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120 action words to include on your CV.

Impress recruiters by describing your key skills with these action words for CVs.

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120 action words to include on your CV
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Summary

To make your CV stand out from the competition, you want to show hiring managers you mean business – literally. That means passive, weak language just won’t do – you’ll need to incorporate some strong action verbs into your CV so your confidence in your capabilities shines through.

If you’re unsure about which action words to use for your CV, you’ve come to the right place. This helpful Adobe guide will highlight some strong action words for you to include on your CV to ensure you grab recruiters’ attention and present yourself as the best candidate for the position.

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What is an action word or verb?

Action words, or action verbs, are words that express what someone has done or is doing. In CVs, action words can be used to highlight skills, abilities, experience and achievements.

Powerful action words can make your CV more impactful and leave a more lasting impression. For example, the sentence “I excelled in my leadership course” is more effective than “I did a leadership course”.

Action words can help you be more specific about your accomplishments, adding more clarity and providing a more vivid picture of the work you’ve done. All this can help you grab recruiters’ attention and boost your chances of moving forward to the next stage in the hiring process.

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Why use action words for your CV?

Using action words for your CV can help to make it more engaging. Think of it as a story of your career. Strong action words are likely to hook your reader’s (i.e. the recruiter’s) attention and make them want to read more.

Here are some of the key benefits of using action verbs for your CV.

  • Show confidence in your skillset. Action words add a sense of confidence to your CV, especially if they’re powerful ones. They can help to effectively convey your competence in completing tasks relevant to the role.
  • Make your job application stand out. Using relevant, impactful action words in your CV can help you stand out from the competition. Use them to show that you can bring something unique to the job.
  • Combine with results to highlight the impact of your actions. You can emphasise your accomplishments by combining quantifiable results with powerful action words. For example: “Dominated the market with my second cosmetic product, achieving a 50% uplift in conversions year on year.”
  • Keep recruiters engaged. On average, employers look at resumes for just six to seven seconds. Using strong action words will help to ensure that you make an impression during the time they spend reading yours. It can even encourage them to continue reading.
  • Shows strong communication skills. Knowing how to communicate effectively is important for any role. You can show that you have strong communication skills by using relevant and impactful action words for your CV.
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Brown And Grey Photographer Resume
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Pink and Red Engineer Resume
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Pink Engineer Resume
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Green Resume Support Worker
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How to bring your CV to life.

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  1. 1. Start with a template.

    Choose a template from this page or open Adobe Express and start from scratch.

15 action verbs for when you managed a project.

Managing a project is an important role to hold. Convey how you displayed your leadership skills during this experience with any of these action verbs:

  1. Coordinated
  2. Directed
  3. Administered
  4. Arranged
  5. Delegated
  6. Chaired
  7. Instructed
  8. Headed
  9. Orchestrated
  10. Organised
  11. Planned
  12. Oversaw
  13. Executed
  14. Produced
  15. Recommended
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15 action words to include when you created something.

Creativity is a skill that many recruiters are looking for in a candidate. If you’ve brought innovation to a project or company during your career, talk about it with any of the following action words:

  1. Innovated
  2. Engineered
  3. Built
  4. Designed
  5. Founded
  6. Instigated
  7. Formed
  8. Formulated
  9. Implemented
  10. Instituted
  11. Launched
  12. Pioneered
  13. Proposed
  14. Established
  15. Introduced
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15 action verbs to show off your research skills.

If research forms the basis of the work you do, you can highlight your analytical skills with some of these verbs:

  1. Analysed
  2. Investigated
  3. Compared
  4. Evaluated
  5. Examined
  6. Experimented
  7. Formulated
  8. Gathered
  9. Inspected
  10. Measured
  11. Reviewed
  12. Solved
  13. Surveyed
  14. Discovered
  15. Forecasted
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Editable CV examples from Adobe Express.

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Blue Resume Therapist
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White Resume Pharmacist
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Black and White Digital Marketing Intern Resume
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Blue and Orange Graphic Designer Resume
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15 action words to highlight your key responsibilities.

You want to show the hiring manager that you take on responsibilities with confidence and complete tasks to a high standard. Any of the following action words can help you do this:

  1. Facilitated
  2. Mentored
  3. Volunteered
  4. Produced
  5. Accomplished
  6. Assembled
  7. Constructed
  8. Finalised
  9. Expanded
  10. Forged
  11. Headed
  12. Guided
  13. Handled
  14. Improved
  15. Initiated
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15 action verbs to emphasise your achievements.

Talking about your achievements will help you underline why you’re the right person for the job. Use any of these action verbs to emphasise the key results you’ve accomplished:

  1. Outperformed
  2. Excelled
  3. Accomplished
  4. Advanced
  5. Boosted
  6. Increased
  7. Capitalised
  8. Leveraged
  9. Delivered
  10. Improved
  11. Maximised
  12. Furthered
  13. Enhanced
  14. Amplified
  15. Expedited
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15 action words to demonstrate top communication skills.

Communication is key for all roles – whether this means engaging with colleagues or interacting with external clients and stakeholders. Show recruiters you communicate effectively with these strong action words for your CV.

  1. Counselled
  2. Mentored
  3. Composed
  4. Presented
  5. Interacted
  6. Engaged
  7. Conveyed
  8. Corresponded
  9. Briefed
  10. Authored
  11. Edited
  12. Drafted
  13. Reviewed
  14. Outlined
  15. Illustrated
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15 action verbs for more technical CVs.

Do you work within a technical field? Show recruiters that you know your stuff with any of the following action verbs:

  1. Automated
  2. Installed
  3. Applied
  4. Calculated
  5. Designed
  6. Rectified
  7. Programmed
  8. Operated
  9. Upgraded
  10. Standardised
  11. Solved
  12. Remodelled
  13. Repaired
  14. Restored
  15. Examined
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15 action verbs to show you’re a team player.

Knowing how to support your team is essential, no matter the industry you work in. Emphasise you could be a valued member of the team with these effective action words:

  1. Assisted
  2. Supported
  3. Aided
  4. Advocated
  5. Provided
  6. Motivated
  7. Counselled
  8. Insured
  9. Guided
  10. Facilitated
  11. Coached
  12. Collaborated
  13. Cooperated
  14. Educated
  15. Referred
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Free CV ideas for a more action-based job application.

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Green UI/UX Professional Resume
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Brown Cream Finance Resume
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Red Orange Professional Resume
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Colorful Graphic Designer Resume
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Try Adobe Express for free now

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