Drop these weak openers first
Before adding strong verbs, delete the ones that signal passivity:
- Responsible for… — describes a job description, not an achievement.
- Helped / Assisted with… — minimises your own contribution.
- Worked on… — vague; says nothing about the outcome.
- Duties included… — a list of tasks, not results.
And the empty adjectives: results-driven, dynamic, passionate, hardworking, motivated. They're true of every applicant, so they distinguish none.
Strong verbs by category
Built / created
Built, Designed, Developed, Engineered, Launched, Shipped, Architected, Prototyped, Implemented.
Improved / optimised
Cut, Reduced, Increased, Improved, Streamlined, Optimised, Accelerated, Automated, Simplified.
Led / owned
Led, Owned, Drove, Coordinated, Directed, Managed, Mentored, Spearheaded.
Delivered / achieved
Delivered, Achieved, Exceeded, Won, Closed, Secured, Hit, Surpassed.
Analysed / researched
Analysed, Identified, Investigated, Modelled, Forecasted, Evaluated, Measured.
The one rule: accuracy over flash
A strong verb only works if it's true. If you supported a project, "Supported" or "Contributed to" is honest; "Spearheaded" is a claim a recruiter will probe in the interview. Inflated verbs are a form of fabrication — they read well on paper and collapse under one follow-up question. Pick the most accurate strong verb, not the most impressive.
Pair the verb with a number
A verb sets up the bullet; a metric lands it. "Reduced" → "Reduced onboarding time 40%." See the full action–impact–number formula for how the pieces fit. When you tailor a resume with my-resume, the rewrite keeps strong verbs and your real metrics while weaving in the job's keywords.
FAQ
What are good resume action verbs?
Built, Led, Shipped, Cut, Grew, Automated, Designed, Migrated, Reduced, Launched — whichever most accurately fits the work.
What words should I avoid?
"Responsible for", "Helped with", "Worked on", and empty adjectives like "dynamic" and "passionate".
Different verb every bullet?
Vary enough to avoid repetition, but accuracy beats variety.
Related guides
Build a JD-tailored résumé in 5 minutes.
No credit card. Paste any JD, let the pipeline restructure your résumé. Free today.