action verbs

The Resume Verb Bank

A one-page reference of more than 200 resume action verbs sorted into fourteen groups — leadership, achievement, growth, creation, analysis, problem-solving, efficiency, communication, strategy, financial, sales, project management, change management, and scale. It ends with a before-and-after table showing why "Mobilized a cross-functional team of five" beats "Led a team of five", and why "Allocated and monitored a $2M annual budget" beats "Responsible for the budget".

Why I recommend it: Use it as a swap list, not a thesaurus to sprinkle. Katie's own warning is the important part: a strong verb can't hide a weak result — if you write "Transformed" or "Spearheaded", the rest of the bullet has to prove it with a number or a clear before-and-after. Pick one verb per bullet, never repeat the same one twice on a page, and if you can't back a big verb with evidence, choose a smaller, truer one.

Harvard OCS: Resumes and Cover Letters (PDF Guide)

Harvard's full undergraduate resume and cover letter handbook — formatting rules, action-verb lists, and annotated before/after examples across industries.

In plain terms: This guide provides formatting rules, action-verb lists, and sample resumes and cover letters across various industries. You can use the annotated before-and-after examples to write and format your own job applications.

Why I recommend it: The single best free resume handbook out there. Read the annotated examples twice.