Elevate Your CV Using Action Words

Action words, also known as power verbs, are words that convey action, initiative, and accomplishment. They breathe life into your CV, making your experiences and achievements more vivid and engaging. Instead of passively listing your responsibilities, action words empower you to demonstrate your impact and contributions in each role.

Why Action Words Matter

• Capturing Attention: Recruiters often spend mere seconds scanning each CV. Action words help draw their attention to key achievements and experiences, making it more likely that your CV will stand out from the crowd.
• Conveying Impact: Action words enable you to succinctly communicate the results and outcomes of your work. They provide concrete evidence of your capabilities and contributions, enhancing your credibility as a candidate.
• Demonstrating Initiative: By using action words, you signal to employers that you are proactive, results-oriented, and driven to succeed.

Examples of Action Words

• Leadership and Management: Managed, led, spearheaded, directed, oversaw
• Achievement and Accomplishment: Achieved, implemented, developed, resolved, improved
• Collaboration and Communication: Collaborated, communicated, facilitated, negotiated, trained
• Analysis and Problem-Solving: Analyzed, evaluated, investigated, devised

How to Use Action Words Effectively

• Be Specific: Choose action words that accurately reflect your experiences and achievements. Instead of generic terms like “worked” or “assisted,” opt for more descriptive verbs that convey your specific contributions.
• Quantify Where Possible: Whenever feasible, quantify the impact of your actions using numbers, percentages, or other metrics. For example, instead of saying “improved sales,” you could say “increased sales revenue by 20%.”
• Tailor to the Job: Customize your choice of action words to align with the requirements of the job you’re applying for. Use language that resonates with the industry, role, and company culture.
• Showcase a Range of Skills: Use a diverse array of action words to highlight various skills and competencies, including leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication.
• Use Active Voice: Opt for the active voice rather than the passive voice to convey a sense of agency and ownership. For example, say “led a cross-functional team” instead of “was responsible for leading a cross-functional team.”