Key Words Used In Resume Writing

Key words, power words or action verbs, are words used to help make a statement stronger. By using action verbs, you can assume an "active voice" instead of a "passive voice" on your resume, CV or letter. Properly merging power words into your resumes, CVs or letters and other correspondence can help convey strong writing skills and increase the strength of your communication.

These key words can offer a significant resume, CV or cover letter improvement. Be careful not to overuse them. Too much fluff and not enough skills, and you could come across as fake. Check power word examples per industry listing.

List of Resume Key Words


Abated, Abbreviated, Abolished, Abridged, Absolved, Absorbed, Accelerated, Acclimated, Accompanied, Accomplished, Accomplished, Achieved, Acquired, Acted, Activated, Actuated, Adapted, Added, Addressed, Adhered, Adjusted, Administered, Admitted, Adopted, Advanced, Advertised, Advised, Advocated, Affected, Aided, Aired, Alerted, Allocated, Altered, Amended, Amplified, Analyzed, Answered, Anticipated, Appeared, Applied, Appointed, Appraised, Approached, Approved, Arbitrated, Arranged, Articulated, Ascertained, Asked, Assembled, Assessed, Assigned, Assisted, Assumed, Assured, Attained, Attracted, Audited, Augmented, Authored, Authorized, Automated, Awarded


Balanced, Bargained, Began, Bench-marked, Benefited, Bid, Billed, Blocked, Bolstered, Boosted, Borrowed, Bought, Branded, Bridged, Briefed, Broadened, Brought, Budgeted, Built


Calculated, Canvassed, Captured, Carried out, Cast, Cataloged, Catalogued, Categorized, Caused, Centralized, Chaired, Challenged, Championed, , Changed, Channeled, Charted, Checked, Circulated, Clarified, Classified, Cleared, Closed, Coached, Co-authored, Co-directed, Collaborated, Collected, Combined, Commended, Commented, Commissioned, Committed, Communicated, Compared, Compiled, Completed, Complied, Composed, Computed, Conceived, Conceptualized, Condensed, Conducted, Conserved, Considered, Consolidated, Constructed, Consulted, Continued, Contracted, Contributed, Controlled, Converted, Conveyed, Convinced, Coordinated, Corrected, Cost, Counseled, Counted, Created, Critiqued, Cultivated, Customized, Cut


Dealt, Debated, Debugged, Decentralized, Decided, Decreased, Dedicated, Deferred, Defined, Delegated, Delivered, Demonstrated, Depreciated, Described, Designated, Designed, Detected, Determined, Developed, Devised, Diagnosed, Directed, Discovered, Discussed, Dispatched, Dissembled, Distinguished, Distributed, Diversified, Divested, Documented, Doubled, Drafted


Earned, Eased, Edited, Educated, Effected, Elicited, Eliminated, Emphasized, Enabled, Encouraged, Ended, Endorsed, Enforced, Engaged, Engineered, Enhanced, Enlarged, Enlisted, Enriched, Ensured, Entered, Established, Estimated, Evaluated, Examined, Exceeded, Exchanged, Executed, Exempted, Expanded, Expedited, Experimented, Explained, Explored, Exposed, Expressed, Extended, Extracted


Fabricated, Facilitated, Fashioned, Fielded, Filled, Finalized, Finalized, Financed, Fine-tuned, Focused, Forecasted, Formalized, Formed, Formulated, Fortified, Founded, Fulfilled, Furnished, Furthered


Gained, Gathered, Gauged, Generated, Governed, Graded, Granted, Greeted, Grew, Grouped, Guided


Halved, Handled, Headed, Helped, Hired, Hosted


Identified, Illuminated, Illustrated, Implemented, Improved, Improvised, Inaugurated, Incorporated, Increased, Incurred, Indexed, Individualized, Indoctrinated, Induced, Influenced, Initiated, Innovated, Inquired, Inspected, Inspired, Installed, Instigated, Instilled, Instituted, Instructed, Insured, Integrated, Interacted, Interpreted, Intervened, Interviewed, Introduced, Invented, Inventoried, Invested, Investigated, Invited, Involved, Isolated, Issued


Joined, Judged, Justified




Launched, Learned, Leased, Lectured, Led, Licensed, Lightened, Liquidated, Listed, Litigated, Lobbied, Localized, Located, Logged


Made, Maintained, Managed, Mapped, Marketed, Matched, Maximized, Measured, Mediated, Mentored, Merchandised, Merged, Met, Minimized, Modeled, Moderated, Modernized, Modified, Monitored, Motivated, Moved, Multiplied


Named, Narrated, Navigated, Negotiated, Netted, Noticed, Nurtured


Observed, Obtained, Offered, Opened, Operated, Orchestrated, Ordered, Organized, Oriented, Originated, Overhauled, Oversaw


Participated, Patterned, Penetrated, Perceived, Performed, Persuaded, Phased, Photographed, Pinpointed, Pioneered, Placed, Planned, Played, Polled, Prepared, Presented, Preserved, Presided, Prevented, Processed, Procured, Produced, Profiled, Programmed, Prohibited, Projected, Promoted, Prompted, Proposed, Proved, Provided, Publicized, Published, Purchased, Pursued


Qualified, Quantified, Questioned, Quoted


Raised, Ranked, Rated, Realized, Received, Recognized, Recommended, Reconciled, Recorded, Recovered, Recruited, Rectified, Redesigned, Reduced, Refined, Regained, Registered, Regulated, Rehabilitated, Reinforced, Reinstated, Rejected, Related, Remedied, Remodeled, Renegotiated, Reorganized, Repaired, Replaced, Replied, Reported, Represented, Researched, Resolved, Responded, Restored,. Restructured, Resulted, Retained, Retrieved, Revamped, Revealed, Reversed, Reviewed, Revised, Revitalized, Rewarded


Safeguarded, Salvaged, Saved, Scheduled, Screened, Secured, Segmented, Selected, Separated, Served, Serviced, Set, Set up, Settled, Shaped, Shared, Shortened, Showed, Shrank, Signed, Simplified, Simulated, Slashed, Sold, Solicited, Solidified, Solved, Sorted, Sought, Sparked, Spearheaded, Specialized, Specified, Speculated, Spoke, Spread, Stabilized, Staffed, Staged, Standardized, Started, Steered, Stimulated, Strategized, Streamlined, Strengthened, Stressed, Stretched, Structured, Studied, Submitted, Substantiated, Substituted, Succeeded, Succeeded in, Suggested, Summarized, Superseded, Supervised, Supplied, Supported, Surpassed, Surveyed, Synchronized, Systematized


Tabulated, Tackled, Tailored, Targeted, Taught, Terminated, Tested, Tightened, Took, Toured, Traced, Tracked, Traded, Trained, Transacted, Transcribed, Transferred, Transformed, Translated, Transmitted, Transported, Traveled, Treated, Trimmed, Tripled, Troubleshot, Turned, Tutored


Umpired, Uncovered, Underlined, Underscored, Understood, Understudied, Undertook, Underwrote, Unearthed, Unified, United, Unraveled, Updated, Upgraded, Urged, Used, Utilized


Validated, Valued, Verbalized, Verified, Viewed, Visited, Visualized, Voiced, Volunteered


Waged, Weathered, Weighed, Welcomed, Widened, Withstood, Witnessed, Won, Worked, Wrote



Check the spelling and grammar of your CV or resume and cover letter. Use the word processor's spell and grammar checker. If you are not confident of your ability to detect grammatical, punctuation and English or other language usage errors or if you need help in organizing your resume or CV, send it to a professional for assistance.


for CVs:

for resumes:

art_tip key words

We recommend that you send your resumes or CVs together with cover letters. If you have a difficulty with your cover letter writing use one of these:

Other Key Words Info

Now to finalize your Key Words topic, if your cover letter and CV or resume are ready, you may email them through international job search engines to job recruiters and headhunters worldwide.



Good luck with your key words!


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