Achievement Verbs for Your Resume
Results win interviews. These achievement verbs help you quantify impact and show recruiters exactly what you delivered, not just what you did.
Browse Achievement Synonym Guides
Each guide below includes stronger alternatives and ready-to-use example bullet points. Click any verb to explore its full synonym list.
An achievement verb without a metric is just a claim. "Increased revenue" is weak. "Increased revenue by 34% in Q3" is proof. Whenever possible, attach a percentage, dollar amount, or timeframe to make the impact undeniable.
When to Use Each Achievement Verb
1 Exceeded vs. Achieved
"Achieved" simply means you hit the target. "Exceeded" tells the recruiter you went beyond it. If you surpassed a quota, deadline, or benchmark, exceeded is the stronger choice every time.
Exceeded quarterly sales target by 22%, generating $1.8M in new ARR across mid-market accounts.
2 Improved vs. Boosted
"Improved" is a safe, general-purpose verb. "Boosted" carries more energy and implies a significant lift. Use "boosted" when the improvement was dramatic or when you want to emphasize momentum.
Boosted email open rates from 18% to 31% by redesigning subject line strategy and A/B testing send times.
3 Delivered vs. Completed
"Completed" focuses on finishing something. "Delivered" implies you brought it across the finish line with quality and stakeholder satisfaction. Use "delivered" for projects with visible outcomes.
Delivered a customer-facing analytics dashboard 2 weeks ahead of schedule, adopted by 89% of enterprise clients within the first month.
4 Generated vs. Accelerated
"Generated" works best for revenue, leads, or new output you created from scratch. "Accelerated" is ideal when you sped up a process, timeline, or growth rate that already existed.
Accelerated time-to-market for new features from 6 weeks to 3 weeks by introducing CI/CD pipelines and automated regression testing.