Careers and Employability Service
Postgraduate researchers

Action verbs for CVs

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Action verbs can really make your job applications stand out by highlighting your role in achieving outcomes and showing a sense of action and leadership which make your contributions clear and impactful.

Below is a list of action verbs that are particularly  relevant for postgraduate experiences. These verbs can be used on an academic CV or transferable to a CV for jobs outside academia.

Additional action verbs can be found on our current students' website.

 

Research activities

  • Analysed
  • Appraised
  • Conducted
  • Created
  • Delegated
  • Delivered
  • Devised
  • Established
  • Generated
  • Identified
  • Implemented
  • Improved
  • Innovated
  • Investigated
  • Led
  • Managed
  • Mitigated
  • Operated
  • Organised
  • Qualified
  • Researched
  • Spearheaded
 

Thesis writing

  • Argued
  • Communicated
  • Complied
  • Consolidated
  • Demonstrated
  • Edited
  • Evaluated
  • Pinpointed
  • Planned
  • Proposed
  • Proved
  • Reconciled
  • Resolved
  • Reviewed
  • Revised
  • Synthesised
  • Translated
  • Wrote
 

Research assistant

  • Administrated
  • Assisted
  • Conducted
  • Curated
  • Delivered
  • Evaluated
  • Generated
  • Helped
  • Investigated
  • Liaised
  • Organised
  • Planned
  • Recommended
 

Conferences

  • Argued
  • Communicated
  • Delivered
  • Demonstrated
  • Introduced
  • Networked
  • Planned
  • Prepared
  • Presented
  • Produced
  • Represented
 

Teaching

  • Advised
  • Assessed
  • Coached
  • Communicated
  • Coordinated
  • Created
  • Delivered
  • Demonstrated
  • Devised
  • Directed
  • Evaluated
  • Facilitated
  • Implemented
  • Innovated
  • Instructed
  • Led
  • Managed
  • Motivated
  • Planned
  • Prepared
  • Presented
  • Provided
  • Simplified
  • Supervised
  • Taught
  • Tested
  • Trained
 

Grant applications

  • Achieved
  • Argued
  • Attained
  • Budgeted
  • Complied
  • Demonstrated
  • Evaluated
  • Identified
  • Negotiated
  • Persuaded
  • Proposed
  • Provided
  • Reviewed
  • Revised
  • Won
 

 

Careers and Employability Service

University of Nottingham
Portland Building, Level D
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 3680
fax: +44 (0) 115 951 3679
email: careers-team@nottingham.ac.uk