{"id":68893,"date":"2021-07-07T01:36:11","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T01:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/?p=68893"},"modified":"2026-02-10T23:39:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:39:06","slug":"action-verbs-resume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/action-verbs-resume\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Action Verbs For Australian Management And Executive Resumes"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p>In a few short years, you have been promoted to the leadership ranks. You now get paid to lead a team and to achieve results through others. This post represents a significant upgrade in your levels of responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>The question is &#8211; has your resume kept up with your evolution? If you were to apply for your next leadership role today, would it sell you at the right level of seniority?<\/p>\n<p>By the way, to ensure that your resume hits all the right notes, consider using my:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"Resume.io\" href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/recommends\/resume-io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\"><strong>recommended free resume builder<\/strong><\/a>, if you&#8217;re on a budget.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-writing-services\/\"><strong>premium resume service<\/strong><\/a>, if you&#8217;re a mid-career professional.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-writing-services\/\"><strong>executive resume writing service<\/strong><\/a>, if you&#8217;re a senior leader.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2><strong>Why Your Resume Needs Action Verbs.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Professional resume writers know that hiring managers rarely make risky bets on management- and executive-level hires. They typically look for candidates who&#8217;ve &#8220;been there and done that&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Faced with a deluge of applications, they weed out unsuitable candidates through a variety of tactics. Still, the first step is to usually disqualify those <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-to-write-a-resume\/\">whose resumes look, feel or smell &#8220;too junior&#8221;<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This is where your choice of action verbs in your executive resume becomes critical.<\/p>\n<p>Action verbs shape at least 60% of your perceived seniority level.<\/p>\n<p>To ensure that your resume doesn&#8217;t sell you short, select verbs that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Give<\/strong> power.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Give<\/strong> purpose.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid<\/strong> being transactional.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before I unpack all of the above, let&#8217;s make sure that I answer the bleeding obvious question &#8211; if you&#8217;re like me, and didn&#8217;t take Advanced English at University.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/psychometric-testing\/\">How To Prepare For A Psychometric Test<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2><strong>Use These Action Verbs In Your Executive Resume.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When you apply for roles at this level, employers will want to see that you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Can deliver<\/strong> results that feed into the strategic priorities of the business.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Are comfortable<\/strong> operating on both strategic and tactical levels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With that context, here are the top 10 action verbs that will help you craft an effective senior management resume:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Delivered<\/li>\n<li>Protected<\/li>\n<li>Boosted<\/li>\n<li>Influenced<\/li>\n<li>Cultivated<\/li>\n<li>Transitioned<\/li>\n<li>Enabled<\/li>\n<li>Delegated<\/li>\n<li>Forged<\/li>\n<li>Expanded<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Let me give you an example of how these action verbs help you craft <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-to-write-highly-persuasive-resume-achievements\/\">punchy, elevated resume achievements<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em><strong>Delivered<\/strong> $8.3m in operational cost savings by consolidating global customer support teams within the Melbourne head office, influencing the leadership team to redirect savings into the purchase of a higher-efficiency CRM system.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Or..<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em><strong>Boosted<\/strong> monthly advertising revenues by 9% through improved ad retargeting, engaging a digital agency to design, roll out and test new advertising campaigns designed to lower ad spend and increase user engagement.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Or..<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em><strong>Protected<\/strong> project outcomes of the ABC Town Square development, renegotiating abbreviated timelines and right-sizing spending to deliver a 25% over-budget, building project to original targets only 4 weeks after the original deadline.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2><strong>10 Best Action Verbs For Executive Resumes.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>You&#8217;re expected to shift your attention away from day-to-day tactics at the executive level.<\/p>\n<p>To showcase your ability to operate at a strategic level, focus your resume on leadership competencies, particularly those related to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>People and culture.<\/li>\n<li>Business direction.<\/li>\n<li>Strategy and roadmaps.<\/li>\n<li>Commercial performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>My top 10 action verbs for executive resumes are:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Spearheaded<\/li>\n<li>Inspired<\/li>\n<li>Championed<\/li>\n<li>Deployed<\/li>\n<li>Transformed<\/li>\n<li>Appointed<\/li>\n<li>Established<\/li>\n<li>Chaired<\/li>\n<li>Oversaw<\/li>\n<li>Guided<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at how these can be used to showcase your leadership abilities in an executive resume:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em><strong>Guided<\/strong> the company from a net loss to a gain position by addressing governance issues, upskilling country managers and transforming company culture from one of data apathy to that of data-centrism.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Or..<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em>Enabled a more profitable and efficient business model by <strong>spearheading<\/strong> the transition from analogue to digital market analysis.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Or..<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em><strong>Established<\/strong> and <strong>oversaw<\/strong> a 3-year digital transformation strategy that led to a 24% boost in market share though, allowing the business to further penetrate the high-margin M&amp;A market.<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2><strong>What Is An Action Verb, Anyway?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>An action verb is a word that points to the subject of a sentence who is doing something or is taking an action. For example:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em>&#8220;I shampooed the dog.&#8221;<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>An action verb is the opposite of a passive verb, which points to the subject of a sentence who is receiving an action. For example:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em>&#8220;The dog was shampooed today.&#8221;<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Clear as mud? If you want to really geek out on verbs, check out this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gallaudet.edu\/tutorial-and-instructional-programs\/english-center\/grammar-and-vocabulary\/verbs\/action-verbs-and-linking-verbs\/\">advanced guide to deploying the right verb at the right time<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Are Action Verbs Interchangeable?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>You&#8217;re probably wondering whether you can use action verbs from the executive category in a senior management resume, and vice versa?<\/p>\n<p>The answer, unequivocally, is &#8220;yes&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, a lot of senior executive resumes feature action verbs such as &#8220;boosted&#8221; and &#8220;influenced&#8221;. Similarly, resumes of senior managers often feature action verbs that are more traditionally associated with actions of executives &#8211; for example, &#8220;chaired&#8221; and &#8220;oversaw&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/chronological-resume-format\/\">Is Chronological Resume Format Right For You<\/a>?)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is allowed because the full breadth and depth of a role can&#8217;t be captured with one word.<\/p>\n<p>Rather, it needs to be fleshed out through nuance and context &#8211; both of which you provide subsequently, <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-to-write-a-resume\/\">in the nitty-gritty detail of your resume<\/a>. Feel free to be flexible with the verbs, but be sure to demonstrate your level of seniority by pointing to the right business outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>Notice how the executive-level examples above point to more strategic aspects of business, while management-level examples target one level below.<\/p>\n<p>All the best in your job search &#8211; and I hope that my advice action verb advice will help you upgrade your resume to the next level.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Irene<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>In a few short years, you have been promoted to the leadership ranks. You now get paid to lead a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-resume"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Action Verbs For Australian Management &amp; Executive Resumes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Examples of action verbs that will make your Australian executive or senior management resume pack 5 times more punch.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/action-verbs-resume\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Action Verbs For Australian Management &amp; 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Arielle Executive helps leaders get noticed while Arielle Partners &amp; Talent Avenue connect organisations to Australia's best leadership talent.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/irenekotov\/"],"url":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/author\/irene-mcconnell\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Steven McConnell","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/action-verbs-resume.jpg",1490,838,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/action-verbs-resume-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/action-verbs-resume-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/action-verbs-resume-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/action-verbs-resume-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/action-verbs-resume.jpg",1490,838,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/action-verbs-resume.jpg",1490,838,false],"alm-thumbnail":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/action-verbs-resume.jpg",150,84,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Irene McConnell","author_link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/author\/irene-mcconnell\/"},"uagb_comment_info":1,"uagb_excerpt":"Reading Time: 4 minutesIn a few short years, you have been promoted to the leadership ranks. You now get paid to lead a","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68893"}],"version-history":[{"count":71,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122656,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68893\/revisions\/122656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}