ACTION VERBS FOR COVER LETTERS & RESUMES Leadership & Management
| administered | attained | conducted | contracted | controlled |
| coordinated | directed | employed | enacted | exceeded |
| executed | expanded | grouped | guided | headed |
| hired | implemented | incorporated | initiated | instituted |
| maintained | managed | marketed | monitored | motivated |
| obtained | organized | performed | produced | reduced |
| repositioned | retained | revised | strengthened | supervised |
| trimmed | turned around | undertook | was responsible |
Organization & Implementation
| advised | analyzed | arranged | budgeted | catalogued |
| collaborated | consulted | compared | compiled | completed |
| computed | decreased | distributed | enlarged | examined |
| expanded | facilitated | generated | improvised | increased |
| indexed | leveraged | redesigned | reorganized | restructured |
| reviewed | revised | scheduled | sponsored | strengthened |
| synthesized | systematized | verified |
Promotion & Sales
| convinced | generated | improved | increased | influenced |
| launched | marketed | persuaded | promoted | recommended |
| represented | secured | sold | targeted | accounted for |
Research & Development
| analyzed | automated | classified | designed | determined |
| developed | differentiated | equated | experimented | invented |
| investigated | related | researched | searched | solved |
| structured | synthesized | theorized |
Problem-Solving
| accomplished | awarded | balanced | closed | corrected |
| determined | diverted | eliminated | evaluated | handled |
| identified | improved | investigated | mediated | negotiated |
| pioneered | proposed | recruited | resolved | satisfied |
| sorted | strengthened | surpassed | assured |
Interpersonal Communications
| counseled | demonstrated | disseminated | edited | facilitated |
| instructed | interviewed | moderated | participated | prepared |
| presented | presided | served as | wrote | approved |
Initiative & Creativity
| arranged | conceived | created | designed | developed |
| devised | enabled | enhanced | formulated | initiated |
| invented | innovated | originated | packaged | prepared |
| produced | refined | reshaped | resolved | solved |
| structured |
Source: Bradley University webpage
http://www.bradley.edu/scc/students/
Management Verbs
| administered | analyzed | assigned | attained | chaired |
| consolidated | contracted | coordinated | delegated | developed |
| directed | evaluated | executed | improved | increased |
| organized | oversaw | planned | prioritized | produced |
| recommended | reviewed | scheduled | strengthened | supervised |
Communication Verbs
| addressed | arbitrated | arranged | authored | collaborated |
| convinced | corresponded | developed | directed | drafted |
| edited | enlisted | formulated | influenced | interpreted |
| lectured | mediated | moderated | negotiated | persuaded |
| promoted | publicized | reconciled | recruited | spoke |
| translated | wrote |
Research Verbs
| clarified | collected | diagnosed | evaluated | examined |
| extracted | identified | inspected | interpreted | interviewed |
| investigated | organized | reviewed | summarized | surveyed |
| systematized |
Technical Verbs
| assembled | built | calculated | computed | designed |
| devised | engineered | fabricated | maintained | operated |
| overhauled | programmed | remodeled | repaired | solved |
| upgraded |
Teaching Verbs
| adapted | advised | clarified | coached | communicated |
| coordinated | demystified | developed | enabled | encouraged |
| evaluated | explained | facilitated | guided | informed |
| instructed | persuaded | set goals | stimulated | trained |
Management Verbs
| administered | allocated | analyzed | appraised | audited |
| balanced | budgeted | calculated | computed | developed |
| forecasted | managed | marketed | planned | projected |
| researched |
Creative Verbs
| acted | conceptualized | created | customized | designed |
| developed | directed | established | fashioned | founded |
| illustrated | initiated | instituted | integrated | introduced |
| invented | originated | performed | planned | revitalized |
| shaped |
Helping Verbs
| advocated | assessed | assisted | clarified | coached |
| counseled | demonstrated | diagnosed | educated | expedited |
| facilitated | familiarized | guided | motivated | referred |
| rehabilitated | represented |
Clerical or Detail Verbs
| approved | arranged | catalogued | classified | collected |
| compiled | dispatched | executed | generated | implemented |
| inspected | monitored | operated | organized | prepared |
| processed | purchased | recorded | retrieved | screened |
| specified | systematized | tabulated | validated |
Accomplishment Verbs
| achieved | expanded | improved | pioneered | reduced (losses) |
| resolved (problems) | restored | spearheaded | transformed |
Source: Resume Tutor from the University of Minnesota
http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/ecep/resume/summverb.htm
Back to WTAMU On-line Resume Workshop pg 23 - Qualifications Statements Section Back to WTAMU On-line Resume Workshop pg 28 - Job Duties Section