Resume action verbs, grouped by what you did
Find the group that matches what you actually did, open the bullet with one of its verbs, then fill the blanks with your own facts. A verb on its own says nothing; the shapes under each group are the part that turns one into a bullet.
115 verbs · 12 groups · Updated
Made something faster or cheaper
The most persuasive shape there is, because both ends of it are numbers.
- cut
- reduced
- removed
- automated
- consolidated
- renegotiated
- streamlined
- simplified
- shortened
- accelerated
- lowered
- halved
Shapes to fill in
- Cut ___ from ___ to ___ by ___
- Reduced ___ by ___% by ___
- Removed ___ from ___, saving ___ per ___
Shipped something
Name the thing, then who used it. A launch nobody adopted is not a result.
- shipped
- built
- launched
- delivered
- rebuilt
- migrated
- designed
- developed
- implemented
- released
- produced
- completed
Shapes to fill in
- Shipped ___, used by ___
- Built ___ that ___, replacing ___
- Launched ___ in ___, ___ ahead of ___
Handled scale or volume
Numbers a reader can picture: users, requests, rows, sites, dollars.
- operated
- scaled
- managed
- processed
- oversaw
- expanded
- extended
- doubled
- tripled
- grew
- migrated
Shapes to fill in
- Operated ___ serving ___ ___ a ___
- Scaled ___ from ___ to ___ without ___
- Managed ___ worth ___ across ___
Improved quality or reliability
The before-and-after matters more than the practice you introduced.
- cut
- raised
- eliminated
- introduced
- diagnosed
- fixed
- prevented
- restored
- stabilised
- hardened
- verified
Shapes to fill in
- Cut ___ defects from ___ to ___ by ___
- Raised ___ from ___ to ___ over ___
- Eliminated ___, ending ___ that had cost ___
Moved a commercial number
Revenue, retention, conversion, cost per acquisition — whichever one you owned.
- grew
- won
- lifted
- retained
- opened
- secured
- negotiated
- generated
- converted
- sold
- renewed
Shapes to fill in
- Grew ___ from ___ to ___ in ___
- Won ___ accounts worth ___, including ___
- Lifted ___ by ___% by ___
Led people or a programme
Say what the team achieved, not how many people reported to you.
- led
- hired
- coordinated
- mentored
- ran
- coached
- directed
- trained
- onboarded
- recruited
- delegated
Shapes to fill in
- Led ___ people through ___, delivering ___
- Hired and trained ___, of whom ___
- Coordinated ___ across ___ teams to ___
Changed how work is done
A process change counts when you can say what it changed.
- redesigned
- standardised
- documented
- replaced
- established
- formalised
- restructured
- overhauled
- instituted
- mapped
- simplified
Shapes to fill in
- Redesigned ___, cutting ___ from ___ to ___
- Standardised ___ across ___, removing ___
- Documented ___, cutting ___ time for ___ by ___
Found something in the data
An analysis is worth a bullet when a decision came out of it.
- analysed
- modelled
- identified
- built
- tested
- measured
- forecast
- audited
- evaluated
- investigated
- quantified
Shapes to fill in
- Analysed ___ to find ___, leading to ___
- Modelled ___, forecasting ___ within ___
- Identified ___ worth ___ that ___ had missed
Served customers or clients
Volume and outcome together. One without the other reads as a job description.
- resolved
- recovered
- advised
- cut
- rewrote
- guided
- answered
- escalated
- retained
- onboarded
- trained
Shapes to fill in
- Resolved ___ ___ per ___ at ___ satisfaction
- Recovered ___ escalations that had reached ___
- Advised ___ clients on ___, resulting in ___
Met a standard or passed an audit
Name the standard. It is the part a reader can verify.
- prepared
- brought
- closed
- wrote
- audited
- certified
- enforced
- inspected
- documented
- remediated
Shapes to fill in
- Prepared ___ for ___, passing with ___
- Brought ___ into compliance with ___ across ___
- Closed ___ audit findings in ___
Taught, wrote, or presented
Audience size and what changed for them.
- taught
- presented
- wrote
- ran
- tutored
- coached
- planned
- assessed
- explained
- facilitated
Shapes to fill in
- Taught ___ to ___, ___ of whom ___
- Presented ___ to ___ at ___
- Wrote ___ read by ___
Coursework, projects and study
For a first resume: the same shapes, sized to what you have actually done.
- built
- placed
- completed
- organised
- contributed
- researched
- published
- studied
- qualified
- earned
- presented
Shapes to fill in
- Built ___ for ___, used by ___
- Placed ___ of ___ in ___
- Completed ___ covering ___, finishing ___
Openers to stop using
These are the openings the checker in the builder flags. None of them is wrong English; each one describes being present rather than what you did, and the fix is nearly always to say the thing it is standing in for.
| Instead of | Why | Try |
|---|---|---|
| responsible for | It says the task existed. It does not say you did it, or how well. | led, ran, managed, delivered |
| worked on | Being near the work is not the work. Say which part was yours. | built, designed, rebuilt, tested |
| helped | It hides your share of the result behind someone else's. | delivered, coordinated, prepared, resolved |
| assisted | The same as helped, one register more formal. | prepared, processed, organised, coordinated |
| participated | Attendance, not contribution. | presented, analysed, wrote, tested |
| handled | True of every task anyone has ever had. | resolved, processed, closed, escalated |
| used | A tool is not an achievement. Say what the tool let you do. | built, automated, analysed, migrated |
| tasked with | Someone gave you the job. The bullet should say what you did with it. | delivered, completed, launched, shipped |
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