We already know the importance of having a great Resume or CV that sets you out. It is one sure shot way of impressing and convincing your recruiter. But, having an impressive resume is not just about years of experience or using resume keywords. Action Verbs play an essential part too. In this post, let’s find out the strong action verbs for resume depending on the situation/role.
Action Verbs v/s Keywords
The above two terms may look as if they mean the same, whereas they are literally two worlds apart. Resume keywords are buzzwords related to a specific job, industry, or skillset, for example – Pre-Sales Training.
Now, an action verb shows the happening of the event you talk about. In the English Language, Action Verbs mean – a verb that expresses a physical or mental action. For example, Coordinated, Conducted, Led, Managed, Organised, etc.
Use of Action Verbs
Body of Resume
In your resume, use action verbs at the beginning of all the bullet points where you explain the responsibilities you held in a specific role or the work you did.
Example –
- Coordinated 100+ Pre-Sales Training
Resume Summary Statement or Career Objective
Using action verbs at the beginning of your resume, i.e. Career Objective or Resume Summary Statement will get your interviewer’s attention. The trick would be to make it in coherence with the job profile you are applying for.
- Suggested Read – How to write a Resume?
Example – Let us say you are applying for the post of a Project Manager. Using the following line in your summary would complement your application.
- A seasoned project leader with 10+ years of experience in process automation.
Cover Letter
Using the verbs in your cover letter too will enhance your chances of selection. Again, try to make it in coherence with your Resume and Job Profile.
Interview
See, in the end, these are words that define an action. Using it at any point in your hiring process gives you an upper hand.
When in an interview, it is always good to say “I led a team of four and collaborated across various functions” rather than saying “Four people were reporting to me, and my work involved working with various functions.”
Both the sentences mean the same thing, but a recruiter would notice the jargon you use, he will at least think “This guy may not be sound in the technicality of work, but he is good at communication, maybe I will be able to teach him the work.”
Let us see the kind of action verbs that would fit best for the type of action you talk about.
Responsibilities
When you have to mention the responsibilities you held in your job profile. These words showcase the management or organisational aspects of your role. Example,
- Organised the XYZ Marketing Events to enhance the company branding
Other words to use:
- Reorganised
- Controlled
- Conducted
- Executed
- Implemented
- Incorporated
- Administered
- Charted
- Created
- Engineered
- Planned
- Spearheaded
- Established
Leadership
These are verbs which define the action of your leadership skills. You must use these in case you managed a team. Example,
- Headed a unit of 4 constituting Business Analysts & Research Associates.
Other Leadership related action verbs:
- Oversaw
- Planned
- Directed
- Led
- Motivated
- Strengthened
- Coached
- Aided
- Managed
- Trained
- Tutored
- Handled
- Recruited
Team Work
Use these verbs to describe your role as a team player. Since most of the jobs would require you to be efficient in a team. A good team makes great companies. These verbs help in showing two things –
- Whether you collaborated with your team successfully
- Whether you could collaborate with OTHER teams in the organisation, demonstrating your ability to work across all functions. Example,
- Collaborated with the sales team to deliver the products on time.
Other words you can use:
- Teamed
- Coordinated
- Helped
- Mediated
- Instilled
- Simulated
- Ensured
- Combined
- Communicated
- Consolidated
- Integrated
- Linked
- United
- Traded
- Transacted
Flaunting the Projects or Deals
If you executed a project single-handedly or managed multiple, if you closed a deal, or negotiated the sales/service percentage in a way to benefit the company, flaunt it.
Example,
- Closed six deals in the sales cycle bringing in a revenue of $300,000 for the organisation
Using these action verbs will add a lot of value to your bullet points:
- Converted
- Negotiated
- Accomplished
- Designed
- Developed
- Budgeted
- Checked
- Complied
- Consulted
- Conferred
- Diagnosed
- Enhanced
- Expanded
Conclusion
Using Action Verbs in the resume is a must nowadays.It is also a great way of describing an event to help you reduce down the number of pages in a resume.
Starting all your content in the body of resume with an action verb is almost a rule or trend. And why not, it is the best possible way to describe the responsibilities, leadership skills, closing skills, or any other skill or role which you define in your resume or CV.
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