Complete List of English Power 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. Properly incorporating power words into your resumes, letters and other correspondence can help convey strong writing skills and increase the strength of your communication.

resume power words

These words can offer a significant, if not necessary, resume improvement. Be careful not to overuse them with your resume. Too much fluff and not enough skills, and you could come across as fake.

 

Power Word Examples by Industry

 

Management Power Words
Built
Demonstrated
Developed
Enhanced
Facilitated
Generated
Impacted
Implemented
Negotiated
Revitalized

Sales & Marketing Power Words
Closed
Collaborated
Delivered
Drove
Established
Generated
Increased
Presented
Prospected
Retained

Technical Power Words
Analyzed
Built
Consulted
Created
Escalated
Formatted
Integrated
Maintained
Programmed
Supported
Troubleshot

Academic Power Words
Applied
Authored
Counseled
Developed
Educated
Evaluated
Mentored
Nourished
Researched
Taught
Tutored

Healthcare Power Words
Assigned
Assessed
Assisted
Cared
Charged
Provided
Monitored
Nursed
Secured

Accounting Power Words
Analyzed
Audited
Justified
Verified
Prepared
Processed
Reported
Researched
Reviewed

Complete List of Resume Power Words

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

B
Balanced
Bargained
Began
Benchmarked
Benefited
Bid
Billed
Blocked
Bolstered
Boosted
Borrowed
Bought
Branded
Bridged
Broadened
Brought
Budgeted
Built

C
Calculated
Canvassed
Captured
Cast
Cataloged
Catalogued
Categorized
Centralized
Chaired
Challenged
Changed
Channeled
Charted
Checked
Circulated
Clarified
Classified
Cleared
Coached
Co-authored
Collaborated
Collected
Combined
Commissioned
Committed
Communicated
Compiled
Completed
Complied
Composed
Computed
Conceived
Conceptualized
Condensed
Conducted
Conserved
Consolidated
Constructed
Consulted
Contributed
Controlled
Converted
Conveyed
Convinced
Coordinated
Corrected
Counseled
Created
Critiqued
Cultivated
Customized
Cut

D
Dealt
Debated
Debugged
Decentralized
Decreased
Deferred
Defined
Delivered
Demonstrated
Depreciated
Described
Designated
Designed
Detected
Determined
Developed
Devised
Diagnosed
Directed
Discovered
Dispatched
Dissembled
Distinguished
Distributed
Diversified
Divested
Doubled

E
Earned
Eased
Educated
Effected
Elicited
Eliminated
Emphasized
Enabled
Encouraged
Endorsed
Enforced
Engaged
Engineered
Enhanced
Enlarged
Enlisted
Enriched
Ensured
Established
Examined
Exceeded
Exchanged
Executed
Exempted
Expanded
Expedited
Explored
Exposed
Extended
Extracted

F
Fabricated
Facilitated
Fashioned
Fielded
Financed
Focused
Forecasted
Formalized
Formed
Formulated
Fortified
Founded
Fulfilled
Furnished
Furthered

G
Gained
Gathered
Gauged
Generated
Governed
Graded
Granted
Greeted
Grouped
Guided

H
Handled
Helped
Hired
Hosted

I
Identified
Illuminated
Illustrated
Implemented
Improved
Improvised
Inaugurated
Incorporated
Increased
Incurred
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

J
Joined
Judged
Justified

K
Kept

L
Launched
Lectured
Led
Lightened
Liquidated
Litigated
Lobbied
Localized
Located
Logged

M
Maintained
Managed
Mapped
Marketed
Maximized
Measured
Mediated
Merchandised
Merged
Minimized
Modeled
Moderated
Modernized
Modified
Monitored
Motivated
Moved
Multiplied

N
Named
Narrated
Navigated
Negotiated
Netted
Noticed
Nurtured

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

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

Q
Qualified
Quantified
Quoted

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

S
Safeguarded
Salvaged
Saved
Screened
Secured
Segmented
Selected
Separated
Served
Serviced
Settled
Shaped
Shortened
Shrank
Signed
Simplified
Simulated
Sold
Solicited
Solved
Spearheaded
Specialized
Specified
Speculated
Spoke
Spread
Stabilized
Staffed
Staged
Standardized
Steered
Stimulated
Strategized
Streamlined
Strengthened
Stressed
Structured
Studied
Submitted
Substantiated
Substituted
Suggested
Superseded
Supervised
Supplied
Supported
Surpassed
Surveyed
Synchronized
Systematized

T
Tabulated
Tailored
Targeted
Taught
Tightened
Took
Traced
Traded
Trained
Transacted
Transferred
Transformed
Translated
Transmitted
Transported
Treated
Tripled
Troubleshot
Tutored

U
Uncovered
Underlined
Underscord
Undertook
Underwrote
Unearthed
Unified
United
Updated
Upgraded
Urged
Used
Utilized

V
Validated
Valued
Verbalized
Verified
Viewed
Visited
Visualized
Voiced
Volunteered

W
Weathered
Weighed
Welcomed
Widened
Withstood
Witnessed
Won
Worked
Wrote

X

Y
Yielded

Z

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