We've compiled the best action verbs you can use to showcase your Computer Science experience.
Compiled by: Kimberley Tyler-SmithAs a computer scientist, you want your resume to reflect your specialized skillset in programming languages as well as showcase your ability to work on a team and solve complex problems. Use strong action verbs that emphasize your computing skills like created, programmed, analyzed, and debugged. Also highlight teamwork skills using verbs like collaborated, communicated, and teamed.
We've compiled a lot more action verbs by job titles below.
Choose the job title that's most relevant to you to get targeted action verbs.
To show you how to use these action verbs in your resume, see this infographic for reference. You'll note that each bullet point uses strong action verbs, with a specific description of the task that was accomplished.
Java developers are a vital part of ensuring that companies function, especially when you’re talking about industries like e-commerce or SaaS (sales as a service) companies. You’re responsible for building the software and web-based applications, continually improving said offerings based on customer data, keeping these applications healthy through testing, and more. As such, proving your success in these skills vividly is extremely important, and the best way to do that is to combine action verbs with concrete data.
Consider also that part of working at the enterprise level on software and web-based applications involves a lot of communication. You’re incorporating data from customers as well as from co-workers who may not be as tech savvy as you are. Using clear and precise action verbs on your resume will show employers that you’re no stranger to the parts of the job that aren’t just about Java.
• Deployed Python extensively for data analysis tasks including building statistical models of market behavior based on historical data from Resume Worded systems, improved sales by $25M in the first 10 months..
• Developed 11 automated processes to deploy new Windows Server instances in 5 minutes compared to 7 hours previously, reduced average incident resolution time from 1 week to 45 minutes through automation processes and standardization practices.
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Java Developer Resume Guide.
The use of weak action verbs will hurt the overall strength of your resume. You don’t want to use generic verbs. You want to use ones that are complementary to the software skills you’ve used.
Try not to overuse one action verb; variety helps keep your resume unique.
If you’re not sure which action verbs to use, here’s a list of action verbs that are useful for software engineers.
• Wrote, implemented and trained peers on the master test plan, increasing testing efficiency by 33%. .
• Spearheaded the use of hypothesis testing, segmentation analysis, & machine learning algorithms reducing signup drop-offs from 60% to 10% as well as increasing user engagement by 45%. .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Software Engineer Resume Guide.
Solutions architects often work as the bridge between non-technical stakeholders and the engineering team. Therefore, they must have excellent communication skills and reliability. If you want to showcase this in your resume, you should use practical language that illustrates your achievements and competencies.
A good way to do this is by using strong action verbs relevant to your profession. Action verbs make you seem accountable for previous projects’ outcomes and improve your readability. Below, we have selected some action verbs that are perfect for your solutions architect resume.
• Automated manual testing using Python and Selenium to reduce the time taken for regression testing by 50%. .
• Spearheaded redesign of the company's flagship mobile app, which increased downloads by 40% in less than 30 days on the job. .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Solutions Architect Resume Guide.
The I.T. specialist position is an interesting blend of I.T. functions and customer service/support functions. The action verbs used, should reflect this blend. There should be technical action verbs used, like ‘designed’ and ‘installed’, as well as support action verbs, like ‘supported’ and ‘served’.
Here is a list of action verbs you can use to create a balanced resume.
• Facilitated swift resolution of embedded scripting error on Unix system that was freezing printing operations for more than 500 users. .
• Managed all social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., growing followers from 3.6K to over 210K within 10 months. .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full IT Specialist Resume Guide.
IT managers must have deep technical knowledge of a company’s electronic needs while also possessing leadership and operational savvy to successfully develop the company’s information technology network. It’s important to stress these skills through your action verbs -- for example, use words like “led” and “strategized” to emphasize your leadership skills.
As you’re choosing action verbs for your IT Manager resume, try not to use generic verbs -- they can hurt rather than help your resume. Use strong and powerful verbs that can create an image in your mind about the great work you did.
Tip: to quickly get a list of more powerful action verbs, read through various relevant job descriptions to see what kind of action verbs companies tend to use when they’re looking to hire IT Managers in your industry.
• Designed and drove the vision and implementation of features and game systems,successfully delivering 3 projects in a fast-paced environment..
• Overhauled 5 UI automated testing solutions leading to an 89% increase in test traceability and overall product quality. .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full IT Manager Resume Guide.
There is a popular misconception about software developers. People often think that it is a merely technical profession, neglecting the value of soft skills like communication and resilience. A successful developer is able to translate highly complex requirements into actionable plans.
Now, how can you demonstrate this in your resume? By using effective communication. Action verbs will help you do that by streamlining your work experience and precisely expressing your responsibilities. You can use bullet points to illustrate your experience and start the phrase with a strong action verb. We have curated some of the most relevant action verbs for your developer resume.
• Managed all stages of Web site creations for clientele, from initial design and architecture to development, deployment, and management of Web sites and completed a total of 10 projects, including e-commerce, financial services and personal blogs. .
• Created and managed a suite of web applications using Struts, Hibernate, and Spring MVC frameworks in the first 5 months of joining the organization..
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Software Developer Resume Guide.
Action verbs are critical for making your resume feel relevant and keeping it flowing. On the left, we’ve compiled a list of action verbs that should be included in web developer resumes based on our research.
These action verbs can be integrated throughout the text, such as in a short summary like the one present on the first web developer resume we reviewed. In that example, they have experience “managing” and “developing” projects to “maintain” cohesive websites, all of which speak favorably to their capabilities.
Every bullet point should begin with an action verb, as we discussed above. “Designed”, “developed”, and “created” are all important fundamentals for the web developer trade, while “revamped”, “brainstormed”, and “collaborated” indicate your ability to go above and beyond.
• Worked with 7 teams of developers to create an RW health app that was downloaded over 1M times in 3 months..
• Built an API-driven publishing service handling 17M pageviews monthly, performing at 94% cache efficiency..
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Web Developer Resume Guide.
Action verbs are words that you can use to emphasize your experience and explain your role more clearly. All of these action verbs are in the past tense, and you can use them on your resume to communicate your message precisely. Take a look below to find some inspiration.
• Automated image optimization using Grunt, minified JS, and CSS; reduced page load times by 86%; received early promotion ahead of schedule. .
• Designed and launched an automated testing framework that greenlighted code quality before release, reducing time to market by 75%. .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Programmer Resume Guide.
Front end developers excel at the intersection of technical ability and beautiful design, working with a variety of teams to bring a dynamic, seamless website to life. It’s important to stress these types of skills through your action verbs -- for example, use words like “collaborated” and “developed” to emphasize your teamwork skills.
Try not to use generic verbs -- they can hurt rather than help your resume. Use strong and powerful verbs that complement the front end developer skills you have.
Don’t overuse a single action verb. Be creative and use a new action verb for each bullet point; vary your word choices and choose the best one according to the responsibilities you had in the project.
• Wrote 10+ SQL queries to obtain data from multiple tables to spool into CSV format and provide extracts to all company businesses and users. .
• Created customer satisfaction surveys utilizing MS Project increasing customer retention by 12% and onboarding 3 new customers..
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Front End Developer Resume Guide.
DevOps engineers need to do a lot of building, configuring, and testing programs. Doing so requires skill and experience with tools like OpenVZ/KVM, Hadoop, and the cloud. Therefore, it’s necessary to use action verbs that highlight your abilities with these tools.
Just make sure the verbs --and the following experience-- are related to DevOps. Other software engineer-related jobs use the same or complementary tools. So whichever ones you choose to use in your resume need to be useful for this exact role. However, if those action verbs from other roles happen to be connected to this one, use them in your resume.
• Led multi-disciplinary 7 person team to design, develop, and launch online e-commerce store; prioritized and resolved 45+ new features and bug fixes .
• Constructed cloud applications & cloud infrastructures that were deployed on Amazon Web Services in an optimized manner which improved their reliability by 45%. .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full DevOps Resume Guide.
Your full stack developer resume should start with each bullet point in your work experience section with strong action verbs. Action verbs will help your resume to be memorable, and paint a picture of your past accomplishments. Some punchy action verbs for full stack resumes are “developed,” “reduced,” “achieved,” “launched, “designed,” “implemented,” “delivered,” and “spearheaded.” This list of action verbs shows that you created and played a big role in past projects.
In comparison, basic verbs like “assisted,” “contributed,” and “worked on” imply that you participated in previous roles; however, it doesn’t describe what you specifically brought to the table. Why was the project successful? Was it because you developed the new website within the deadline or found a pesky bug in the code that was causing a headache for users? Action verbs help you to illustrate your point.
• Provided regular user feedback and stat/price point tuning to the Development Team based on play-testing, both during game development and post-release, resulting in a 91% game satisfactory rate..
• Spearheaded the initiation of Scrum-of-Scrums, risk management, & developer training in addition to proposing & implementing the use of Gantt charts resulting in an overall 40% reduction in workflow friction..
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Full Stack Developer Resume Guide.
Your resume will get a recruiter’s attention when you highlight achievements by starting with strong action verbs that are relevant to Python developers.
Python developers put a lot of work into making programs as effective as they can be. It’s necessary to emphasize your skills using action verbs like designed or developed in your experience.
Try not to use an action verb multiple times. It helps your experience and achievements stand out when you use various action verbs to show uniqueness.
• Manipulated 300+ characters to interact with the digital environment using Maya, ensuring the smooth flow of characters within the cinematic realm..
• Conducted evaluative testing with 10+ participants using InVision and UserTesting.com; synthesized and designed against findings which reduced bounce rate for primary user flow by 30% .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Python Developer Resume Guide.
IT managers must have deep technical knowledge of a company’s electronic needs while also possessing leadership and operational savvy to successfully develop the company’s information technology network. It’s important to stress these skills through your action verbs -- for example, use words like “led” and “strategized” to emphasize your leadership skills.
As you’re choosing action verbs for your IT Manager resume, try not to use generic verbs -- they can hurt rather than help your resume. Use strong and powerful verbs that can create an image in your mind about the great work you did.
Tip: to quickly get a list of more powerful action verbs, read through various relevant job descriptions to see what kind of action verbs companies tend to use when they’re looking to hire IT Managers in your industry.
• Collaborated with the sales team and account managers to ensure excellent quality deployment and delivery of security assessments, contributing to an annual average increase of 30% in sales. .
• Designed/developed APIs that processed streaming data to power customer recommendation engines, increasing incremental annual revenue to $1.1M..
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full IT Manager Resume Guide.
How can you make your achievements from past jobs stand out in recruiters’ eyes? A simple but effective strategy is to lead into those achievements with strong, clear verbs. The right verbs should emphasize what you did and how your actions contributed to your company’s success.
Action verbs for aspiring Node.js developers should underscore their development, analytical, problem-solving, communication, and technical skills. There are some examples on the left that you can use for inspiration.
• Developed and committed code to GIT/SVN and created 1K code reviews within 13 weeks of joining the organization. .
• Conducted over 10 initial reviews of audit logs pertaining to critical information systems encompassing review of weekly-generated reports and identifying suspicious activities; reduced security threats by 50%..
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Node.js Resume Guide.
Use action verbs for your resume in a way that puts emphasis on how well you know your way around SQL, production databases and systems. Solid experience in creating and developing these must be highlighted, and so must your knowledge of the maintenance side of things. Furthermore, use these action verbs to begin each bullet point that details previous jobs or work experiences ("• Processed X. " or "• Organized Y into Z. "). Go straight to the point about everything you specifically did that made a positive impact on each program or system you worked with. This is not about telling stories––you'll have a chance to do that in the actual job interviews.
• Utilized Salesforce and 2 other customer relationship management tools to track 25K customer interactions and manage the sales pipeline, successfully qualifying 89% in 4 months..
• Analyzed impact and effectiveness of in-app UI changes on customer retention, identified features of customer behavior and recommended additional menu modifications; Decreased uninstallation rate by 40%.
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full SQL Developer Resume Guide.
Strong action verbs tell a recruiter your role in a specific task. Software tester resumes should use action verbs that are relevant to the software testing process. Action verbs like "Tested", "Developed" or “Analyzed" are strong action verbs that effectively showcase a strong software testing skill set.
• Championed the implementation of 5 new data centers and server infrastructures for 10 international companies with over 120K employees, achieved a 95% uptime for 2 years. .
• Applied JAVA OOP concepts to introduce additional functionality for a bottom-up bill-of-materials tree traversal & reporting tool reducing run-time by 70+%..
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Software Tester Resume Guide.
Action verbs are your allies to emphasize your skills. They will also help you explain and demonstrate your role in prior job experiences or projects. However, it can be challenging for some to find the right action verbs for their resume. That’s why we have compiled some of the best ones you can use for your C++, C, or C# developer resume.
• Managed 140 orders totaling over $2M per quarter of 2021, and entered all information into an Excel worksheet to track order history. .
• Developed functionality that collected over 5K customer data related to infrastructure configurations at scale through API calls, which increased adoption rates among existing customers by over 55%. .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full C, C++, and C# Developer Resume Guide.
Action verbs help us understand the functions of your job, the successes you have had, and the tasks you have completed. Strong action verbs can elevate your resume and help you stand out from the crowd. For a cloud developer, your action verbs should highlight experience in all the stages of software development as well as highlight your experience as a team member or team leader.
We have compiled some useful action verbs for you to use.
• Maintained 25 versions of test sets and worked on regression testing involving 42 phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)..
• Ran over 6000 regression tests by constructing a Selenium framework which identified 20 minor and 7 major defects early on..
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full Cloud Developer Resume Guide.
Using vague phrases is going to hurt your resume’s readability, so you need to use strong action verbs. ETL is already a highly complex occupation, so you need to keep your message simple and easy to comprehend. Remember to use varied action verbs, repetition is also going to affect your performance. For inspiration, check the following action verbs we’ve gathered for your ETL resume.
• Programmed 75+ online research surveys in less than 2 months using Python, JavaScript, SQL, and XML. .
• Translated high-level collection objectives into strategic seasonal digital marketing campaigns leading to 14% increase in ad conversion rate, 10% increase in Instagram followers, 33% increase in email subscribers and $3M in sales for 2019. .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full ETL Developer Resume Guide.
If you want to add value to your PHP developer resume include a bullet points list with achievements in your work history. This will make you look more professional and high-performing. The best way to do this is by using action verbs at the beginning of each phrase, but remember, they must all be varied and highly related to your field.
Below, we have compiled a list of relevant action verbs you can use in your resume. Notice how words like “coded” or “debug” provide a more descriptive perspective of your responsibilities.
• Initiated artificial intelligence algorithms for enemies, teammates, and non-playable characters (NPCs) in 52 different games in Q1 2019 alone. .
• Reviewed, suggested, and implemented database management solutions to increase repository storage needs by 50% to meet the growing needs of the business. .
If you'd like a deeper dive into this role, read the full PHP Developer Resume Guide.
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