Resumé Action Verbs

Verb phrases are the most effective means of describing your previous job responsibilities. When writing your resumé, pretend you are telling someone about the duties you performed at your last job. For example, "I was vendor relations." On your resumé however, it is best to omit the supervisor for a staff of six employees. I maintained the hourly schedule and counted the daily register receipts. I was responsible for the inventory and vendor relations."

On your resumé however, it is best to omit the supervisor for a staff of six employees. I maintained the hourly schedule and the"I" and use only the remaining verb phrase to describe the work you did, i.e., "Supervised a staff of six employees," "Maintained the hourly scheduling," "Responsible for daily register receipts," and etc. Use present tense verb phrases for jobs you currently hold and past tense for former jobs. The following list should prove helpful:


Accomplished
Achieved
Acquired
Acted
Adapted
Addressed
Adjusted
Administered
Advanced
Advised
Allocated
Analyzed
Applied
Appraised
Approved
Arranged
Assembled
Assigned
Assisted
Attained
Audited
Author
Automated
Balanced
Brought
Budgeted
Built
Calculated
Catalogued
Chaired
Changed
Clarified
Coached
Collected
Communicated
Compared
Compiled
Completed
Composed
Computed
Computerized
Conceptualized
Conceived
Concluded
Conducted
Conserved
Consolidated
Contained
Continued
Contracted
Contributed
Controlled
Coordinated
Corrected
Corresponded
Counseled
Created
Critiqued
Cut
Decreased
Delegated
Decided
Defined
Delivered
Demonstrated
Determined
Designed
Developed
Devised
Diagnosed
Directed
Dispatched
Distinguished
Distributed
Diversified
Drafted
Edited
Educated
Eliminated
Enabled
Encouraged
Engineered
Enlisted
Established
Ensured
Estimated
Evaluated
Examined
Executed
Expanded
Expedited
Extracted
Fabricated
Facilitated
Familiarized
Fashioned
Finalized
Focused
Forecast
Formulated
Founded
Gathered
Generated
Graded
Guided
Handled
Headed Up
Identified
Illustrated
Implemented
Improved
Increased
Indoctrinated
Influenced
Informed
Initiated
Innovated
Inspected
Instructed
Insured
Integrated
Interpreted
Interviewed
Introduced
Invented
Investigated
Kept
Launched
Lectured
Led
Made
Maintained
Managed
Manufactured
Marketed
Mediated
Moderated
Modified
Monitored
Motivated
Negotiated
Observed
Operated
Ordered
Organized
Originated
Outsold
Overhauled
Oversaw
Participated
Performed
Persuaded
Planned
Prepared
Presented
Presided
Prioritized
Processed
Produced
Programmed
Projected
Promoted
Proposed
Provided
Publicized
Published
Purchased
Recommended
Reconciled
Recorded
Recruited
Reduced
Referred
Regulated
Rehabilitated
Related
Remodeled
Repaired
Reported
Represented
Researched
Restored
Restructured
Retrieved
Reversed
Reviewed
Revised
Revitalized
Saved
Scheduled
Schooled
Screened
Selected
Serviced
Set
Shaped
Screened
Selected
Simplified
Skilled
Sold
Solidified
Solved
Specified
Stimulated
Streamlined
Strengthened
Suggested
Summarized
Supervised
Surveyed
Systemized
Tabulated
Taught
Tested
Trained
Translated
Traveled
Trimmed
Updated
Upgraded
Validated
Worked
Wrote