124 Resume Action Verbs by Skill, and How to Use Them

The first word of each bullet on your resume does more work than any other. It is where a recruiter's eye lands as they skim, and it tells them in one word whether you ran something, built it, fixed it or just attended it.

This page lists 124 action verbs grouped by the kind of work they describe, followed by how to use them well. It is the same list the ATS check in this builder uses to decide whether a bullet opens with an action verb, so a verb you take from here will count.

Why the first word of a bullet matters

Recruiters skim. In one widely cited eye-tracking study, recruiters spent around seven seconds on an initial scan of a resume, and their eyes moved down the left edge of the text, which is where the first word of every bullet sits.

Compare these two openings:

• "Responsible for the company's customer onboarding process."
• "Redesigned customer onboarding, cutting setup time from two weeks to three days."

The first describes a job description. The second tells the reader what you changed and what happened, and the verb "Redesigned" does half of that work before the reader reaches the second word.

Resume action verbs by skill

Pick from the group that matches what you actually did. The strongest verb is the accurate one.

Leading people

Led, Directed, Headed, Oversaw, Managed, Supervised, Mentored, Coached, Trained, Hired, Recruited, Delegated, Mobilized, Owned, Drove, Interviewed

Building and creating

Built, Created, Designed, Developed, Engineered, Architected, Launched, Founded, Established, Introduced, Prototyped, Produced, Authored, Pioneered

Improving something that existed

Improved, Increased, Reduced, Cut, Accelerated, Streamlined, Optimized, Simplified, Modernized, Rebuilt, Redesigned, Refactored, Upgraded, Strengthened, Scaled

Delivering and shipping

Delivered, Shipped, Executed, Completed, Implemented, Deployed, Rolled out, Migrated, Automated, Integrated, Configured, Released

Analysis and research

Analyzed, Assessed, Audited, Evaluated, Forecast, Investigated, Measured, Modeled, Researched, Tested, Validated, Identified, Diagnosed, Quantified

Communicating and persuading

Presented, Published, Wrote, Negotiated, Persuaded, Pitched, Briefed, Documented, Facilitated, Advocated, Consulted, Edited, Rewrote

Working across teams

Partnered, Collaborated, Coordinated, Aligned, Unified, Liaised, Supported, Enabled, United

Money, sales and growth

Grew, Generated, Won, Closed, Secured, Expanded, Saved, Budgeted, Raised, Monetized, Acquired, Converted, Retained, Allocated

Fixing and running things

Resolved, Debugged, Fixed, Troubleshot, Restored, Prevented, Standardized, Consolidated, Organized, Planned, Scheduled, Maintained, Monitored, Stabilized, Ran, Operated, Processed

How to use action verbs well

Choose the verb that matches your real role

"Led" and "Supported" describe very different contributions, and an interviewer will ask about it. If you were one of five engineers on a migration, "Migrated" or "Rebuilt" with a clear description of your part is stronger than "Led", which you would then have to walk back.

Use past tense for past roles

Use past tense for previous jobs and for completed work in your current job. Present tense ("Manage", "Lead") is acceptable for ongoing responsibilities in your current role, but be consistent within each role.

Do not repeat the same verb

If six bullets in a row start with "Managed", the reader stops seeing the word, and you lose the chance to show range. Scan the left edge of your resume: every bullet should start differently.

Follow the verb with a result

A strong verb with nothing after it is still a weak bullet. The pattern that works is verb, what you did, result:

• Weak: "Built dashboards."
• Strong: "Built real-time logistics dashboards used by 1,200 drivers, replacing a daily spreadsheet export."

Our guide to quantifying resume bullet points covers the result half in detail.

Avoid verbs that inflate the claim

"Spearheaded", "revolutionised" and "transformed" read as puffery unless the rest of the bullet proves them. A plain, specific verb backed by a number is more convincing than a dramatic one backed by nothing.

Before and after

The numbers in these examples are illustrations. Use your own, and only ones you can explain in an interview.

Verbs and phrases to avoid as openers

These describe a role rather than an achievement, and the ATS check here marks them down:

• "Responsible for"
• "Worked on"
• "Helped"
• "Assisted"
• "Involved in"
• "Participated in"
• "Tasked with"
• "Duties included"
• "Was part of"

Each one has a better replacement, usually hiding in the sentence already. Our guide on what to write instead of "responsible for" walks through them one by one.

Frequently asked questions

What is an action verb on a resume?

It is the verb at the start of a bullet point that says what you did, such as Led, Built, Reduced or Negotiated. It replaces passive phrases like "Responsible for" and makes each line read as an achievement.

Should resume verbs be in past or present tense?

Past tense for previous roles and for finished work in your current role. Present tense is fine for ongoing duties in your current job, as long as you are consistent within that role.

How many different action verbs should I use?

Enough that no two bullets in the same section start with the same word. On a typical one-page resume that means around 12 to 20 different verbs.

Is "Managed" a weak verb?

Not weak, but vague. It is fine when you genuinely managed people or a budget. Where a more specific verb fits, such as Hired, Mentored, Budgeted or Scheduled, the specific one tells the reader more.

Do action verbs help with applicant tracking systems?

Indirectly. Tracking systems search for skills and job titles rather than verbs. Action verbs help the recruiter who reads your resume once the system has surfaced it, which is where most decisions are actually made.