Here’s a list of the best verbs to use on a resume for leadership skills and people management skills in the workplace.
Use these words in the examples and stories you include to show your expertise and experience too.
Best leadership action verbs to use on a resume to demonstrate having good people management abilities
- align, aligning (aligned)
- anchor, anchoring
- chair, chairing
- coach, coaching
- counselling
- cultivating
- deciding
- delegating
- deploying
- directing
- driving
- embracing
- empowering
- enabling
- enacting
- encouraging
- endorsing
- energising
- enhancing
- equalising
- facilitating
- fostering
- governing
- guiding
- halting
- handling
- harmonising
- heading
- influencing
- inspiring
- mediating
- mentoring
- mobilising
- motivating
- orchestrating
- overseeing
- pioneering
- prioritising
- recruiting
- rewarding
- shaping
- spellbinding
- starting
- supervising
- sustaining
- teaching
- unifying
- uniting
Where to use verbs in present tense in a resume
Use these verbs in present tense in the TRANSFERABLE SKILLS section to show that you maintain currency in these skills.
It’s a subtle way to communicate to hiring managers and recruiters that these skills are valid and up-to-date.
Where to use verbs in past tense in a resume
Use these verbs in the past tense in the EMPLOYMENT AND WORK HISTORY section, KEY ACHIEVEMENTS, and CONCRETE ACCOMPLISHMENTS sections (words in brackets).
Past tense verbs show proof and evidence of your expertise and experience.
Image credits:
- Anchor: Quang Vinh on Pexels
- Group of hands: Hannah Busing on Unsplash
