This is a collaborative post: It can be challenging to write an interesting and unique CV. One of the best ways to make your CV stand out to recruiters and hiring managers is to include action verbs. This guide will cover what action verbs are, why they are important, and how to use them strategically to make your CV compelling and eye-catching.
What Are CV Action Verbs?
Action verbs are simply words that describe what you do, but they frame your work and accomplishments in powerful, impactful statements. Action verbs are sometimes also referred to simply as action words, or as power words or verbs.
Examples of Action Verbs
Here are some examples of powerful action verbs to use on your CV in place of certain overused terms:
“Team Player” Action Verbs:
- Assimilated
- Collaborated
- Contributed
- Encouraged
- Merged
- Participated
- Partnered
- United
“Leader/Leadership” Action Verbs:
- Authorised
- Delegated
- Directed
- Executed
- Implemented
- Mentored
- Orchestrated
- Spearheaded
- Supervised
“Communication” Action Verbs:
- Advocated
- Authored
- Composed
- Conveyed
- Corresponded
- Influenced
- Informed
- Negotiated
- Persuaded
- Promoted
- Publicised
“Achieved” Action Verbs:
- Accomplished
- Boosted
- Completed
- Delivered
- Enacted
- Expedited
- Generated
- Improved
- Managed
- Maximised
- Produced
Why Are Action Verbs Important for a CV?
Most hiring managers and recruiters receive dozens or even hundreds of applications for each job opening, so they spend an average of 8 seconds scanning each CV. Including action verbs in your CV will help catch a hiring manager’s attention and encourage them to continue reading the rest of your document. When they spend more time reading your CV, they will take in more of your work experience, skills, and qualifications. In turn, that will help boost your chances of being called for an interview.
The goal of using action verbs in your CV is to craft a dynamic, exciting picture of your professional experience and qualifications. Well-placed action verbs will make it clear that your career is something that you made happen, rather than something that happened to you.
How to Use Action Verbs
Use action verbs on your CV in place of passive phrases. For example, instead of writing a phrase like “was in charge of 6 employees,” write that you “supervised and managed a 6-person sales team.”
Rather than focusing solely on your job duties, provide quantified examples of your accomplishments. To do so, use action verbs as a lead-in to share numerical and statistical data about your professional wins. For example, rather than writing “revenue was increased,” write that you “generated 25% additional revenue year over year by creating and implementing a new sales technique.”
Be sure to tailor your CV to each job application as well. This can significantly boost your chances of being called for an interview. You can tailor your CV by using specific action verbs that mirror the language of the job posting and address specific characteristics and abilities that the employer is looking for in a job candidate. Use action verbs to reinforce the skills and experience that you’ve listed on your CV.
However, take care not to overdo it with action verbs. Typically, one to two action verbs per bullet point is plenty. You can also use a few action verbs strategically in your introductory personal profile or objective statement, as well as in your supplemental application materials.
Finally, avoid using jargon or phrases that are extremely overused, even if they might seem like solid action verbs. For example, here are several words and phrases that can sound insincere and unnecessarily wordy:
- Added value/value-add
- Circled back
- Dialogued
- Gave 110% (or other similarly hyperbolic phrases)
- Ideated
- Juxtaposed
- Solutioned
- Synergised
- Took offline
- Touched base
- Pivoted
- Pushed the envelope