Source : Roger Pilney’s Blog

Action Phrases and Power Verbs

Describing your work experience isn’t easy. To help you, we’ve compiled a list of action

phrases and power verbs. The purpose of using them is to show employers that you

know how to get results. Begin your job descriptions with a power verb or phrase:

enlisted the support…, formed a committee…, sold, budgeted, improved, increased,

maintained the client relationship.

Action Phrases

CHRONO RESUME

Design, develop and deliver

Conduct needs analysis

Write course design documents

Manage development

Consult with clients

Facilitate problem-solving meetings

Implement solutions

Develop and implement formatting

Developed and delivered

Revamped product training

Assessed employee and client training needs

Analyzed evaluation data

Designed and implemented

EDUCATION EMPHASIS

Followed special task force

Assisted special task force

Proctored and scored

Facilitated discussion

SCANNABLE RESUME

Reduced manufacturing plant’s burden

Reduced material costs

BLUE CHIP RESUME

managed an eleven-person team

negotiated over $tk

coordinated strategic five-year plan

created and implemented innovative approach

developed new product

Power Verbs

A-B

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

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 cut

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-H

facilitated familiarized fashioned fielded figured financed fit focused forecasted

formalized formed formulated fortified found founded framed fulfilled functioned

furnished gained gathered gauged gave generated governed graded granted greeted

grouped guided 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-M

joined judged launched lectured led lightened liquidated litigated lobbied localized

located maintained managed mapped marketed maximized measured mediated

merchandised merged met minimized modeled moderated modernized modified

monitored motivated moved multiplied

N-O

named narrated negotiated noticed nurtured observed obtained offered offset opened

operated operationalized 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-R

quantified quoted 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-W

tabulated tailored targeted taught terminated tested testified tightened took traced traded

trained transacted transferred transformed translated transported traveled treated tripled

uncovered undertook unified united updated upgraded used utilized validated valued

verified viewed visited weighed welcomed widened witnessed won worked wrote