200 Resume Words That Make Your Resumé Stand Out

Just 7.4 seconds: That’s how much time you have to grab a recruiter’s attention when they read your resumé for the first time.¹ That’s it! So, if you’re looking for a new job, I have a helpful hint: To grab a hiring manager’s attention, make your resumé stand out using powerful resumé words. Hear me out on this—the chances of landing your dream job get a whole lot higher when you communicate your work experience with descriptive and confident resumé words because they help you stand out from the competition.

Resumé power words are strong, actionable and confident verbs and adjectives that describe your abilities and accomplishments. And they can make you stand out in a pool of other job seekers (without any changes to your actual work experience).

Words to Use in a Resumé

Words matter! And with the right word choice, you can give your resumé a big boost of style and confidence. Here are the top 200 resumé power words that will communicate your skills, abilities and talents and help you stand out to a hiring manager.

Resumé Power Words for Leadership

1. Authorized
2. Chaired
3. Conducted
4. Controlled
5. Delegated
6. Directed
7. Drove
8. Empowered
9. Enabled
10.  Enforced
11.  Executed
12.  Facilitated
13.  Fostered
14.  Founded
15.  Guided
16.  Headed
17.  Instructed
18.  Mentored
19.  Moderated
20.  Motivated
21.  Orchestrated
22.  Overhauled
23.  Presided
24.  Spearheaded
25.  Steered
26.  Supervised
27.  Trained

Resumé Power Words for Collaborate

1.  Aligned
2.  Associated
3.  Combined
4.  Contributed
5.  Cooperated
6.  Joined
7.  Integrated
8.  Linked
9.  Merged
10.  Pooled
11.  Synchronized
12.  United

Resumé Power Words for Responsible For

1.  Achieved
2.  Accomplished
3.  Assembled
4.  Concluded
5.  Contributed
6.  Coordinated
7.  Devised
8.  Effected
9.  Fulfilled
10.  Gathered
11.  Handled
12.  Produced
13.  Prompted
14.  Solved

Resumé Power Words for Communication

1.  Advertised
2.  Authored
3.  Broadcast
4.  Circulated
5.  Distributed
6.  Championed
7.  Clarified
8.  Consulted
9.  Conveyed
10.  Defined
11.  Diagramed
12.  Documented
13.  Drafted
14.  Endorsed
15.  Illustrated
16.  Influenced
17.  Informed
18.  Liaison
19.  Moderated
20.  Negotiated
21.  Networked
22.  Notated
23.  Persuaded
24.  Presented
25.  Promoted
26.  Publicized
27.  Published
28.  Recommended
29.  Recorded
30.  Storyboarded
31.  Translated

Resumé Power Words for Achieved

1.  Accomplished
2.  Administered
3.  Arranged
4.  Attained
5.  Captured
6.  Completed
7.  Converted
8.  Delivered
9.  Earned
10.  Enacted
11.  Established
12.  Lifted
13.  Performed
14.  Predicted
15.  Procured
16.  Proved
17.  Secured
18.  Strategized
19.  Trailblazed
20.  Won
21.  Yielded

Resumé Power Words for Worked On

1.  Applied
2.  Attended
3.  Completed
4.  Dedicated
5.  Endeavored
6.  Forecasted
7.  Formulated
8.  Implemented
9.  Masterminded
10.  Operated
11.  Performed
12.  Pursued
13.  Processed
14.  Rendered
15.  Strove
16.  Troubleshot
17.  Undertook
18.  Visualized
19.  Volunteered

Resumé Power Words for Improved

1.  Accelerated
2.  Advanced
3.  Boosted
4.  Discerned
5.  Enhanced
6.  Expanded
7.  Familiarized
8.  Increased
9.  Maximized
10.  Outpaced
11.  Perfected
12.  Redesigned
13.  Refined
14.  Reformed
15.  Renovated
16.  Resolved
17.  Restructured
18.  Revamped
19.  Revitalized
20.  Simplified
21.  Skyrocketed
22.  Streamlined
23.  Strengthened
24.  Transformed
25.  Upgraded

Resumé Power Words for Researched

1. Analyzed
2. Assessed
3. Audited
4. Confirmed
5. Diagnosed
6. Discovered
7. Examined
8. Explored
9. Identified
10. Inquired
11. Inspected
12. Investigated
13. Mapped
14. Measured
15. Mined
16. Quantified
17. Surveyed
18. Tested
19. Tracked
20. Verified

Resumé Power Words for Created

1. Adapted
2. Built
3. Coded
4. Constructed
5. Designed
6. Developed
7. Engineered
8. Established
9. Fashioned
10. Formulated
11. Generated
12. Initiated
13. Inspired
14. Instituted
15. Introduced
16. Kick-started
17. Launched
18. Sketched
19. Wrote

Resumé Power Words for Managed

1.  Controlled
2.  Designated
3.  Directed
4.  Employed
5.  Governed
6.  Led
7.  Mastered
8.  Organized
9.  Oversaw
10.  Planned
11.  Programmed
12.  Ruled

What Words NOT to Use in a Resumé

When you’re updating your resumé (or creating a brand-new one), it’s best to stay away from general office buzzwords and confusing phrases. These are words that you might hear people say all the time, but nobody really knows what they mean. Here are a few examples of words to avoid using on your resumé:

• Deep dive
• Drill down
• Flesh out
• Game plan
• Hard worker
• Loop in
• Moving parts
• Move the needle
• Synergize
• Team player
• Think outside the box
• Wheelhouse

Instead, you’ll want to focus on using specific power words that show (not tell) your skills, experiences and successes on the job.

Here’s an example: Let’s say one of your job responsibilities is to provide customer service over the phone. Look at the difference between an average answer and one using resumé power words:

1. Answered customer questions on the phone in a timely manner
2. Established trust with customers over the phone by researching and implementing advanced listening skills and reducing call wait times

Do you see the difference? The job responsibility is the same, but the impact of using resumé power words makes this job seeker stand out from the competition.