Power Verbs in English

What are power verbs?

Power verbs are action words that have positive meanings in English. When you use a power verb, you can communicate your message more strongly and confidently than when using other verbs. This is especially useful when you are applying for a job and want to appear as a confident and competent candidate. Power verbs can also make your writing more interesting and help prevent you from using the same words too many times.

The following sentences are examples from the Work Experience section of a resume. Notice the differences between the sentences.

Made new software for ABC Company. → Made is a weaker verb.
Developed new software for ABC Company. → Developed is a power verb. You sound more confident and interesting using ‘developed’.

Where can I use power verbs?

Power verbs are useful in many situations. They are especially great for resumes, job interviews, and academic writing like essays.

Before you use a power verb…

Make sure you understand the exact meaning of the power verb you are going to use. You don’t want to make a mistake with the word, especially on a resume.
Look the word up in a dictionary, search the internet for examples of sentences where it has been used, and if possible, find someone to check your sentence to make sure that you’ve used it correctly.
Make sure you are comfortable with the word before you use it.

Weak verbs to avoid: ☹

Here is a list of verbs you should avoid on your resume where possible:

did
make
use
get
look
take
keep
have
said
told
talk
change
start
finish

GENERAL POWER VERB LIST

Here are some better alternatives to common weak words.

Weak Word: DID

act
activate
administer
apply
arrange
carry out
conduct
execute
facilitate
handle
perform

Weak Word: MAKE

assemble
compose
create
design
develop
devise
engineer
establish
fashion
formulate
generate
produce
synthesize

Weak Word: FIX

alleviate
amended
debugged
detected
diagnosed
investigated
remedied
repaired
revitalized
solved
synthesized
streamline

Weak Word: SHOW

demonstrate
depict
describe
exhibit
highlight
illustrate
portray
represent

Weak Words: TALK, SPEAK, WRITE, COMMUNICATE

addressed
advocate
briefed
communicate
composed
convince
consulted
collaborate
correspond
disseminate
edited
educated
explained
highlight
inform
instruct
interact
negotiate
present
publicize
report
specify
verify
welcome

Weak Word: KEEP

ensure
maintain
strengthen

Weak Word: USE

operate

Weak Word: GET

achieve
obtain
procure

Weak Word: CHANGE, MAKE SOMETHING BETTER, GET RESULTS

accelerate
accomplish
achieve
alter
award
attain
convert
decrease
eliminate
expand
excel
generate
heighten
improve
increase
minimize
maximize
receive
recognize for (passive verb = “is/was recognized for”)
reduce
transform

Weak Word: HELP

aid
assist
bolster
enhance
enrich
help
provide

Weak Word: ADD

compile
strengthen

Weak Word: START

initiate

POWER VERBS FOR SPECIFIC INDUSTRIES

Here are some power verbs we often use when talking about our experience in certain jobs and industries. This is not a complete list of power verbs. I have covered some of the most common power verbs in the list below, but there are many more. Please note that the same power verbs can be used for many different jobs, so if you see a power verb in one job category such as medicine, it may also apply to a different job too.

Customer Service, Tourism, Hospitality, Retail Store

accommodate
address
advertise
advise
aid
anticipate
answer
assist
assure
clarify
communicate
distribute
document
exhibit
explain
handle
help
interact
listen
promote
resolve
support
target
translate
welcome

Law & Legal Professions

advocate
amend
analyze
arbitrated
extracted
interviewed
investigate
lobby
mediate
negotiate
represent
specify

Leader & Management

allocate
approve
assess
assign
authorize
chair
consolidate
convince
coordinate
delegate
direct
encourage
enforce
guide
head
hire
lead
manage
monitor
orchestrate
oversee
recommend
resolve
run
supervise
spearhead

Business, Finance, Accounting

account for
anticipate
appraise
assess
audit
bargain
budget
demonstrate
distribute
estimate
evaluate
finance
forecast
fundraise
identify
implement
inventory
market
measure
negotiate
project
provide
purchase
record
report
streamline
tabulate
target
total

Public Sector & Government

accommodate
advise
allocate
appoint
authorize
budget
commission
consult
estimate
evaluate
finance
identify
implement
institute
issue
officiate
promote
negotiate
regulate
represent
sanction
specify

Administrative, Clerical, Receptionist, Secretary

administer
answer
aide
assist
arrange
balance
catalog
categorize
classify
collect
coordinate
distribute
edit
file
format
handle
issue
order
organize
prepare
record
retrieve
report
schedule

Teaching & Advising

assist
coach
encourage
evaluate
foster
educated
empower
encourage
explained
guide
highlight
inform
instruct
prepare
present
promote
supplement
taught

Researcher, Scientist, Academic

acquire
analyze
classify
collaborate
collect
compile
conduct
consult
discover
examine
formulate
identify
interpret
interview
lecture
measure
publish
review
share
study
uncover

IT, Computers, Tech

brainstorm
collaborate
compile
compute
consult
convert
debugged
detect
determine
develop
fix
format
identify
implement
innovate
launch
program
retrieve
track
transmit
verify

Medicine

advise
care
collaborate
counsel
detect
determine
diagnose
dispense
identify
provide
rehabilitate
treat

Engineer

assess
collaborate
construct
convert
develop
draft
draw
engineer
implement
innovate
regulate

Machine Operator

inspect
install
manufacture
operate
prepare
repair

Watch my video on power verbs for a full explanation of how to use them in your resume, with examples: