Powerful Resume Words to Include and Avoid

It is necessary to avoid weak and passive verbs when writing a curriculum vitae, stay away from business jargon or clichés, and watch for repetitive terms and sentences. The quality and relevance of the resume can be compromised by these poor word choices. Instead, use strong action verbs and stop the overuse of the same verbs (like “supported,” “oversaw,” and “used”).

Words of action are clear, explain your efforts and add a positive tone to your resume and accomplishments list. Here is an example from this:

Lacks in power and clarity: “Held weekly progress meetings to discuss information with clients.”

Empowered and detailed: “Weekly progress meetings organized to communicate revenue growth for the department.”

Can you see just how stronger and more informative the second alternative is? The action verbs make a direct and impactful contribution to you.

Related Post : 10 Best skills to include in the CV

Resume action verbs

Below are several action verbs grouped by the form of effect, so that you can pick the most appropriate words for your resume.

To demonstrate your strong work ethic or to introduce your achievements, try:

Achieved	Capitalized	Deciphered
Discerned	Drove	Enacted
Endeavored	Established	Exceeded
Sharpened	Shattered	Sparked
Spearheaded	Steered	Stimulated
Supervised	Surpassed

Instead of “including tasks,” “responsible for,” “acted as” or “included behavior,”, try:

Accelerated	Accomplished	Analyzed
Assembled	Built	Founded
Created	Constructed	Delivered
Developed	Executed	Expanded
Finalized	Forged	Guided
Handled	Headed	Improved
Increased	Initiated	Implemented
Instituted	Produced	Reached
Simplified	Volunteered

To highlight your communication skills, try:

Collaborated	Conveyed	Enlivened
Instructed	Performed	Presented
Spoke	Trained

For creative views, try:

Authored	Brainstormed	Briefed
Communicated	Conceptualized	Curated
Derived	Designed	Diagramed
Drafted	Edited	Illustrated
Imagined	Influenced	Intensified
Modeled	Proofread	Published
Researched	Strategized	Storyboarded
Translated	Visualized	Wrote

For sales positions, try:

Captured	Conserved	Converted
Earned	Generated	Maximized
Negotiated	Won

For executive roles, try:

Advised	Arranged	Augmented
Centralized	Championed	Differentiated
Directed	Empowered	Endorsed
Enforced	Ensured	Forecasted
Fostered	Identified	Integrated
Leveraged	Reconciled	Reduced
Replaced	Resolved	Orchestrated
Optimized	Predicted	Renovated

For financial positions, try:

Audited	Classified	Collected
Equalized	Dispensed	Halted
Investigated	Lowered	Maintained
Minimized	Recognized	Secured

For technical positions, try:

Advanced	Architected	Automated
Coded	Deployed	Detected
Devised	Diagnosed	Discovered
Formulated	Installed	Launched
Networked	Planned	Programmed
Rewrote	Refined	Tested
Troubleshoot	Upgraded