Verb: a word used to describe an action.

And essentially one of the best tools at your disposal to showcase your qualifications on your resume. Your resume should be used to portray your professional persona to the best of your ability. It’s a document that answers the question: what have you done with your career?

A great way to showcase yourself is through the use of action verbs. These verbs tell potential employers exactly what your duties and accomplishments were in your former roles. Action verbs specifically detail your professional achievements and tell recruiters how your past experience could fit into a future role.

Quantifying your work is done most efficiently through the use of action verbs. With the use of resume parsing, it’s more important than ever that you include the right types of action verbs on your resume. Failure to do could me that your resume is thrown out by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before ever being seen by a real person.

Skim through this extensive list and find the action verbs that fit your skills and qualifications best. 

Action verbs for your resume

So what’s so great about using action verbs on a resume?

Action verbs bring strength and clarity to your statements. They help your writing come across as specific and confident. Using the right verbs can make your accomplishments clear and impactful.   

Analysis resume verbs

Communication resume verbs

Creativity resume verbs

Flexibility resume verbs

Initiative resume verbs

Leadership resume verbs

Organization resume verbs

Problem-solving resume verbs

Teamwork resume verbs

Other resume verbs to consider

Get ahead

Having a good resume is just one piece to the puzzle. If you want to get ahead in your career, learn how to upload your resume to LinkedIn or check out our Career Advice Hub. Dozens of guides on how to progress in your professional life are just a click away.