Action Verbs for Your Resume and CV: 96 Words by Skill

Short answer: action verbs are the words that start each bullet on your resume or CV: Drafted, Trained, Reduced, Sold. A strong action verb says what you did in one word, so a recruiter sees your work at a glance. Choose the verb that is true for your role, follow it with what you did, and end with the result.

Below are 96 action verbs for a resume or CV, grouped by the kind of work they show, with before and after examples.

Why action verbs matter on a resume

Recruiters skim. A bullet that opens with "Responsible for" or "Duties included" makes them read the whole line to find out what you did. A bullet that opens with a verb tells them in the first word.

Instead of	Write
Responsible for training new staff	Trained 6 new cashiers on the till and stock system
Duties included handling complaints	Resolved customer complaints by phone and email
Worked on the monthly reports	Prepared the monthly sales report for the regional manager
Helped with the website	Updated product pages on the company website weekly

96 action verbs for a resume or CV, by skill

Leading people and projects

Use only when you were in charge.

Led, Directed, Managed, Supervised, Coordinated, Chaired, Headed, Oversaw, Delegated, Mentored, Coached, Trained.

Building and creating

For things that exist because of you.

Built, Created, Designed, Developed, Launched, Founded, Established, Introduced, Set up, Drafted, Produced, Wrote.

Improving and fixing

Say what got better, and by how much if you know.

Improved, Reduced, Increased, Streamlined, Simplified, Upgraded, Restructured, Resolved, Fixed, Cut, Raised, Strengthened.

Analysing and researching

For work with data, evidence or reports.

Analysed, Assessed, Audited, Calculated, Evaluated, Forecast, Investigated, Measured, Researched, Reviewed, Tested, Tracked.

Communicating and persuading

For people you informed, convinced or served.

Presented, Negotiated, Advised, Persuaded, Explained, Briefed, Reported, Corresponded, Facilitated, Represented, Promoted, Answered.

Helping and serving

Honest verbs for support roles. They are strong when they are true.

Assisted, Supported, Served, Helped, Handled, Processed, Prepared, Organised, Scheduled, Maintained, Recorded, Welcomed.

Selling and winning

For targets, clients and money brought in.

Sold, Won, Secured, Generated, Closed, Exceeded, Grew, Expanded, Acquired, Retained, Converted, Sourced.

Technical and hands on

For tools, systems and practical work.

Installed, Configured, Operated, Programmed, Repaired, Engineered, Automated, Deployed, Inspected, Serviced, Assembled, Migrated.

The one rule: pick the verb you can defend

A strong verb that is not true is worse than a plain one that is. "Led the project" invites the interview question "Tell me how you led it", and if you assisted, the answer will show. Assisted, Supported and Prepared are strong verbs when they are accurate, especially with a clear result.

This is also how employers spot inflated or AI-written CVs; see can employers tell if you used AI.

How to quantify achievements on a resume

Add a number when you know it: how many, how much, how often or how fast. "Processed about 40 orders a day" or "Cut stock errors in half over six months" shows scale. If you do not know the number, describe the result in words ("so the audit closed on time") instead of guessing. Never invent a figure.

Action verbs in your CV summary and skills

Use verbs in your profile too ("Manage stock for two branches"), but keep the skills section to nouns: tools, languages and abilities. Our guides to the CV personal profile and skills to put on a CV show both.

Mistakes to avoid with action verbs

• Starting every bullet with the same verb.
• Mixing tenses: past tense for past jobs, present for your current one.
• Using a leadership verb (Led, Managed, Directed) for work you supported.
• Stacking buzzwords ("spearheaded synergies") instead of saying what happened.

More in common CV mistakes.

How CV Chap Chap helps with action verbs

The AI CV Agent writes your duties as action-verb bullets from what you tell it, and keeps your own verb: a line that opens with Managed, Led or Oversaw is sent back unless you used that word yourself. Look at real CV examples to see the verbs in context, then check the result with the ATS CV checker.

Good action verbs for a resume are short, specific and true: one per bullet, followed by what you did and what changed.

Turn your duties into strong, honest bullets. Build your CV with the AI CV Agent.