formed
- Formulated
- Fostered
- Found
- Founded
- Fulfilled
- Functioned as
- Furnished
- Gained
- Gathered
- Generated
- Graded
- Graduated
- Granted
- Grew
- Guided
- Halved
- Handled
- Harmonized
- Harnessed
- Headed
- Helped
- Hired
- Hypothesized
- Identified
- Illustrated
- Imagined
- Implemented
- Impressed
- Improved
- Improvised
- Incorporated
- Increased
- Indexed
- Indoctrinated
- Influenced
- Informed
- Initiated
- Innovated
- Inspected
- Inspired
- Installed
- Instigated
- Instituted
- Instructed
- Insured
- Integrated
- Interpreted
- Interviewed
- Introduced
- Invented
- Inventoried
- Invested
- Investigated
- Involved
- Issued
- Joined
- Judged
- Justified
- Kept
- Launched
- Lead
- Learned
- Leased
- Lectured
- Led
- Liaised
- Licensed
- Listed
- Located
- Logged
- Machined
- Made
- Magnified
- Maintained
- Managed
- Marketed
- Mastered
- Matched
- Maximized
- Measured
- Mediated
- Merged
- Met
- Met with
- Minimized
- Mobilized
- Moderated
- Modernized
- Modified
- Monitored
- Motivated
- Moved
- Named
- Navigated
- Negated
- Negotiated
- Netted
- Observed
- Obtained
- Opened
- Operated
- Optimized
- Orchestrated
- Ordered
- Organized
- Originated
- Outlined
- Overhauled
- Oversaw
- Participated
- Perceived
- Performed
- Persuaded
- Photographed
- Piloted
- Pinpointed
- Pioneered
- Placed
- Played
- Planned
- Predicted
- Prepared
- Presented
- Presided
- Prevented
- Printed
- Prioritized
- Processed
- Procured
- Produced
- Programmed
- Prohibited
- Projected
- Promoted
- Proofread
- Proposed
- Protected
- Proved
- Provided
- Publicized
- Published
- Purchased
- Pursued
- Qualified
- Queried
- Questioned
- Raised
- Ran
- Ranked
- Rated
- Reached
- Realigned
- Realized
- Reasoned
- Received
- Recognized
- Recommended
- Reconciled
- Recorded
- Recruited
- Redesigned
- Reduced
- Referred
- Registered
- Regulated
- Rehabilitated
- Reinforced
- Related
- Remodeled
- Rendered
- Reorganized
- Repaired
- Replaced
- Replied
- Reported
- Represented
- Reputed
- Researched
- Resolved
- Responded
- Restored
- Restructured
- Retrieved
- Revamped
- Reversed
- Reviewed
- Revised
- Revitalized
- Routed
- Saved
- Scheduled
- Screened
- Searched
- Secured
- Selected
- Separated
- Served
- Serviced
- Set or set up
- Shaped
- Shared
- Showed
- Simplified
- Simulated
- Sketched
- Slashed
- Sold
- Solidified
- Solved
- Sorted
- Sought
- Sparked
- Spearheaded
- Specialized
- Specified
- Spoke
- Sponsored
- Staffed
- Standardized
- Started
- Steered
- Stimulated
- Stored
- Streamlined
- Strengthened
- Stressed
- Stretched
- Structured
- Studied
- Submitted
- Substituted
- Succeeded
- Suggested
- Summarized
- Superseded
- Supervised
- Supplemented
- Supplied
- Supported
- Surpassed
- Surveyed
- Synchronized
- Synergized
- Systematized
- Tabulated
- Tackled
- Targeted
- Taught
- Terminated
- Tested
- Tightened
- Took or took over
- Totaled
- Toured
- Traced
- Tracked
- Traded
- Trained
- Transcribed
- Transferred
- Transformed
- Translated
- Transmitted
- Transported
- Traveled
- Treated
- Triggered
- Trimmed
- Tripled
- Triumphed
- Troubleshot
- Turned
- Tutored
- Typed
- Umpired
- Uncovered
- Understood
- Understudied
- Undertook
- Underwent
- Underwrote
- Unearthed
- Unified
- United
- Unraveled
- Updated
- Upgraded
- Urged
- Used
- Utilized
- Validated
- Valued
- Verbalized
- Verified
- Visited
- Vitalized
- Volunteered
- Waged
- Weighed
- Widened
- Won
- Worked
- Wrote
Sources
- Resume Action Verbs – Use Them to Add Pizzazz and Power to Your Resume
- 100 Top Action Verbs to Use to Write Powerful, Effective Resume Subheads that Will Win You the Job
- Resume Action Words
- Action Words That Make An Amazing Resume
- CV Action Words
Other useful resources in this series
- 130 Positive Personality Adjectives For Your Next Job Interview
- 500 Positive Resume Action Verbs That Get Job Interviews (this article)
- 60 Resume Achievement Writing Ideas and Expressions
Share this list with anyone else you know that’s looking for a job.
Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow me on Twitter for the best job search resources on the Web.
--Jacob Share
Filed under: 
Jacob Share is the founder and SVP of 
I’d love to see a list like this translated into Hebrew….
Comment by Robin
— July 9, 2009 #
This is a great list, but it would also be nice to have a list like this in Hebrew.
Comment by Avi Rosenberg
— July 9, 2009 #
@ Commentators above me:
Use Google Translator (http://translate.google.com/translate_t#
Since these are mere words, you will get them right I guess.
:)
Comment by Arun Basil Lal
Twitter: @ArunBasilLal — July 9, 2009 #
Of course it helps if you really do display the characteristics behind those action words.
Comment by Senthil Nambi
Twitter: @senthilnambi — July 10, 2009 #
This is a great list and more thorough than many I’ve seen.
Of course, as @senthilnambi pointed out, you must display the characteristics behind the words – but provided that you do, this can help your resume stand out further by getting away from standard, boring phrases like “responsible for” and “duties included”. Focus on results you achieved, not just re-hashing your job description.
Comment by David B. Wright
Twitter: @getajob — July 10, 2009 #
[...] Wörter (Job Mob): 500 positiv besetzte englische Verben, die in einer Bewerbung Eindruck [...]
Pingback by „Newsletter vom 13. Juli: Niedriglöhner, Selbstmörder, Partytester“ auf karrierebibel.de – Jeden Tag mehr Erfolg!
— July 13, 2009 #
A great list of verbs. I agree that your resume you should use active verb instead of passive verb. There are so many tools for job seekers. You just have to pay attention and use the resources available.
Comment by Mrs. Laughingpants
— July 26, 2009 #
I am curious as to why ‘utilized’ is present. It always struck me as an odd, out-of-place-anywhere-it-was-used kind of word.
Comment by Ron Pierce
Twitter: @NanoRon — August 17, 2009 #
I’m not one to be pedantic, but the word ‘resume’ is missing the accent over the ‘e’. Punctuation ain’t in the list. Well, I must now resume my previous activity.
Comment by Samatha
— August 27, 2009 #
[...] 500 Positive Resume Action Verbs That Get Job Interviews | JobMob jobmob.co.il/blog/positive-resume-action-verbs – view page – cached Positive action verbs make your resume achievements sound even more impressive. Use this long list of action verbs to make your resume sizzle. — From the page [...]
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— August 31, 2009 #
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— September 4, 2009 #
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Pingback by links for 2009-09-15 | Glorified Monkey
— September 15, 2009 #
[...] 500 Positive Resume Action Verbs That Get Job Interviews – Positive action verbs make your resume achievements sound even more impressive. Use this long list of action verbs to make your resume sizzle. [...]
Pingback by Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – October 18, 2009 « Bill Mullins’ Weblog – Tech Thoughts
— October 18, 2009 #
Wow, I should use these great verbs for my resume!
Comment by Elam Landry
Twitter: @elamlandry — October 20, 2009 #
[...] Positive Resume Action Verbs That Get Job Interviews | JobMob via [...]
Pingback by 500 Positive Resume Action Verbs That Get Job Interviews | JobMob « mensonblog
— November 7, 2009 #
coming from a U N background you left out one of our faves – ‘positioned’. well done list.
Comment by barry kulick
— November 25, 2009 #
[...] 500 Positive Resume Action Verbs That Get Job Interviews | JobMob (tags: resume writing jobs) [...]
Pingback by links for 2009-11-11 | Glorified Monkey
— November 26, 2009 #
barry- ‘positioned’ seems neither positive nor negative, but it does depend on the context. Can you give me an example where it’s used positively e.g. by people at the UN?
Comment by Jacob Share
Twitter: @jacobshare — November 30, 2009 #
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— December 9, 2009 #
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— December 12, 2009 #
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— March 22, 2010 #
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