Your Resume in Action: Verb(alizing) Your Accomplishments

Resumes should always be action-oriented. The following list of action verbs is designed
to help you better identify and articulate your accomplishments.

Action Words

Achieved
Acquired
Adapted
Administered
Advised
Advocated
Allocated
Analyzed
Anticipated
Appraised
Arranged
Assembled
Assessed
Assisted
Attended
Audited
Augmented
Authored
Balanced
Benchmarked
Briefed
Broadened
Built
Chaired
Checked
Clarified
Collaborated
Combined
Communicated
Completed
Compiled
Composed
Computed
Conceived
Concluded
Conducted
Constructed
Consulted
Contributed
Coordinated
Counseled
Crafted
Created
Decreased
Defined
Delivered
Demonstrated
Designed
Determined
Developed
Diagnosed
Directed
Discovered
Documented
Drafted
Edited
Educated
Engineered
Established
Evaluated
Exceeded
Executed
Expanded
Expedited
Facilitated
Financed
Foresaw
Formalized
Formed
Formulated
Fostered
Founded
Generated
Governed
Hired
Identified
Implemented
Improved
Increased
Influenced
Initiated
Installed
Instituted
Integrated
Interacted
Interpreted
Interviewed
Introduced
Invented
Investigated
Launched
Led
Leveraged
Linked
Maintained
Managed
Marketed
Mediated
Mentored
Moderated
Monitored
Motivated
Negotiated
Operated
Organized
Originated
Oversaw
Patented
Performed
Pioneered
Planned
Prepared
Produced
Programmed
Promoted
Proposed
Provided
Publicized
Published
Purchased
Pursued
Recruited
Reengineered
Represented
Researched
Reshaped
Resolved
Restructured
Reviewed
Revised
Rewrote
Scheduled
Secured
Selected
Served
Set up
Sold
Spearheaded
Sponsored
Staffed
Started
Structured
Supervised
Surpassed
Surveyed
Taught
Tested
Trained
Transformed
Updated
Upgraded
Utilized
Wrote

Words to Avoid Like the Proverbial Plague

Abused
Accused
Bullied
Burned
Destroyed
Embezzled
Fired
Immolated
Indicted
Maimed
Manhandled
Massacred
Misappropriated
Robbed
Shot
Stole
Squandered
Threatened
Victimized
Violated