175 Power Verbs and Phrases for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews

While you're revamping your resume or cover letter or constructing your proof-by-example stories for interviews, you'll find you need to watch your word choice. Why? Communication is powerful if the words we use to communicate are powerful. That's not all it takes, but the right words make for a good beginning.

So as you craft achievement statements or write paragraphs that sell your skills or draft interview responses to knock the employers' socks off, consider these suggestions:

Use verbs in active tense, not passive tense.

Use verbs that convey power and action.

Use verbs that claim the highest level of skill or achievement you can legitimately claim.

Use verbs to accurately describe what you have done on the job.

Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly, but when you use them, use them well.

Use nouns that are as specific and as descriptive as possible.

Use numbers whenever possible.

Use the most impressive (and still honest) form of the number you use.

Never lie! It IS NOT worth it. It WILL catch up with you.

Proofread all your verbs and nouns for agreement, tense and appropriateness.



Here, then, are 175 powerful verbs and phrases to make use of in resumes, cover letters and interviews:

abated

abolished

accelerated

accomplished

achieved

actively participated

administered

advanced

advised

aggressively analyzed

applied

assumed a key role

authored

automated

built

hired

closed

coached

co-developed

codirected

co-founded

cold called

collected

co-managed

communicated

completed

computerized

conceptualized

conducted

consolidated

contained

contracted

contributed

controlled

convinced

coordinated

cost effectively created

critiqued

cut

dealt effectively

decreased

defined

delivered

designed

developed

developed and applied

directed

doubled

earned

eliminated

emphasized

enforced

established

evaluated

exceeded

executed

exercised

expanded

expedited

facilitated

filled

focused

formulated

fostered

founded

gained

generated

ground-breaking

headed up

helped

identified

implemented

improved

increased

initiated

innovated

instituted

instructed

integrated

interviewed

introduced

investigated

lectured

led

leveraged

maintained

managed

marketed

motivated

negotiated

orchestrated

organized

outmaneuvered

overcame

oversaw

penetrated

performed

permitted

persuaded

planned

played a key role

positioned

prepared

presented

prevented

produced

profitably

project managed

promoted

proposed

prospected

protected

provided

published

quadrupled

ranked

received

recommended

recruited

reduced

removed

renegotiated

replaced

researched

resolved

restored

restructured

reversed

satisfied

saved

scheduled

scoped out

selected

self-financed

set up

sold

solved

staffed

started

stopped

streamlined

substituted

supervised

taught

tightened

took the lead in

trained

trimmed

tripled

troubleshooted

turned around

upgraded

yielded



While you certainly can use the list anytime you're looking to say something in a more powerful way, you can also use it to help jog your memory about accomplishments on present and past jobs that you might otherwise overlook. Also, consider using the list to help you refine your resumes and cover letters to be more powerful in their presentation and communication.

By Cheryl Lynch Simpson