Key Words and Phrases for Cover Letters, Resumes and Interviews
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If you are stumped about finding the perfect word or phrases for your resume or cover letter, then this is the page for you!

Your application materials should convey the skills you can offer an employer. The words you use to describe your experiences, activities, etc., can reflect the skills you have developed. Select concrete nouns, positive modifiers and strong action verbs. Be aware of the tone which the words convey (i.e. sounding too arrogant or opinionated). Use concise phrasing and quantify information when possible. One the following lists you will find verbs, adjective, nouns, and key phrases that emphasize skills.

Action Verbs | Self-Descriptive Words | Skills Words | Key Phrases

Action Verbs
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | W | Z |

A

abstracted
accomplished
achieved
acted
adapted
administered
advertised
advised
advocated
allocated
analyzed
answered
anticipated
applied
appraised
approved
arranged
assessed
attained
audited
authored

B

balanced
budgeted

C

calculated
catalogued
checked
clarified
coached
collaborated
collected
comforted
communicated
compared
completed
compiled
composed
computed
conducted
conserved
consulted
contracted
contributed
converted
cooperated
coordinated
correlated
counseled
created
critiqued
cultivated

D

defined
delegated
delivered
designed
detected
determined
developed
devised
diagnosed
directed
discovered
discriminated
dispatched
dissected
documented
drafted

E

edited
eliminated
employed
enforced
enlisted
ensured
established
estimated
evaluated
examined
exceeded
excelled
expanded
expedited
experienced
explained
explored
expressed
extracted

F

facilitated
fashioned
financed
followed
founded

G

gained
gathered
generated
guided

H

handled
headed

I

identified
illustrated
implemented
improved
increased
indexed
influenced
informed
initiated
inspected
instituted
instructed
integrated
interpreted
interviewed
introduced
inventoried
investigated

J

K

L

launched
learned
lectured
located
logged

M

maintained
managed
mastered
maximized
mediated
memorized
mentored
minimized
modeled
modified
monitored
motivated

N

navigated
negotiated

O

observed
obtained
operated
ordered
organized
originated
outlined
overcame
oversaw

P

participated
perceived
perfected
performed
persuaded
pinpointed
planned
practiced
predicted
prepared
presented
prioritized
produced
programmed
projected
promoted
proposed
protected
proved
provided
publicized
published
purchased

Q

questioned

R

ranked
reacted
received
recommended
recorded
reduced
referred
related
reorganized
repaired
reported
represented
researched
responded
revamped
reviewed
revised

S

scheduled
selected
served
set up
shaped
simplified
solicited
solved
specialized
stimulated
streamlined
strengthen
stressed
studied
strived
structured
supervised
substantiated
succeeded
summarized
supervised
supported
surveyed
sustained
symbolized
synthesized
systematized

T

tabulated
taught
tested
theorized
trained
translated
transmitted
traveled
treated

U

updated
upgraded
utilized

V

W

won
worked
wrote

X

Y

Z

        

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