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  1. Career Advice
  2. Resume

139 Power Words That Will Make Your Resume Stand Out Immediately

By:
Kristen Bahler
3 min read
- Illustration by Money; Getty Images (2)
Illustration by Money; Getty Images (2)

A good resume is like a magic wand.

If you know what you're doing, hiring managers will gravitate in your direction.

There are a lot of little things to consider: Format, content, design (more on all of that here). But maybe the most valuable—the language you use throughout—puts it all into perspective.

“Recruiters come across tons of resumes every day,” says Paul Wolfe, SVP of human resources at Indeed. “You want to convey the most compelling message. Be bright and be specific.”

Need help punching up the tone of your resume? Here are 139 action words that can powerfully describe common work tasks, courtesy of Indeed’s Career Guide Team.

To demonstrate your strong work ethic or introduce your accomplishments, try:

Achieved
Capitalized
Deciphered
Discerned
Drove
Enacted
Endeavored
Established
Exceeded
Sharpened
Shattered
Sparked
Spearheaded
Steered
Stimulated
Supervised
Surpassed

Your day-to-day isn’t filled with 'duties.' It’s much more nuanced. Try these:

Accelerated
Accomplished
Analyzed
Assembled
Built
Founded
Created
Constructed
Delivered
Developed
Executed
Expanded
Finalized
Forged
Guided
Handled
Headed
Improved
Increased
Initiated
Implemented
Instituted
Produced
Reached
Simplified
Volunteered

Of course you’re a team player — show it off with these words:

Collaborated
Conveyed
Enlivened
Instructed
Performed
Presented
Spoke
Trained

Are you in a creative field? Try:

Authored
Brainstormed
Briefed
Communicated
Conceptualized
Curated
Derived
Designed
Diagramed
Drafted
Edited
Illustrated
Imagined
Influenced
Intensified
Modeled
Proofread
Published
Researched
Strategized
Storyboarded
Translated
Visualized
Wrote

If you're in sales, try:

Captured
Conserved
Converted
Earned
Generated
Maximized
Negotiated
Won

If you're applying for a managerial position, try these:

Advised
Arranged
Augmented
Centralized
Championed
Differentiated
Directed
Empowered
Endorsed
Enforced
Ensured
Forecasted
Fostered
Identified
Integrated
Leveraged
Reconciled
Reduced
Replaced
Resolved
Orchestrated
Optimized
Predicted
Renovated

For financial positions, use:

Audited
Classified
Collected
Equalized
Dispensed
Halted
Investigated
Lowered
Maintained
Minimized
Recognized
Secured

Or for technical positions, try:

Advanced
Architected
Automated
Coded
Deployed
Detected
Devised
Diagnosed
Discovered
Formulated
Installed
Launched
Networked
Planned
Programmed
Rewrote
Refined
Tested
Troubleshoot
Upgraded

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