10 Power Verbs to Make your CV Standout from the Crowd

If you want to land interviews and get your CV past that initial stage, you really need to get plenty of verbs to describe the actions you take in the workplace to provide value to your colleagues and your customers. So including what we describe as POWER verbs to boost your CV, is very important.

NB - This is a partial transcription from a recent episode from our Podcast "The Recruiting & Career Podcast" so we apologise for any error or omissions that may feature:-

Here are 10 good examples of 'Power' verbs that you should be including:-

1. Managed

Management skills obviously are crucial to employers, but they're not limited to the management of people and teams. Abilities such as time management, process management, and supplier management all play crucial roles in the running of any organization.

Management is simply a method controlling outcomes, which is a beneficial skill for everyone to include on their CV at any level of seniority. So get the word managed on there.

2. Optimized

Businesses and public sector organizations are always looking to make the most of their resources. So optimization of any kind is always a welcome trait on any CV. You can include some examples of services, products, or systems you've optimized in previous roles. This will improve your value instantly, especially in this day and age with the advancement of technology, and the ability to optimize in many areas.

3. Reduced

Now sometimes the term reduced can have a negative connotation, however, there are certain reductions in the workplace which provide huge benefits to companies. For instance, cutting spending, or reducing staff turnover, which obviously can increase profits and boost morale. So if you've been involved in any cost or time saving activities, get the word reduced on your CV.

4. Developed

Now, innovation drives us forward, not only at work, but in society as a whole. If you can give some solid examples of ideas that you've developed, or show how you've contributed to the development of new products or services, it will show recruiters that you can contribute value to an organization and it's dependents.

5. Increased

Growth is important to most employers, and is aided by increasing things like revenue, customers, market share, profits, you name it. So within previous roles, if you have been responsible for increasing sales, growing a client base, or increasing customer satisfaction levels, include them in your CV and show how you've personally contributed.

6. Supported

Most jobs involve helping others in some way, shape or form, whether it's supporting your customers with queries, or supporting your line manager with their workload. Whoever you support and however you go about doing it, make it clear in your CV, and share the impact you can make and value you can add to people's lives.

7. Negotiated

Obviously negotiation is a very powerful skill, which can be applied across many areas of work and businesses. Negotiating lower prices from a supplier, negotiating different payment terms with clients, both examples that can have big effects for employers.

8. Presented

Public speaking and presentation, are really sought after skills which a lot of people don't have. These can be useful for various purposes both internally and externally from an organization. So if you've ever presented an idea to your team, or pitched to a room of clients, or even done public speaking, be sure to include examples on your CV.

9. Resolved

No business runs completely smoothly 100% of the time. There will always be issues that arise and problems that threaten to derail the success of a business. So detailing your ability to handle to tricky situations and turn them around to provide a positive outcome, will prove you are the type of candidate who can steer companies out of trouble when needed.

10. Improved

The ability to identify a process that isn't working well and implement a change that can improve its effectiveness, is a skill valued by many employers. If you can include instances of any processes, procedures or services that you played a role in improving, recruiters will instantly see that you are a worthy candidate.