Career Planning Finding a Job Resumes Resume and Cover Letter Action Verbs By Alison Doyle Alison Doyle Alison Doyle is one of the nation’s foremost career experts. learn about our editorial policies Updated on June 6, 2022 In This Article View All In This Article What Are Resume Action Verbs and Keywords Why and How to Include Action Verbs in Your Resume Alphabetical List of Action Verbs Resume Example With Action Verbs Photo: asiseeit / Getty Images Why should you use action verbs in your resumes and cover letters? Hiring managers want to see what you can do to accomplish goals. Using keywords and action verbs cuts to the chase and demonstrates your abilities. But choosing the right words doesn’t just show what you have accomplished in previous jobs. These words also help your resume, cover letter, and other application materials get selected by the software and hiring managers who screen your documents. What Are Resume Action Verbs and Keywords? Action verbs show your ability to succeed. For example, words like accomplished, developed, managed, and handled describe what you have achieved. Keywords are the words you use to search for available positions. They’re also the terms that hiring managers use to screen resumes and cover letters to find applicants that are a good fit for a job. Job keywords describe the hard skills you have that qualify you for a job. Note The closer the keywords in a resume are to those in a job description, the better a candidate's chances of being selected for a job interview. Why and How to Include Action Verbs in Your Resume The keywords in your resume will help you get selected for a job interview. Hiring managers search by keywords to find resumes that match the job qualifications they established when they listed the job. In addition to listing keywords specific to your occupation (like software or sales skills), include action words that show you what you have accomplished. Rather than just stating a list of duties, including action keywords in your position descriptions. Here's an example: Proficient in Microsoft Word and ExcelSpecialized in product order managementHelped manage associates on the sales floor Alphabetical List of Action Verbs Review these tips for how to get your resume past the applicant tracking systems employers use, and this list of action keywords to use to get your application noticed when applying for jobs. The Balance AAchieved, accomplished, acted, adapted, addressed, analyzed, authored, authorized, assessed, assisted, appraised, amended, advised, allocated, altered, accelerated, acquired, aided, assembled BBudgeted, built, brainstormed, balanced, blended, boosted CCompiled, combined, challenged, chaired, committed, communicated, coordinated, calculated, contributed, commissioned, confirmed, customized, created, challenged, critiqued DDecided, developed, disclosed, documented, discovered, designed, determined, demonstrated, deferred, distributed, directed, devoted, drafted, doubled, diversified, designated, dedicated, discussed EExercised, expected, earned, elected, engaged, entered, engineered, employed, edited, evaluated, entertained, eliminated, exchanged, ended, estimated, exempted, endorsed, expedited, experienced, enforced, explained FFacilitated, focused, financed, fueled, figured, fit, formed, fortified, functioned, formulated GGuided, grouped, gave, garnered, granted, generated, guaranteed, gathered, graphed HHired, handled, helped, headed IImproved, identified, installed, inspired, interviewed, issued, invested, illustrated, implemented, incurred, innovated, inspected, invented, interpreted, inaugurated, informed, induced, instilled, incorporated JJudged, joined, justified LLocated, lectured, launched, litigated, lobbied, led, listened MMastered, managed, merchandised, modified, met, minimized, modeled, measured, moderated, motivated, multiplied, marketed, maximized, moved, mediated NNegotiated, noticed, navigated, networked OOperated, owned, observed, oversaw, organized, obtained, oriented PParticipated, printed, proposed, pursued, persuaded, perceived, preserved, processed, produced, promoted, planned, performed, pioneered, passed, prioritized, proficiency, provided, profiled, polled, presented, procured, purchased, placed, permitted QQuoted, qualified, questioned, queried RRanked, resolved, received, rewarded, revised, revitalized, revamped, responded, restored, rejected, reinforced, reinstated, rehabilitated, remedied, redesigned, recruited, recovered, recorded, reduced, replaced, retained, retrieved, reversed, ran, raised, reached, reviewed, researched SSaved, secured, stabilized, scheduled, screened, settled, separated, sent, selected, shaped, shortened, showed, signed, simplified, sold, specialized, staged, standardized, steered, stimulated, strategized, surveyed, supported, supplied, substantiated, set goals, supervised, studied TTrained, tabulated, took, traveled, transformed, tested, transferred, tailored, targeted UUtilized, uncovered, united, updated, undertook, unified, upgraded VVerified, valued, validated, visited, visualized WWitnessed, worked, weighed, wrote, won, welcomed Resume Example With Action Verbs This is an example of a resume with action verbs. Download the resume template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online), The Balance Download the Word Template Resume Example With Action Verbs (Text Version) Lewis Givens18 Oak LaneHouston, TX 77009Cell: 555-555-5555lgivens@email.comPHARMACEUTICAL SALES REPRESENTATIVEPhysician Education / Territory Development / Relationship BuildingNationally top-ranked pharmaceutical sales representative with unprecedented success establishing market dominance for antidiabetics products. Charismatic presenter and negotiator, deftly forging and maintaining lasting relationships with physician groups and pharmacies.Notable Sales AchievementsScored Pharma Sales Rep of the Quarter regional and national titles every year between 2010 and 2021.Pioneered new territories for newly launched Bleudacan® family of products, leading product to top 5% ranking nationally within six months of release.Consistently earned Chairman’s Circle and National President’s Club accolades throughout my career.PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCEBiomed Corporation, Houston, TXPharmaceutical Sales Representative (06/2016 to Present)Orchestrated market launch and territory penetration for Bleudacan® antidiabetics across the Southwest region of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.Leveraged network of major accounts across the four-state territory to ensure immediate market dominance of novel Bleudacan® products.Authored well-received whitepaper on sales trends in the antidiabetics market.Biogenics LLC, Houston, TXPharmaceutical Sales Representative (06/2009 to 06/2016)Established reputation as a winning physician educator as a representative for the antidiabetics Restorex® and Historelb® in the Texas regional market.Captured Chairman’s Circle rankings for each year of tenure.Increased sales of Restorex® by 58% and of Historelb® by 46% within six months of hire.EDUCATIONThe University of Texas, Austin, TXBachelor of Science in MarketingProfessional DevelopmentAntidiabetics Sales, Value-driven Sales Techniques, Territory Growth Strategies, Regulatory Issues Was this page helpful? 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