Résumé Verb (Accomplishment) Statements
After reading these notes—at the least—you should
- know why you should write verb/accomplishment statements and how to write verb/accomplishment statements
- know the difference between weak (generic, inspecific) verbs and strong (strategic, specific) verbs
- …and know that strong verbs are better than weak verbs
- know where to find good verbs (job descriptions, job advertisements, your job advertisement)
- know what verb tense/s to use
- …if you’re describing a position or experience you had in the past, use past tense verbs
- …if you’re describing a current position or experience you’re involved in now, use present tense verbs
Regardless of whether you choose to write a chronological, skills/functional, or combination (hybrid/mixed resume), you must write verb/accomplishment statements to describe what you did. You must write your verb statements in parallel structure (within sections/subsections) and use strong, strategic, descriptive verbs. For things in the past, use past tense verbs. For things in the present, use present tense verbs.
While I’ve tried to break up the course material/notes into digestible sections, it’s difficult to understand what’s here in “Résumé Verb (Accomplishment) Statements” without also understanding what’s in the previous section of notes—“Résumé Content”—and the next section of notes—“Résumé Frequently Asked Questions”. If possible, think of all the resume-related notes as parts of a whole. Material in the other sections may answer questions you have while reading this section.
Overview
The most common mistake resume writers make is to focus on the duties they had at a previous job rather than results and accomplishments. Duties are those things that everyone who has ever had that job had to do. For instance, in a previous job at a retail shop, you may have been responsible for opening the store, for restocking shelves, balancing the register, or depositing cash at the end of the night.
Those duties – opening, restocking, balancing, depositing – are things that every sales associate has to do (or at least sales associates in similar positions). Those are the minimum responsibilities of your job – if you didn’t do those things, you would be fired. worse than being an ineffective sales associate, you would be a former sales associate without a job.
Simply suggesting that you do your responsibilities means that you fulfill the duties of your position – the bare minimum to keep your job. It does not mean that you fulfill those duties effectively or fulfill those duties in a way that contributes to the goals and objectives of your organization.
Accomplishment Statements
Instead of speaking to your responsibilities (what you are expected to do) speak to your accomplishments (what you achieve/d, what outcomes follow/ed, and how you provid/ed value to your organization, its mission, and its clients.
Accomplishment statements take the form of: action + object + results.
Put another way: verb + subject + outcome.
Princeton’s Career Services suggests thinking of it this way: APR (Action + Problem/Project + Result):
“APR” makes highlighting accomplishments easy. Think of a project you completed or problem you solved during a job or volunteer experience. Choose an action verb that describes your approach. Then describe the results you achieved, quantifying results when possible.
Here is their example, followed by a few more:
| Action Verb | Problem/Project | Result/s | ||
| coordinated | + | three fundraising events for local shelters | + | which raised more than $8,000 (20% over goal) and increased community awareness |
| Coordinated three fundraising events for local food banks, which raised over $8,000 (20% over goal) and increased community awareness. | ||||
| planned and promoted | + | 5 guest speakers for the Engineering Departments Student Outreach Series | + | 25% increase in student attendance from the previous year |
| Planned and promoted 5 guests speakers for the Engineering Departments Student Outreach Series resulting in a 25% increase in student attendance from the previous year. | ||||
| wrote | + | bylaws and governance documents | + | to found FAU’s Apple Users Group student organization |
| Wrote bylaws and governance documents to found FAU’s Apple Users Group student organization. | ||||
| developed | + | system for server shift changes | + | to increase efficiency of administrative and operational tasks (servers were able to clock out 50% faster at the ends of shifts) and reduce unexpected overtime payments by 80% |
| Developed a system for server shift changes to increase efficiency of administrative and operational tasks (servers were able to clock out 50% faster at the ends of shifts) and reduce unexpected overtime payments by 80%. | ||||
| led and coordinated | + | team of four project group members by delegating responsibilities and tasks | + | ensuring a successful project and an ‘A’ from the professor |
| Led and coordinated team of four project group members by delegating responsibilities and tasks ensuring a successful project and an ‘A’ from the professor. | ||||
Weak vs. Strong Verbs
Verbs like worked, made, used, gave, and was are incredibly weak in the context of a resume. They’re inspecific and don’t speak to the actions you took to accomplish various tasks, meet (or exceed) the obejectives of your position, and fulfill the purpose/s of your organization. They don’t speak to action or success. They speak to bare minimums, responsibilities, and duties required of anyone in your position.
| Instead of (Weak Verbs) | Revise to (Strong/Action Verbs) |
| Responsible for customer accounts | Updated and maintained customer accounts… |
| Sent customer invoices and overdue notices | Created and sent invoices and overdue account notices… |
| Worked with customers to make payment plans | Negotiated payment plans with customers… |
| Settled and closed accounts | Balanced accounts… |
| Was leader in group project | Led team of five group members… |
| Made sales | Sold merchandise… |
| Worked with staff members | Collaborated with staff members… |
| Used accounting principles | Applied accounting principles… |
| Gave presentations | Delivered presentations… |
| Provided guidelines | Established guidelines |
| Made newsletter | Developed, wrote, and published newsletter… |
| Perform office tasks | Greet clients, maintain schedule and calendar… |
| Take notes | Record details of meetings and phone conversations… |
| Keep records | Maintain client information database… |
| Help staff | Anticipate employee needs… |
| Used tools |
Repaired equipment with cutting edge tools… |
Browse these lists of precise action verbs organized according to skill categories like communication, creative, management, leadership, organization, and research (among others): Quint Careers Action Verbs, CSU Action Verbs, and ASU Action Verbs.
What Verbs Should I Use? Where Do I Find Them?
The first place to look is your job advertisement. Take another look back at your job ad annotation exercise, and ask yourself, which are the most common verbs (or groups of verbs that mean roughly similar things)? Which are the most important verbs (things that describe the essential duties or responsibilities of the position)? These verbs are ones you should include in your resume (in your resume verb statements).
You should also look at the words following the verbs—often nouns—that further describe the duties and responsibilities of the position.
Look back at the sample job ad annotation for the Visiting Researcher position at the Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center. I’m going to pull some phrases and sentences from that ad and we can see what we have…
- inspire a diverse and inclusive movement of conservation advocates
- sparking connection with animals and nature, enhancing scientific literacy through hands-on investigation, and engaging constituents in stewardship and action to conserve wildlife and wild places
- explore the field of education at an informal science institution as part of a team;
- develop a learning action plan to support their professional growth as an educator;
- complete a professional teaching portfolio to document their pedagogy skills.
- inspire a love of wildlife and wild places for school and/or family and children groups.
- welcome diverse learners, interests, and backgrounds
- foster student-directed learning while learning pertinent information about wildlife conservation issues with a global impact
- teach under the supervision of full-time Conservation Educators
- train with the Phoenix Zoo’s tractable animal collection
- begin teaching and developing curriculum independently.
I’m seeing two categories of verbs (or, verbs for two different actions or responsibilities of the job).
- verbs/language similar to inspire (with the same or similar meaning): inspire, foster, spark connection, engage, welcome, foster.
- verbs/language similar to teach (with the same or similar meaning): explore the field of education, complete teaching portfolio, pedagogy skills, school/family groups, teach, train, teaching, developing curriculum
So, based on this, I’m fairly sure the employer is looking for someone who can inspire others and someone who can teach. For this reason (and since I possess the abilities to inspire and to teach) these two verbs—inspire and teach—should be in my verb statements on my resume.
If I’m doing a skills resume, perhaps one of my skill headings is “Ability to Inspire.” Then, I would have verb statements to prove my skills or abilities in this area, each starting with a different word for inspire. For example:
- encourage diverse learners to explore nature in ways that meet their needs, interests, and abilities;
- foster a lifelong love of learning about wildlife by connecting biological principles to kids everyday lives;
- motivate visitors to incorporate conservation into their daily life;
- engage families and school groups in conversations about community commitment to ecological preservation.
Perhaps another skill heading is “Teaching Experience and Instructional Skill.” I would have verb statements that start with synonyms for teaching (or related verbs/concepts). For example:
- educate vistors…
- employ pedagogical strategies…
- instruct patrons in the…
- communicate ecological principles through…
- teach diverse learners to…
Targeted Verbs (& Adjectives)
Take a look at the Indeed.com seach for “executive assistant” in Miami Florida. Note the words/phrases highlighted in blue and green.
Take a look at the verbs in blue: coordinate, balance, implement, and respond. Because of the frequency of these and related verbs in similar job advertisements, if you were applying for “executive assistant” positions, it would probably be a good idea to work these into your verb statements.
Of course, you shouldn’t make up details to use various verbs (that would be unethical), but you should see if you can shift your language to match the language that’s out there.
| Instead of Generic Verbs | Shift to Targeted Verbs |
| Communicated administrative needs to staff … | Coordinated communication between administration and staff |
| Managed various tasks simultaneously… | Balanced various simultaneous tasks in order to fulfill responsibilities… |
| Resolved customer complaints… | Implemented solutions to customer complaints…. |
| Answered clients’ inquiries…. | Responded to clients’ inquiries…. |
Take a look at the adjectives in green: dynamic, flexible, adaptable, energetic, positive, proactive, and reliable.
You can work those adjectives into your resume in other ways. Occasionally, you can shift them to verbs, as in the case of “adaptable” (adjective) to “adapt” or “adapted” (verbs). If not, perhaps those terms (or similar ones) can be worked into the objective statement, summary of qualifications, etc.
Structure, Punctuation, Tense, Sequence, & More
Structure:
In resumes, it’s acceptable (and perhaps even preferred) to write in sentence fragments and omit articles. According to Max Messmer, author of Job Hunting for Dummies (2nd ed.):
Keep your sentences short and don’t worry about fragments. Resumes call for short, crisp statements. These statements do not necessarily have to be complete sentences; you can frequently leave out the articles a, an, and the.
Instead of this:
Spent three years working on major accounts, as both a lead generator and a closer, demonstrating proven skill in organizing and managing a territory with efficiency as well as in developing customer databases.
Write this:
Spent three years working on major accounts. Generated leads and closed sales. Demonstrated proven skill in organizing and managing a territory and in developing customer databases.
Instead of this:
I was involved in the creation and implementation of statistical reports for a large metropolitan hospital, which required the use of spreadsheet software for cost analysis and, in addition, the creation of a database to track patient visits.
Write this:
Created and implemented statistical reports for large metropolitan hospital. Analyzed costs with spreadsheet software. Created database to track patient visits.
Or try a bulleted format:
- Created and implemented statistical reports for large metropolitan hospital.
- Analyzed costs with spreadsheet software.
- Created database to track patient visits.
Punctuation
If the text of your bullet point is a full sentence, then you should use standard sentence punctuation. However, if the text is written as a phrase (technically, a sentence fragment, but perfectly acceptable for a resume), then it’s your choice whether to include end punctuation or not. The only real rule is to be consistent. If you decide to use periods after bulleted phrases, then you must use periods for each one. If you decide not to use periods, then none of the phrases should have periods.
Verb Tense
The rule for verb tense in resumes is simple. If the verb statement refers to a past position, the verb should be in past tense. If the verb statement refers to a current position (one you hold presently), the verb should be in present tense.
If you’re writing verb statements to describe what you accomplished in a Retail Sales Associate position you held in 2010-2012, your verbs should be in past tense, e.g., Assisted, Managed, Resolved, Increased, etc.
If you’re writing verb statements to describe what you accomplish in your current position as a Sales Manager, your verbs should be in present tense, e.g., Manage, Assist, Coordinate, Schedule, Balance, Motivate, etc.
First Person, Sequence, Plain English, & Parallelism
In short:
- Avoid first person (“I”, “we”, “my”, “me”, etc.)
- Use plain English, avoid nouning, and focus on the “real” (see previous course material on Nouning)
- Maintain parallel structure in your bullet points (see previous course material on Parallelism)
I recommend Max Messmer’s 5 Tips for Better Resume Writing.
