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Top Keywords (Action Verbs) Your Resume Should Use

Studies show that recruiters spend less than eight seconds scanning a resume before deciding if it’s worth reviewing further or rejecting on the spot. That doesn’t give you much time to impress prospective employers in the hope of securing your dream job. So, you must do all you can to make your resume “pop” at the very first glance, and that all starts with bold, exciting keywords.


Unfortunately, many resumes eschew exciting keywords in favor of the same old phrases recruiters have read a million times before. This is something that C-suite executive resume writers like Expert Resume Pros are all too familiar with. Replacing those bland, tired words with more creative, evocative alternatives – especially action verbs – is a fantastic way to freshen your resume.


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Let’s take a closer look and see how it’s done.


The Importance of Resume Keywords

Before listing the best resume keywords, it’s important to understand why they matter so much.


Of course, we’ve already touched on one of the reasons in the intro. You don’t have long to impress recruiters, so you must make your mark right away. Strong keywords can help you forge a good first impression, encouraging recruiters to read on and learn more. With certain jobs attracting literally hundreds of applicants, you have to do all you can to stand out.


The other big reason is because of ATS, or applicant tracking software. A lot of companies – around 75% in total – use applicant tracking software these days to scan resumes and cover letters. The software “reads” the resume on behalf of the recruiter and looks for specific keywords and phrases. If it finds the right ones, it approves the resume for further reading. If not, it rejects it.


So, not only do you have to consider engaging, exciting, and evocative keywords to capture the recruiter’s attention. You also must take into account the keywords that ATS programs are seeking, including a mixture of both in your final document to ensure it passes both ATS scans and recruiter reads.


The Value of Action Verbs

Action verbs – verbs that convey some form of movement or action – are the most effective for resumes. Why? Because they’re perfect for demonstrating your achievements and accomplishments, linking you directly with whatever it is that you succeeded in doing.


For example, let’s say you’re an HR professional, and part of your last job involved creating an onboarding process for new hires. There are lots of ways to describe that on your resume. Without action verbs, you might write something like:


“Was responsible for the development of a new onboarding process.”


However, that looks a little bland and lacking in substance. If we introduce action verbs, it becomes much better:


“Devised and implemented a new onboarding process,” or “Streamlined [Company Name]’s onboarding to bring new hires up to speed more efficiently.”


You can then delve deeper, using additional action verbs to talk about how you created your project, what it achieved, and how it transformed the existing onboarding in positive, impactful ways.


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The result is a much more impressive resume, and a stronger first impression on future recruiters, too. When they read your resume and see these action verbs – like “orchestrated,” “engineered,” and “executed” associated with your name, they’ll start to see you as a doer, someone who is active and engaged, rather than a passive presence in the workforce.


The Best Action Verbs to Include in Your Resume

By this point, the benefits of action verbs should be clear to see. They make a massive difference to any resume, especially the experience section, highlighting all the most impressive accomplishments so far in your career. Now, let’s look at some actual examples of action verbs to include when discussing specific achievements, tasks, and responsibilities.


10 Action Verbs to Use Regarding Leadership and Management


Here are some verbs to utilize when you’re discussing a project or team you led:


  1. Chaired

  2. Coordinated

  3. Directed

  4. Delegated

  5. Executed

  6. Headed

  7. Orchestrated

  8. Oversaw

  9. Produced

  10. Spearheaded


Action Verbs to Use Regarding Project Development


The best action verbs for project leaders and developers are:


  1. Built

  2. Created

  3. Designed

  4. 4Devised

  5. Engineered

  6. Formed

  7. Initiated

  8. Launched

  9. Operated

  10. Pioneered


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Action Verbs to Use Regarding Improvements You Made to a Company


Here are some helpful verbs to discuss how you improved a company’s bottom line or efficiency:


  1. Accelerated

  2. Boosted

  3. Consolidated

  4. Delivered

  5. Enhanced

  6. Expanded

  7. Expedited

  8. Improved

  9. Maximized

  10. Sustained


Action Verbs to Use Regarding Acquisitions, Customers, and Resources


Next, action verbs to use when talking about bringing in new clients, handling mergers, or managing resources:


  1. Acquired

  2. Closed

  3. Established

  4. Forged

  5. Navigated

  6. Negotiated

  7. Partnered

  8. Pitched

  9. Proposed

  10. Sourced


Action Verbs to Use Regarding Achievements


Last but not least, action verbs for your proudest achievements:


  1. Accomplished

  2. Achieved

  3. Attained

  4. Exceeded

  5. Finished

  6. Outperformed

  7. Overcame

  8. Showcased

  9. Succeeded

  10. Surpassed


Final Tips to Make the Most of Your Keywords

We’ve seen some examples of top-quality keywords to incorporate into your resume. Now, a final few tip to get the most out of them:


  • Be Relevant: Use keywords that are accurate and relevant to your career and industry.

  • Use Synonyms: Add variety to your resume by using multiple verbs with the same meaning.

  • Avoid Repetition: Try not to repeat the same keyword, like “created,” over and over.


Use Action Verbs to Enhance Your Resume

With less than eight seconds to make an impact on prospective recruiters, you don’t want to waste time and space on boring and tiring phrases. Instead, turn to the action verbs listed above to hit your mark much more effectively. They’ll have a stronger impact on readers, while making your resume much more ATS-ready, too.


But don’t assume that keywords are enough to convince recruiters. You’ll still need to reinforce your action verbs with appropriate qualifiers that illustrate your achievements and sell yourself to recruiters. So whether you are looking for a military-to-civilian resume service in Colorado Springs or just wanting to make your resume much more powerful, we can help further your career goals. Either way, make sure to put time and effort into crafting the best possible resumes to streamline your job search.

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