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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What is an action word or verb?

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Why use action words for your CV?

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How to bring your CV to life

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15 action verbs for when you managed a project

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15 action words to include when you created something

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15 action words for when you created something

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15 action verbs to show off your research skills

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Editable CV examples from Adobe Express

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15 action words to highlight your key responsibilities

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15 action verbs to emphasise your achievements

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15 action words to demonstrate top communication skills

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15 action words to demonstrate communication skills

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15 action verbs for more technical CVs

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15 action verbs to show you’re a team player

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Free CV ideas for a more action-based job application

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CV ideas for a more action-based job application

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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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How to bring your CV to life.

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Start with a template.

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

Add in your copy.

Rewrite the template content to make it accurate and in your style.

Play with colour.

Adjust the colour scheme of existing components to make your design uniquely you.

Add visuals.

Add your own photos, use stock images or insert icons to make your content pop. Highlight key points with bold fonts.

Save and share.

Do a quick check, then download, print or post your CV.

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:

Coordinated
Directed
Administered
Arranged
Delegated
Chaired
Instructed
Headed
Orchestrated
Organised
Planned
Oversaw
Executed
Produced
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: