Every bullet point on your CV starts with a verb. The difference between a forgettable application and one that gets interviews often comes down to word choice.
"Responsible for managing a team" tells the recruiter nothing. "Led a team of 8 engineers to deliver a £2M project 3 weeks ahead of schedule" tells them everything they need to know.
This guide gives you 200+ action verbs organised by category, so you can find the perfect word for every achievement on your CV.
Why Action Verbs Matter
Recruiters spend an average of 6-7 seconds scanning a CV. In that time, they're looking for evidence that you can do the job.
Action verbs do three things:
-
Show ownership. "Managed" is stronger than "was responsible for." "Created" beats "helped with."
-
Demonstrate impact. Strong verbs suggest measurable results. "Increased," "reduced," "accelerated" all imply quantifiable outcomes.
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Pass ATS filters. Many Applicant Tracking Systems scan for specific verbs. Using varied, industry-appropriate action words increases your chances of making it through.
The Difference in Practice
Weak:
- Responsible for customer service
- Helped with marketing campaigns
- Worked on budget management
Strong:
- Resolved 50+ customer enquiries daily with 98% satisfaction rating
- Launched 12 email campaigns that generated £150K in revenue
- Managed £500K annual budget with zero overspend
The content is similar. The impact is completely different.
Words to Avoid
Before we get to the good stuff, here are words and phrases to cut from your CV immediately:
Overused Phrases
| Instead of... | Try... |
|---|---|
| Responsible for | Managed, Led, Directed, Oversaw |
| Helped with | Supported, Contributed to, Assisted in |
| Worked on | Developed, Created, Built, Executed |
| Was in charge of | Headed, Supervised, Coordinated |
| Duties included | [Just describe the achievement directly] |
Weak Verbs
These verbs are too vague to convey impact:
- Did (did what exactly?)
- Made (too generic)
- Got (informal)
- Tried (suggests failure)
- Handled (passive)
Action Verbs by Category
Leadership & Management
Use these when describing roles where you guided others, made decisions, or drove initiatives.
For Leading Teams:
- Chaired
- Coached
- Cultivated
- Delegated
- Directed
- Empowered
- Enabled
- Fostered
- Guided
- Headed
- Inspired
- Led
- Managed
- Mentored
- Mobilised
- Motivated
- Orchestrated
- Oversaw
- Shaped
- Spearheaded
- Steered
- Supervised
- United
For Strategic Leadership:
- Accelerated
- Advanced
- Championed
- Drove
- Elevated
- Established
- Executed
- Expanded
- Forged
- Galvanised
- Grew
- Implemented
- Initiated
- Launched
- Pioneered
- Positioned
- Revitalised
- Scaled
- Steered
- Transformed
Example bullet points:
- Spearheaded digital transformation initiative, migrating 200+ processes to cloud infrastructure
- Coached team of 12 sales representatives, improving average conversion rate by 25%
- Championed diversity hiring programme that increased team representation by 40%
Teamwork & Collaboration
Use these when highlighting how you work with others.
For Team Contributions:
- Acknowledged
- Assisted
- Collaborated
- Contributed
- Cooperated
- Coordinated
- Facilitated
- Integrated
- Joined
- Merged
- Partnered
- Participated
- Supported
- Teamed
- Unified
- United
For Cross-Functional Work:
- Aligned
- Bridged
- Connected
- Harmonised
- Liaised
- Linked
- Mediated
- Negotiated
- Reconciled
- Synchronised
Example bullet points:
- Collaborated with product, engineering, and design teams to launch new feature used by 50K+ users
- Partnered with external vendors to reduce procurement costs by 18%
- Liaised between technical and non-technical stakeholders to ensure project alignment
Communication & Presentation
Use these for roles involving writing, speaking, or conveying information.
For Written Communication:
- Authored
- Composed
- Corresponded
- Documented
- Drafted
- Edited
- Formulated
- Published
- Reported
- Summarised
- Translated
- Wrote
For Verbal Communication:
- Addressed
- Advocated
- Articulated
- Briefed
- Clarified
- Communicated
- Convinced
- Debated
- Delivered
- Explained
- Influenced
- Informed
- Moderated
- Negotiated
- Persuaded
- Pitched
- Presented
- Promoted
For Training & Teaching:
- Clarified
- Coached
- Counselled
- Demonstrated
- Educated
- Enabled
- Facilitated
- Guided
- Illustrated
- Instructed
- Lectured
- Mentored
- Taught
- Trained
- Tutored
Example bullet points:
- Authored technical documentation used by 500+ developers globally
- Presented quarterly results to board of directors and external investors
- Trained 30+ new hires on company systems, reducing onboarding time by 40%
Achievement & Results
Use these when highlighting measurable accomplishments.
For Delivering Results:
- Accomplished
- Achieved
- Attained
- Completed
- Delivered
- Earned
- Exceeded
- Fulfilled
- Obtained
- Outperformed
- Produced
- Reached
- Realised
- Secured
- Succeeded
- Surpassed
- Won
For Improving Performance:
- Accelerated
- Advanced
- Amplified
- Boosted
- Doubled
- Elevated
- Enhanced
- Expanded
- Grew
- Improved
- Increased
- Maximised
- Optimised
- Raised
- Strengthened
- Tripled
For Reducing/Saving:
- Consolidated
- Cut
- Decreased
- Eliminated
- Lowered
- Minimised
- Reduced
- Saved
- Slashed
- Streamlined
- Trimmed
Example bullet points:
- Exceeded sales targets by 35% for 4 consecutive quarters
- Reduced customer churn by 22% through improved onboarding process
- Saved £120K annually by renegotiating supplier contracts
Analysis & Research
Use these for roles involving data, investigation, or strategic thinking.
For Research:
- Analysed
- Assessed
- Audited
- Calculated
- Compared
- Discovered
- Evaluated
- Examined
- Explored
- Forecasted
- Identified
- Inspected
- Interpreted
- Investigated
- Mapped
- Measured
- Monitored
- Probed
- Quantified
- Researched
- Reviewed
- Studied
- Surveyed
- Tested
- Validated
- Verified
For Problem-Solving:
- Clarified
- Debugged
- Decoded
- Determined
- Diagnosed
- Dissected
- Figured
- Pinpointed
- Resolved
- Solved
- Traced
- Troubleshot
- Uncovered
Example bullet points:
- Analysed customer behaviour data to identify £500K revenue opportunity
- Diagnosed root cause of system failures, reducing downtime by 60%
- Forecasted market trends with 92% accuracy, informing product roadmap
Creativity & Innovation
Use these for roles involving design, ideation, or building new things.
For Creating:
- Authored
- Built
- Composed
- Conceived
- Constructed
- Crafted
- Created
- Customised
- Designed
- Developed
- Devised
- Drafted
- Engineered
- Established
- Fashioned
- Formulated
- Founded
- Generated
- Illustrated
- Initiated
- Introduced
- Invented
- Modelled
- Originated
- Produced
- Shaped
For Innovating:
- Conceptualised
- Envisioned
- Experimented
- Imagined
- Innovated
- Modernised
- Overhauled
- Pioneered
- Redesigned
- Reimagined
- Reinvented
- Remodelled
- Renovated
- Revamped
- Revolutionised
- Transformed
- Updated
- Upgraded
Example bullet points:
- Designed new customer portal that increased self-service usage by 45%
- Pioneered machine learning approach that reduced fraud detection time from hours to minutes
- Reimagined brand identity, resulting in 30% increase in brand recognition scores
Technical & Operational
Use these for hands-on, technical, or operational roles.
For Technical Work:
- Administered
- Automated
- Coded
- Compiled
- Computed
- Configured
- Debugged
- Deployed
- Digitised
- Engineered
- Installed
- Integrated
- Maintained
- Migrated
- Operated
- Programmed
- Rebuilt
- Reconfigured
- Refactored
- Standardised
- Systematised
For Project Execution:
- Administered
- Allocated
- Arranged
- Budgeted
- Centralised
- Controlled
- Dispatched
- Executed
- Handled
- Implemented
- Incorporated
- Installed
- Logged
- Maintained
- Monitored
- Organised
- Prepared
- Processed
- Purchased
- Recorded
- Regulated
- Scheduled
- Tracked
Example bullet points:
- Deployed CI/CD pipeline that reduced release cycle from 2 weeks to 2 days
- Migrated legacy system to cloud infrastructure with zero downtime
- Automated reporting process, saving 15 hours per week
Sales & Marketing
Use these for revenue-generating and market-facing roles.
For Sales:
- Acquired
- Closed
- Converted
- Cultivated
- Generated
- Grew
- Landed
- Negotiated
- Penetrated
- Prospected
- Retained
- Secured
- Signed
- Sold
- Upsold
- Won
For Marketing:
- Amplified
- Attracted
- Branded
- Campaigned
- Captured
- Drove
- Engaged
- Expanded
- Launched
- Positioned
- Promoted
- Publicised
- Reached
- Targeted
Example bullet points:
- Closed £2.5M enterprise deal, largest in company history
- Generated 500+ qualified leads through targeted LinkedIn outreach campaign
- Launched product rebrand that increased market share by 12%
Finance & Administration
Use these for roles involving money, planning, or organisational management.
For Financial Work:
- Allocated
- Appraised
- Audited
- Balanced
- Budgeted
- Calculated
- Controlled
- Estimated
- Financed
- Forecast
- Invested
- Planned
- Projected
- Reconciled
For Administrative Work:
- Administered
- Catalogued
- Classified
- Collected
- Compiled
- Coordinated
- Distributed
- Filed
- Organised
- Processed
- Recorded
- Regulated
- Routed
- Scheduled
- Sorted
- Standardised
- Systematised
- Tabulated
Example bullet points:
- Balanced monthly accounts with 100% accuracy across 12-month period
- Forecast annual budget of £5M with variance under 2%
- Systematised filing process, reducing document retrieval time by 70%
How to Use Action Verbs Effectively
1. Match the Verb to Your Achievement
Don't just pick impressive-sounding words. Choose verbs that accurately reflect what you did.
If you were the decision-maker: Led, Directed, Decided, Authorised
If you contributed to a team effort: Collaborated, Supported, Contributed, Assisted
If you created something new: Built, Designed, Developed, Launched
2. Vary Your Verbs
Using "managed" 10 times makes your CV repetitive. Use different verbs for similar achievements:
- Managed team of 5
- Supervised daily operations
- Directed strategic initiatives
- Oversaw budget allocation
- Coordinated cross-functional projects
3. Pair With Metrics
The best CV bullets combine strong verbs with quantifiable results:
Verb + What + Result
- Reduced customer complaints by 40% through improved response protocols
- Increased revenue from £1M to £1.5M within 18 months
- Trained 50+ employees, reducing onboarding time by 30%
4. Use Past Tense for Past Roles
For previous positions, use past tense (managed, led, created).
For your current role, you can use present tense (manage, lead, create) for ongoing responsibilities.
5. Consider ATS Keywords
Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems that scan for specific terms. Review job descriptions and incorporate relevant action verbs that appear in the posting.
Quick Reference by Job Function
For Software Engineers
Architected, Automated, Built, Coded, Debugged, Deployed, Developed, Engineered, Implemented, Integrated, Migrated, Optimised, Programmed, Refactored, Scaled, Tested
For Marketers
Analysed, Branded, Campaigned, Converted, Created, Drove, Engaged, Generated, Grew, Launched, Measured, Optimised, Positioned, Promoted, Targeted
For Project Managers
Aligned, Budgeted, Coordinated, Delivered, Directed, Executed, Facilitated, Led, Managed, Monitored, Organised, Planned, Prioritised, Scheduled, Tracked
For Sales Professionals
Acquired, Closed, Converted, Cultivated, Generated, Grew, Negotiated, Penetrated, Prospected, Retained, Secured, Sold, Upsold, Won
For Designers
Conceptualised, Created, Designed, Developed, Illustrated, Innovated, Prototyped, Redesigned, Reimagined, Visualised
For Finance Professionals
Analysed, Audited, Balanced, Budgeted, Calculated, Forecast, Managed, Projected, Reconciled, Reported
For HR Professionals
Coached, Coordinated, Developed, Facilitated, Hired, Implemented, Managed, Mediated, Mentored, Onboarded, Recruited, Trained
FAQ
Should I use the same action verbs as the job description?
Yes, when appropriate. If the job description says they want someone who can "drive results" and "collaborate with stakeholders," use those exact verbs (with evidence to back them up).
Can I start every bullet point with an action verb?
Yes, this is best practice. Starting with an action verb immediately shows what you did, rather than burying your achievement in passive language.
Are some action verbs better than others?
Not inherently, but some are more specific. "Spearheaded" tells you more than "did." "Slashed costs by 30%" tells you more than "reduced costs." Choose verbs that convey the nature and scale of your work.
How many different action verbs should I use?
As many as you need to avoid repetition. If you have 15 bullet points, try to use at least 10-12 different verbs. Your CV should read like a varied professional story, not a repetitive list.
Should I avoid "assisted" or "helped"?
Not entirely. If you genuinely supported someone else's work rather than leading it, "assisted" or "supported" is honest and appropriate. But make sure you're not underselling contributions where you had more ownership.
Build a Stronger CV
Now that you have the right words, put them to work.
Create your CV with JobSprout and our AI will help you craft compelling bullet points with the right action verbs for your industry and experience level.
Last updated: January 2026
