120 action words to include on your CV.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Editable CV examples from Adobe Express.

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

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

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

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

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

Free CV ideas for a more action-based job application.

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Good to know.

What are the best action words for a CV?

The best action words to use for a CV are those which are relevant and impactful in presenting your key skills. Examples include: dominated, challenged, enhanced, accomplished and delivered.

What are CV power words?

CV power words are pieces of language that help an applicant’s CV stand out from the competition by using impactful wording. Examples include words like delegated, orchestrated and pioneered.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes, our free plan offers many core features, including thousands of templates, photo editing and effects, animation, and 2GB of storage. See our pricing page for details and to compare plans.