Download Action Verbs and Keywords

Action Verbs & Keywords
If your resume is scanned electronically by a potential employer, the computer scanner will pick up
on these keywords. Electronic resume scanners are programmed to look for key terms in your resume. Without them, your resume could be discarded. Use the below as a starting point, however
we recommend to read the job posting closely. The verbs they are looking for will usually be included in the posting.
A
accelerated, acclimated, accompanied, accomplished, achieved, acquired, acted, activated, actuated, adapted, added, addressed, adhered, adjusted, administered, admitted, adopted, advanced,
advertised, advised, advocated, aided, aired, affected, allocated, altered, amended, amplified, analyzed, answered, anticipated, appointed, appraised, approached, approved, arbitrated, arranged,
ascertained, asked, assembled, assigned, assumed, assessed, assisted, attained, attracted, audited, augmented, authored, authorized, automated, awarded, avail
B
balanced, bargained, borrowed, bought, broadened, budgeted, built
C
calculated, canvassed, capitalized, captured, carried, out, cast, cataloged, centralized, challenged,
chaired, changed, channeled, charted, checked, chose, circulated, clarified, classified, cleared,
closed, co-authored, cold, called, collaborated, collected, combined, commissioned, committed,
communicated, compared, compiled, complied, completed, composed, computed, conceived, conceptualized, concluded, condensed, conducted, conferred, consolidated, constructed, consulted,
contracted, contrasted, contributed, contrived, controlled, converted, convinced, coordinated, corrected, corresponded, counseled, counted, created, critiqued, cultivated
D
debugged, decided, decentralized, decreased, deferred, defined, delegated, delivered, demonstrated, depreciated, described, designated, designed, determined, developed, devised, devoted,
diagrammed, directed, disclosed, discounted, discovered, dispatched, displayed, dissembled, distinguished, distributed, diversified, divested, documented, doubled, drafted
E
earned, eased, edited, effected, elected, eliminated, employed, enabled, encouraged, endorsed,
enforced, engaged, engineered, enhanced, enlarged, enriched, entered, entertained, established,
estimated, evaluated, examined, exceeded, exchanged, executed, exempted, exercised, expanded, expedited, explained, exposed, extended, extracted, extrapolated
F
facilitated, familiarized, fashioned, fielded, figured, financed, fit, focused, forecasted, formalized,
formed, formulated, fortified, found, founded, framed, fulfilled, functioned, furnished,
G
gained, gathered, gauged, gave, generated, governed, graded, granted, greeted, grouped, guided
H
handled, headed, hired, hosted
I
identified, illustrated, illuminated, implemented, improved, improvised, inaugurated, indoctrinated,
increased, incurred, induced, influenced, informed, initiated, innovated, inquired, inspected, inspired, installed, instigated, instilled, instituted, instructed, insured, interfaced, interpreted, interviewed, introduced, invented, inventoried, invested, investigated, invited, involved, isolated, issued
J
joined, judged
L
launched, lectured, led, lightened, liquidated, litigated, lobbied, localized, located
M
maintained, managed, mapped, marketed, maximized, measured, mediated, merchandised,
merged, met, minimized, modeled, moderated, modernized, modified, monitored, motivated,
moved, multiplied
N
named, narrated, negotiated, noticed, nurtured
O
observed, obtained, offered, offset, opened, operated, orchestrated, ordered, organized, oriented,
originated, overhauled, oversaw
P
paid, participated, passed, patterned, penalized, perceived, performed, permitted, persuaded,
phased, out, pinpointed, pioneered, placed, planned, polled, prepared, presented, preserved, presided, prevented, priced, printed, prioritized, probed, processed, procured, produced, profiled, programmed, projected, promoted, prompted, proposed, proved, provided, publicized, published, purchased, pursued
Q
quantified, quoted
R
raised, ranked, rated, reacted, read, received, recommended, reconciled, recorded, recovered, recruited, rectified, redesigned, reduced, referred, refined, regained, regulated, rehabilitated, reinforced, reinstated, rejected, related, remedied, remodeled, renegotiated, reorganized, replaced,
repaired, reported, represented, requested, researched, resolved, responded, restored, restructured, resulted, retained, retrieved, revamped, revealed, reversed, reviewed, revised, revitalized,
rewarded, routed
S
safeguarded, salvaged, saved, scheduled, screened, secured, segmented, selected, sent, separated, served, serviced, settled, shaped, shortened, showed, shrank, signed, simplified, sold,
solved, spearheaded, specified, speculated, spoke, spread, stabilized, staffed, staged, standardized, steered, stimulated, strategized, streamlined, strengthened, stressed, structured, studied,
submitted, substantiated, substituted, suggested, summarized, superseded, supervised, supplied,
supported, surpassed, surveyed, synchronized, synthesized, systematized
T
tabulated, tailored, targeted, taught, terminated, tested, testified, tightened, took, traced, traded,
trained, transacted, transferred, transformed, translated, transported, traveled, treated, tripled
U
uncovered, undertook, unified, united, updated, upgraded, used, utilized
V
validated, valued, verified, viewed, visited
W
weighed, welcomed, widened, witnessed, won, worked, wrote
Action Verbs
How did you observe or pay special attention to something?
addressed
investigated
perceived
examined
inspected
questioned
experimented
measured
read
explored
observed
researched
studied
surveyed
tested
weighed
How did you discover something?
ascertained
discovered
determined
found
detected
identified
diagnosed
learned
perceived
pinpointed
proved
recognized
solved
uncovered
verified
How did you evaluate something?
analyzed
compared
appraised
evaluated
assessed
judged
perceived
qualified
quantified
rated
reasoned
reviewed
How well did you understand something?
attributed
grasped
discerned
interpreted
perceived
transcribed
translated
How did you start something?
activated
formed
adopted
founded
began
generated
established
implemented
initiatives
instituted
introduced
launched
opened
originated
started
undertook
finalized
finished
fulfilled
reached
realized
terminated
How did you document something?
certified
logged
charted
mapped
documented
proved
recorded
researched
substantiated
supported
tabulated
How did you supervise employees?
appointed
employed
awarded
enforced
enlisted
evaluated
elected
fired
hired
interviewed
nominated
recruited
referred
selected
staffed
terminated
How were you future-oriented?
estimated
deterred
forecasted
hypothesized
predicted
prevented
projected
strategized
How did you finish something?
achieved
concluded
accomplished
ended
attained
established
completed
executed
How did you manage or lead?
acted
fostered
administered
governed
advised
handled
conducted
headed
controlled
implemented
directed
influenced
facilitated
integrated
How did you save the day?
averted
diverted
prevailed
led
maintained
managed
motivated
navigated
ordered
oversaw
prevented
salvaged
saved
How were you part of a team?
advised
conferred
aided
consulted
assisted
cooperated
collaborated
facilitated
performed
piloted
processed
scheduled
showed
supervised
used
succeeded
withstood
solved
fostered
helped
joined
met with
participated
served
teamed with
purchased
raised
realized
secured
solicited
cultivated
made
painted
photographed
prepared
produced
programmed
published
sketched
used
worked
provided
rendered
furnished
supplied
fitted
presented
How did you operate something?
conducted
handled
controlled
implemented
fixed
maintained
functioned
operated
performed
troubleshooting
ran
rebuilt
repaired
tended
used
worked
How did you organize something?
arranged
collected
assembled
connected
categorized
combined
compiled
consolidated
coordinated
correlated
implemented
organized
prepared
structured
summarized
systematized
How did you obtain something new?
acquired
expanded
bought
obtained
collected
procured
produced
received
How did you make something?
assembled
drew
built
engineered
composed
fabricated
constructed
fashioned
drafted
formed
How did you provide something?
dispensed
installed
distributed
offered
performed
responded
submitted
How did you make decisions?
activated
approved
adopted
concluded
decided
determined
resolved
settled
How were you accountable?
assured
ensured
confirmed
guaranteed
delivered
guarded
inspected
protected
satisfied
safeguarded
secured
How did you make changes?
adapted
extended
adopted
extracted
centralized
implemented
combined
improvised
condensed
modified
reconstructed
separated
redesigned
simplified
refined
reorganized
restored
restructured
revised
unified
united
standardized
supplemented
systematized
synergized
tailored
converted
edited
How did you improve things?
advanced
enlarged
augmented
enriched
corrected
expedited
cultivated
extended
developed
implemented
enhanced
improved
increased
modernized
reduced
resolved
revitalized
solved
surpassed
streamlined
treated
updated
upgraded
What new idea did you think of?
conceived
devised
conceptualized
discovered
created
generated
designed
improvised
developed
innovated
invented
originated
perceived
pioneered
shaped
solved
synergized
synthesized
visualized
What connections did you make?
connected
matched
joined
introduced
merged
linked
networked
united
How did you communicate an idea?
communicated
lectured
demonstrated
modeled
displayed
persuaded
dramatized
presented
explained
proposed
related
reported
represented
shared
showed
submitted
symbolized
verbalized
wrote
illustrated
What did you explain?
interpreted
deciphered
defined
detailed
clarified
elucidated
accounted for
explained