Verbs by what you did
Pick the verb that describes your actual part. If you helped rather than led, “supported” is stronger than a bigger verb you could not explain at interview.
- Arranged
- Coordinated
- Organised
- Planned
- Prioritised
- Scheduled
“Coordinated rotas for a 24-person team across three sites.”
- Advised
- Assisted
- Cared for
- Resolved
- Served
- Supported
“Resolved billing complaints at the first contact.”
- Coached
- Delegated
- Led
- Mentored
- Supervised
- Trained
“Trained four new starters on the till and stock system.”
- Cut
- Increased
- Introduced
- Reduced
- Simplified
- Streamlined
“Introduced a supplier tracker that cut late renewals from 18 to 4.”
- Built
- Created
- Designed
- Developed
- Installed
- Produced
“Built a weekly dashboard used by 40 managers.”
- Audited
- Checked
- Monitored
- Recorded
- Reconciled
- Tested
“Reconciled eight balance sheet accounts each month.”
- Explained
- Negotiated
- Presented
- Reported
- Wrote
- Briefed
“Presented monthly findings to the customer experience committee.”
- Grew
- Promoted
- Recommended
- Sold
- Won
- Launched
“Grew store sales by 9% against a regional average of 3%.”
Before and after
A verb only helps when the rest of the line is specific. These fictional pairs show the difference.
Responsible for the stockroom.
Unpacked and priced two deliveries a week so the shop floor was full before opening.
Helped with customer queries.
Answered about 40 calls and emails a day, logging each job on the system.
Tense and person
Use the present tense for the job you are in now and the past tense for earlier jobs. Leave out “I” and “my”: UK CVs start the line with the verb. Keep the tense the same within one job so the list reads cleanly.
Verbs to use with care
“Spearheaded”, “orchestrated” and “leveraged” sound inflated on most CVs, and “responsible for” and “duties included” describe a job description rather than what you did. Our words to avoid guide lists more, and the CV checker flags several of them.