156+ Good Action Verbs for CVs

Employers with open positions receive CVs every day, so they’ve seen clichéd terms like “responsible for” and “took part in” over and over. Make your CV stand out by replacing overused phrases with unique action words:

Powerful action verbs give your CV clarity and detail. Use these words to highlight how you’ve:

Accomplished something

Employers want to know that you’re an achiever. Spotlight your accomplishments with these action verbs:

• Mastered
• Prevailed
• Achieved
• Reached
• Attained
• Realised
• Delivered
• Succeeded
• Executed
• Surpassed
• Fulfilled
• Topped

Here’s an example of how to use these action verbs in a bullet point on your CV:

Attained a 4.8 star rating from customers and surpassed sales targets by 170%

Produced results

Are you results-driven? Show that you can deliver by using these action verbs for your CV:

• Advanced
• Outperformed
• Dominated
• Scored
• Earned
• Thrived
• Engaged
• Won
• Impacted
• Garnered

This example bullet point from a CV work experience section includes action verbs that show how the candidate produced results:

Raised £3000 by organising 2021 fundraiser that outperformed all previous years’ events

Worked well with others

Teamwork is a key skill for your CV no matter what profession you’re in. Put these action verbs in your CV to show that you work well with others:

• Aided
• Liaised
• Coordinated
• Merged
• Collaborated
• Networked
• Connected
• Synchronised
• Enlisted
• Synergised
• Harmonised
• Trained

Add teamwork-related action verbs to your CV like this:

Enlisted and trained 12 recent graduates for local internship programme

Helped customers

If you’re in the service industry, pleasing customers is crucial. Showcase your customer service skills with these action verbs for your CV:

• Appeased
• Resolved
• Attended
• Satisfied
• Nurtured
• Served
• Rectified
• Steered
• Relieved
• Supervised

Here’s a sample of how to put customer service action verbs in your CV:

Attended to 50+ product returns per day, resolving issues in less than 24 hours

Communicated effectively

Every workplace needs clear communication. Place these action verbs in your CV to show that you’re a good communicator:

• Advised
• Deliberated
• Articulated
• Engaged
• Brainstormed
• Expressed
• Briefed
• Presented
• Consulted
• Verbalised

Here’s how to highlight your communication skills with strong CV action words:

Engaged with 7 stakeholders throughout the project, articulating new solutions to emerging problems

Researched

Many careers in 2022 require research skills. Prove you’ve got research experience with these CV action words:

• Discovered
• Explored
• Assessed
• Investigated
• Collected
• Measured
• Conducted
• Monitored
• Examined
• Scrutinised
• Experimented
• Tested

Here’s an example of how to work research action verbs into your CV:

Collected data to conduct desktop studies, publishing up to 3 peer-reviewed meta-analyses per month

Analysed data

Employers value people who can make sense of data. Add these action verbs to your CV to show your skills at interpreting data:

• Hypothesised
• Evaluated
• Demystified
• Examined
• Clarified
• Interpreted
• Delved
• Itemised
• Dissected
• Probed
• Distilled
• Reviewed
• Inquired
• Studied

Here are two of these powerful verbs in action in an analytics CV:

Interpreted monthly market analyses and itemised sales targets, boosting overall sales by 35%

Created something

Have you written a new fitness plan or designed an app to speed up your work flow? Use these action verbs to show employers that you’ve created something worthwhile:

• Actualised
• Engineered
• Built
• Established
• Cultivated
• Initiated
• Designed
• Invented
• Devised
• Launched
• Effected
• Pioneered
• Enacted
• Spearheaded

Here’s an example of using action verbs in your CV to highlight what you’ve created:

Devised a new e-filing system that boosted efficiency by 15%

Settled deals

Negotiating deals is a valuable skill. Show that you can close business deals with these CV action words:

• Bargained
• Brokered
• Clinched
• Mediated
• Closed
• Arbitrated
• Conferred
• Secured
• Finalised
• Confirmed

Here’s an example of using good action verbs related to making deals in your CV:

Mediated and closed deals with service providers, cutting company expenses in 5 consecutive years

Managed people or projects

Employers look for employees who can handle extra responsibility. Highlight any management roles you’ve had by using these power words for your CV:

• Captained
• Mentored
• Delegated
• Monitored
• Directed
• Oversaw
• Facilitated
• Ran
• Guided
• Steered
• Headed
• Inspired

Here’s how to your highlight management skills with strong action verbs:

Monitored and directed new stock intake to keep under shop budget by 10%

Increased positive metrics

Most companies have a clear goal — growth. Use these action verbs in your CV to emphasise how you’ve produced positive increases at work:

• Amplified
• Inflated
• Augmented
• Magnified
• Boosted
• Maximised
• Broadened
• Raised
• Enlarged
• Scaled

And this is an example of a CV bullet point that shows how the applicant increased positive metrics:

Broadened web content to boost site visitors and increase leads by 40%

Decreased negative metrics

If you’ve slashed costs or reduced time spent working on a process, use these action verbs in your CV:

• Alleviated
• Diminished
• Axed
• Minimised
• Curbed
• Saved
• Curtailed
• Shed
• Cut
• Streamlined

Here’s an example of how to fit these action verbs into your CV:

Streamlined app registration process, cutting bounce rate by 18%

Improved something

Here are action verbs for your CV that show that you’ve made improvements at your current or previous companies:

• Enhanced
• Propelled
• Enriched
• Reinvigorated
• Tuned
• Revitalised
• Optimised
• Upgraded
• Polished
• Uplifted

Add these action verbs to your CV like this:

Upgraded product service protocols to optimise response time and customer satisfaction

Solved problems

Can an employer rely on you if an issue arises? Showcase your problem-solving abilities using these CV action verbs:

• Fixed
• Remedied
• Patched
• Resolved
• Reconciled
• Sorted
• Rectified
• Straightened
• Redressed
• Refocused

If you work in technical support, you might describe your problem-solving skills like this:

Patched up to 50 reported bugs per day, resolving customer issues before they reached supervisors

More power words for your CV

When writing your CV, use action verbs that are clear, specific and confident enough to catch an employer’s eye. In addition to action verbs, you should use powerful adjectives to make your skills and achievements stand out. Here are some examples:

• Adept
• Industrious
• Ardent
• Prompt
• Teachable
• Specialised
• Decisive
• Spirited
• Dedicated
• Tactful
• Inspirational
• Thorough
• Dynamic
• Tireless
• Energetic
• Versatile
• Exuberant
• Visionary