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35 Powerful resume words for leadership
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35 Powerful resume words for leadership

Just like a leader inspires confidence, you can inspire a hiring manager to review your resume more closely using leadership power words. Discover 35 strong resume words for leadership that go beyond the phrase “leadership skills” to help you impress employers.

Successful leaders know how to use their words to persuade and motivate others. What better way to convince a hiring manager that you’re a true leader than by using the right words on your resume? When applying for a new position, using resume words for leadership can prove you have the skills and qualities needed to lead others successfully. Even if you’re not applying for a leadership role, using these words on your resume can show an employer that you take initiative, work hard to achieve goals, and motivate others to do their best work—all valuable qualities in a potential employee.

In this article, we’ll discuss resume leadership words with helpful tips for using them, including:

  • What are leadership words for a resume?

  • What are some strong resume words for leadership?

  • How can you use resume leadership words effectively?

What are leadership words for a resume?

When writing your resume, you can use leadership words to describe your ability to manage others, lead projects, and take ownership of your work. Using specific, intentional words can demonstrate your strengths better than simply saying you have leadership skills. The right resume power words for leadership can also help you show off your unique qualities. For example, these words might describe your expertise in budgeting, the mentoring skills you use to coach others, or your ability to develop innovative, forward-thinking ideas.

Do
  • Choose words that align directly with your experience and skills.
  • Use leadership words throughout your resume, including in the summary, experience, and skills sections.
Don't
  • Be vague about your leadership abilities by using power words without adding context.
  • Refrain from using leadership words just because you’ve never formally held a leadership role.

35 Examples of resume words for leadership

There are different types of leadership words you can use on your resume, depending on the experience or skills you want to highlight. For example, if you’re applying for a management position, you’ll want to include words demonstrating your ability to lead and inspire others to accomplish goals. Here are 35 examples of different resume words for leadership you can use to impress a hiring manager or employer:

Spearheaded

Optimized

Spurred

Drove

Delegated

Motivated

Pioneered

Exceeded

Launched

Focused

Empowered

Revamped

Initiated

Revitalized

Passionate

Mentored

Improved

Strengthened

Modernized

Growth

Trained

Negotiated

Shaped

Directed

Support

Coached

Budgeted

Advocated

Oversaw

Success

Innovated

Transformed

Administered

Engineered

Accountability

Tips for using strong resume words for leadership

With the right leadership words on your resume, you can show employers that you’re someone they can count on to work hard and be a role model for others. Here are some additional tips for using leadership words on your resume:

  • Provide examples. Choosing the right words to describe your leadership skills is only the first step. Provide specific examples to prove your abilities and highlight your experience. For example, you might describe a time when you spearheaded a new initiative or trained another employee on workflows.

  • Use leadership keywords. Review the job description closely to identify keywords a hiring manager has used related to leadership. Use those same words or phrases to describe your own leadership experience and skills. Including leadership keywords can help your resume pass an applicant tracking system.

  • Choose a mix of leadership words. Avoid using the same power word more than once on your resume, even if it’s in a different section. Instead, choose a mix of leadership words you can use throughout your resume. Use a combination of nouns, verbs, and adjectives to describe your leadership qualities and past experience.

  • Pay attention to the tense. Make sure you’re using the correct verb tense for leadership action words. Use the present tense of the verb when you’re discussing your current employment. For jobs you no longer hold, use the past tense of verbs, which usually end in “-ed.”

Many employers value leaders for their ability to make everyone on a team better. Whether you’re applying for a leadership role or not, using these words on your resume can help you stand out in a crowded field.

Want more help with building a stellar leadership resume? Use our expert Resume Writing service and we’ll do the work for you!

Key takeaways

  1. Leadership words for a resume can show hiring managers the skills and abilities you have to manage others and accomplish goals.

  2. You can use different types of leadership power words depending on the experience or qualities you want to convey.

  3. Use resume leadership words strategically by identifying keywords, using them throughout your resume, and providing examples to back them up.

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