Power Verbs for Your Résumé and Cover Letter

Power verbs bring your résumé to life. They paint a picture for the reviewer by highlighting your skills and accomplishments, affirm your communication skills, and help you stand out in a crowd. Begin each statement or phrase with a power verb, then take your résumé to the next level, by inserting action-packed power verbs into your work history and branding statement.

Tip: Remember to use present tense verbs in your profile and qualifications summary and when creating task, responsibility and accomplishment bullets for a current position. Use past-tense verbs to describe prior positions and experience in your work history.

There are literally thousands of verbs to choose from, so feel free to share your favorites. Here are some of our suggestions (by category) to help you get started.


Achievements/Awards

• Accelerated • Generated • Prescribed
• Accomplished • Grew • Produced
• Achieved • Honored • Prevailed
• Arose • Improved • Raised
• Attained • Increased • Realized
• Awarded • Introduced • Reduced
• Chosen • Lessened • Revitalized
• Completed • Mastered • Streamlined
• Consummated • Maximized • Surpassed
• Circumvented • Minimized • Topped
• Established • Outperformed • Transformed
• Exceeded • Overachieved • Won
• Founded • Overcame

Communication

• Addressed • Disseminated • Profiled
• Advertised • Documented • Proofread
• Advised • Drafted • Publicized
• Alerted • Edited • Published
• Amended • Emailed • Queried
• Announced • Generated • Questioned
• Answered • Emphasized • Recorded
• Arbitrated • Explained • Relayed
• Articulated • Expressed • Reported
• Authored • Framed • Responded
• Branded • Highlighted • Rewrote
• Briefed • Informed • Scribed
• Broadcasted • Interacted • Search Engine Optimized (SEO’d)
• Chronicled • Interfaced • Shared
• Circulated • Interpreted • Socialized
• Cited • Interviewed • Specified
• Clarified • Liaised • Spoke
• Commended • Listened • Suggested
• Communicated • Logged • Synthesized
• Compiled • Mediated • Talked
• Condensed • Moderated • Telegraphed
• Consulted • Narrated • Transcribed
• Contacted • Notated • Translated
• Conveyed • Notified • Transmitted
• Convinced • Outlined • Tweeted
• Corresponded • Penned • Verbalized
• Crowd Sourced • Portrayed • Wrote
• Debated • Posted
• Defined • Presented
• Detailed • Proclaimed


Creativity/Innovation

• Accentuated • Drew • Merchandised
• Advertised • Enhanced • Originated
• Animated • Enlivened • Patented
• Architected • Envisioned • Personalized
• Brainstormed • Exhibited • Piloted
• Captivated • Fashioned • Pioneered
• Captured • Formulated • Photographed
• Composed • Graphed • Redesigned
• Conceived • Hypothesized • Renewed
• Conceptualized • Illustrated • Revolutionized
• Crafted • Imaged • Sculpted
• Created • Imagined • Shaped
• Customized • Improvised • Showcased
• Designed • Initiated • Sketched
• Devised • Innovated • Storyboarded
• Differentiated • Instituted • Unveiled
• Displayed • Invented • Visualized
• Drafted • Marketed


Leadership

• Advocated • Enabled • Led
• Aroused • Energized • Lobbied
• Assembled • Encouraged • Mentored
• Bolstered • Engaged • Mobilized
• Campaigned • Enlisted • Modeled
• Catapulted • Enticed • Moderated
• Chaired • Enthused • Motivated
• Challenged • Focused • Nurtured
• Championed • Furthered • Parlayed
• Coached • Garnered • Persuaded
• Compromised • Guided • Rallied
• Counseled • Ignited • Sparked
• Drove • Influenced • Spearheaded
• Elected • Infused • Spurred
• Elicited • Inspired • Steered
• Empowered • Instilled • Stimulated


Management/Supervisory

• Absorbed • Discharged • Prepared
• Accounted for • Dissolved • Prioritized
• Accrued • Dispensed • Procured
• Acted • Dispersed • Projected
• Adopted • Doubled • Promoted
• Administered • Economized • Provisioned
• Aligned • Elevated • Pruned
• Allocated • Eliminated • Quantified
• Amended • Enacted • Ratcheted
• Anticipated • Ensured • Rated
• Appointed • Estimated • Reapportioned
• Appraised • Examined • Recognized
• Appropriated • Executed • Recommended
• Approved • Extracted • Recruited
• Assessed • Facilitated • Redefined
• Audited • Forecasted • Reinforced
• Augmented • Fought • Reigned in
• Authorized • Fulfilled • Reorganized
• Avoided • Furnished • Researched
• Benchmarked • Funded • Restructured
• Budgeted • Gained • Required
• Calculated • Gauged • Reversed
• Capitalized • Governed • Reviewed
• Carried out • Hired • Revised
• Carved out • Injected • Risked
• Cemented • Intervened • Saved
• Charged • Justified • Seized
• Charted • Leveraged • Set goals
• Checked • Magnified • Sharpened
• Chose • Managed • Shortened
• Commanded • Mandated • Slashed
• Commended • Maneuvered • Solicited
• Compared • Measured • Sourced
• Complied • Mitigated • Supervised
• Contracted • Monitored • Sustained
• Controlled • Mounted • Terminated
• Convened • Navigated • Transferred
• Critiqued • Normalized • Trimmed
• Cut • Off shored • Tripled
• Decided • Orchestrated • Turned
• Deduced • Outsourced • Vetted
• Delineated • Oversaw • Weighed
• Delegated • Planned • Withstood
• Designated • Praised
• Directed • Predicted


Teamwork

• Acknowledged • Diversified • Melded
• Amassed • Embraced • Merged
• Anchored • Elevated • Nominated
• Assimilated • Encouraged • Organized
• Augmented • Energized • Participated
• Balanced • Enlisted • Partnered
• Blended • Forged • Supplemented
• Buoyed • Fostered • Syncopated
• Collaborated • Gathered • Teamed
• Coalesced • Harmonized • United
• Contributed • Ignited • Volunteered
• Coordinated • Joined • Wove
• Cultivated • Married


Technical Work

• Accelerated • Equipped • Qualified
• Added • Evaluated • Quality Assured
• Adopted • Expunged • Ranked
• Aggregated • Extended • Realigned
• Analyzed • Extracted • Rebooted
• Applied • Extrapolated • Rebuilt
• Assembled • Fabricated • Reconciled
• Authenticated • Finalized • Reconstructed
• Automated • Fine-Tuned • Recovered
• Backed-up • Formatted • Rectified
• Balanced • Functionalized • Re-engineered
• Blocked • Grouped • Refreshed
• Boosted • Hosted • Reinforced
• Branched • Identified • Rehabilitated
• Bridged • Implemented • Released
• Built • Initialized • Remodeled
• Bundled • Installed • Replicated
• Calculated • Integrated • Restored
• Calibrated • Isolated • Retooled
• Certified • Launched • Retrieved
• Changed • Licensed • Retrofitted
• Checked • Linked • Revamped
• Classified • Loaded • Revised
• Cleaned • Maintained • Road mapped
• Cleansed • Manufactured • Rolled out
• Cleared • Mapped • Rotated
• Coded • Mechanized • Routed
• Collocated • Merged • Safeguarded
• Computed • Migrated • Salvaged
• Computerized • Mined • Scanned
• Configured • Mirrored • Scoped
• Consolidated • Mobilized • Scrubbed
• Constructed • Modeled • Secured
• Corrected • Modified • Selected
• Debugged • Moved • Sequenced
• Deciphered • Networked • Solved
• Decoded • Neutralized • Stabilized
• Dedicated • Operated • Standardized
• Defended • Optimized • Straddled
• Delivered • Overhauled • Systematized
• Deployed • Packaged • Tested
• Digitized • Patched • Toggled
• Discovered • Penetrated • Traced
• Dispatched • Pinpointed • Transitioned
• Distributed • Prevented • Updated
• Duplicated • Prioritized • Upgraded
• Enabled • Processed • Validated
• Engineered • Programmed • Verified
• Enhanced • Protected • Virtualized
• Eradicated • Prototyped • Web-enabled
• Estimated • Provisioned

Training

• Assessed • Enriched • Lectured
• Adapted • Enrolled • Showed
• Advised • Familiarized • Taught
• Demonstrated • Honed • Trained
• Demystified • Indoctrinated • Tutored
• Dispensed • Informed
• Educated • Instructed


User/Technical Support Experience

• Appeased • Formatted • Resolved
• Allayed • Inspected • Responded
• Ascertained • Inventoried • Satisfied
• Assisted • Investigated • Scheduled
• Assured • Issued • Served
• Cabled • Labeled • Serviced
• Closed • Located • Set up
• Connected • Logged • Shipped
• Corrected • Monitored • Supported
• Diagnosed • Performed • Sustained
• Dispatched • Pleased • Ticketed
• Dissected • Prioritized • Tracked
• Eased • Racked • Trailed
• Escalated • Remedied • Triaged
• Expedited • Repaired • Troubleshot
• Fixed • Requisitioned • Uncovered


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