Why the first word matters
A verb sets up the rest of the line. A weak opener leads to a description of duties, while a strong one pushes you to say what you did and what came of it. That is why swapping the first word is often enough to improve a whole bullet.
Before
Responsible for managing the customer support queue.
After
Reduced customer response time from two days to four hours by reorganizing the support queue.
Phrases worth replacing wherever you see them: “responsible for”, “worked on”, “helped with”, “duties included”, “in charge of” and “participated in”.
Leading people
Use these when people, not tasks, are the point of the line. Say how many people you led, and what they delivered.
- Led
- Directed
- Supervised
- Mentored
- Coached
- Delegated
- Hired
- Championed
- Mobilized
- Oversaw
Mentored four junior analysts, two of whom were promoted within a year.
Getting results
These verbs need a number straight after them. Without one, they sound like a claim rather than a fact.
- Achieved
- Exceeded
- Increased
- Grew
- Doubled
- Boosted
- Surpassed
- Generated
- Delivered
- Won
Grew newsletter subscribers from 4,000 to 25,000 in 18 months through a referral program.
Building something new
For things that did not exist until you made them: products, programs, teams or processes.
- Built
- Created
- Designed
- Developed
- Launched
- Founded
- Established
- Engineered
- Prototyped
- Introduced
Launched a self-service portal that now handles 70% of customer requests.
Improving how things work
For making something that already existed cheaper, faster or simpler. Say what it was like before.
- Improved
- Streamlined
- Automated
- Reduced
- Simplified
- Modernized
- Optimized
- Accelerated
- Revamped
- Consolidated
Automated monthly reporting, saving the finance team 30 hours a month.
Analyzing and researching
For research and data work. The stronger version ends with what the analysis changed, not only with what you looked at.
- Analyzed
- Audited
- Forecasted
- Measured
- Modeled
- Researched
- Evaluated
- Identified
- Investigated
- Tested
Analyzed three years of churn data and identified the pricing change that retained 200 accounts.
Communicating
“Good communication skills” proves nothing. These verbs show the skill by naming what you wrote or presented, and to whom.
- Presented
- Wrote
- Edited
- Persuaded
- Published
- Translated
- Briefed
- Explained
- Documented
- Pitched
Presented the quarterly roadmap to 150 employees and the executive team.
Working with others
Use these to be clear about your part in shared work. Naming the other teams shows the scale of what you coordinated.
- Partnered
- Collaborated
- Coordinated
- Facilitated
- Aligned
- Contributed
- Liaised
- Supported
- United
- Bridged
Partnered with legal and sales to shorten contract approvals from three weeks to five days.
Organizing and running things
For keeping things running. Give the size of what you ran: the budget, the number of events or the volume of work.
- Organized
- Planned
- Scheduled
- Prioritized
- Managed
- Allocated
- Budgeted
- Tracked
- Maintained
- Administered
Managed a 200,000 budget for a 12-city event series, finishing 8% under plan.
Selling and negotiating
Sales roles are read for numbers, so these verbs should lead straight to quota, revenue or deal size.
- Negotiated
- Sold
- Closed
- Secured
- Prospected
- Upsold
- Retained
- Renewed
- Expanded
- Converted
Negotiated renewals with 30 enterprise clients, keeping 94% of annual revenue.
Helping customers and colleagues
For service and support work. Volume and satisfaction scores make these bullets stand out.
- Resolved
- Assisted
- Advised
- Trained
- Guided
- Answered
- Onboarded
- Escalated
- Troubleshot
- Served
Resolved an average of 60 customer requests a day with a 97% satisfaction rating.
How to use them without overdoing it
- Use the verb that is true. “Led” invites the question “how many people?”. If you helped, say “contributed to” and describe your part.
- Follow it with what changed. A strong verb followed by a duty is still a duty. Add a number, a scale or an outcome.
- Keep a thesaurus out of it. “Spearheaded” and “orchestrated” sound inflated when used everywhere. Plain verbs read better.
- Vary them, but not at any price. Check that no two bullets in a role start the same way, then stop.
For the full method behind a strong bullet, see our guide to writing a resume that gets interviews. To go with these verbs, our list of skills for your resume covers what to name in the rest of the page.
