8 Software Engineering Resume Action Verbs

Action Verbs for Software Engineering Resume: In the software engineering resume, action verbs will enhance your skills and provide strength to your resume in an attractive manner. The use of action verbs for software engineering resume will differentiate you from the rest as they are average. This will show why you are the correct candidate who should be appointed to do a job because you have considerable skills for it. Your chances of getting shortlisted will increase significantly when you use action verbs in your software engineering resume and show that you are an ideal candidate for the position. More importantly, they speak to what makes you strong and why you are perfectly suited for this job.

What are Action Verbs?

Action verbs for software engineering resumes list the tasks you have performed and the skills you acquired. Unlike such passive or generic verbs, action verbs are strong and impactful, allowing you to convey your expertise briefly and convincingly.

Using bullet points for action verbs for software engineering resumes, helps the hiring managers to easily connect with your resume. These dynamic verbs help to bring out your strengths, making you stand out among other applicants and raising the chances of getting picked for an interview with a resume.

Why Use Action Verbs in a Resume?

Action verbs for a Software Engineer Resume are quite crucial for the following reasons:

1. Clarity: It ensures that the sentences in a resume are to the point and clear so that your experience is communicated appropriately.
2. Persuasiveness: The resumes with lively action verbs carry more persuasiveness and therefore greater influence.
3. Effective Use of Space: Using action verbs for a software engineering resume, you can describe significant experiences without much elaboration, so that it happens that your resume is not too very space-consuming.
4. Avoiding Clichés: They would also help eliminate clichés and overused phrases from the resume, giving it a unique finish.
5. Detailed Responsibilities: Action verbs provide excellent precision in detailing your responsibilities, they make your resume pop out in front of potential employers.

In addition, using action verbs present in the posting will make the job posting even stronger in terms of scannability and readability. This means more chance of going past the Applicant Tracking System and makes it possible for hiring managers to quickly pinpoint skills and experiences such as essential ones. Lastly, using robust action verbs for a software engineering resume will have an everlasting influence that will help make the resume much more memorable and one step closer to getting shortlisted.

Also Read: How to Prepare for Your Google Engineering Manager Interview?

How to Leverage Action Verbs on Your Resume

To leverage action verbs for a software engineering resume, refer to this infographic below. It showcases how every single line item uses powerful action verbs to elaborate on what has been done. We can use action verbs in this format: Action Verb + Task or Project + Metric or Result

Essential Action Verbs for Software Engineering Resumes

1. Developed

Usage of action verbs for software engineering resume:

When to Use: This action verb “Developed” can be used whenever you have experience in making, designing, or modifying software, systems, or applications. It is more practical when using it for your project, new features, and improvements.

How to use: You can use “Developed” at the beginning of bullet points as mentioned in the above section to clearly describe

• What you did do in developing or enhancing technical solutions?
• Describe clearly what project or task you did.
• What output or impact it would mean?

Examples:

1. “Developed scalable microservices architecture improving system performance by 30 %.”
2. “Developed automated testing framework that reduced testing time by 50 % and increased reliability.
3. “Developed a new interface for a flagship company to improve the user experience and, therefore, improved client satisfaction.”

Action verbs such as “Developed” on a software engineering resume make it easy to articulate what you have done and how good you are at that is the key to writing a compelling resume.

2. Managed

Usage of action verbs for software engineering resume:

When to use: The action verb “Managed” is most appropriate in describing your position as associated with oversight of projects, teams, or processes. That way, it will reflect on your leadership qualities in coordinating and making sure tasks or initiatives get done successfully.

How to Use: Use “Managed” as the first word in bullet points on the experience section of your resume to highlight your leadership and organizational experience. Then, be specific about three things:

• What you managed
• What it was meaning either a project, team, or process
• What results or improvements do you deliver

Examples:

1. Managed a cross-functional team of developers and designers to deliver a high-impact software project on schedule.
2. Coordinated the software development lifecycle of an important product launch, and teamed up with business stakeholders to ensure the relationship was proper.

Also read: Facebook Engineering Manager Interview Process

3. Tested

Usage of action verbs for software engineering resume:

When to use: The action verb “Tested” is used for saying your work about testing and ensuring that the software, system, or application works, functions, and performs well. It will come under usage to describe involvement with quality assurance and validation processes.

How to Apply: Use “Tested” as a starting point for experience section bullet points, follow these 3 steps:

• Indicate the kind of problem that was identified and solved.
• Suggest the type of testing carried out
• What it has revealed, and hence how it has impacted the product.

Example:

1. “Tested and debugged a mobile application using Xcode and Android Studio. The crash rate was reduced by 50% and improved user stability.”
2. “Tested and validated API endpoints against performance standards by using Postman and JMeter,  reduced 30% latency.”
3. “Tested and implemented a new version control system with Git, bringing merge conflicts down by 45% while facilitating smooth collaboration.”

Using some action verbs for software engineering resume such as “Tested,” helps to bring out your proficiency in ensuring the quality assurance for your organization as well as the role that you perform in delivering reliable and high-performance software solutions.

4. Optimized

Usage of action verbs for software engineering resume:

Used under what circumstances: Optimise is one of those action verbs best used to describe your skill in making software run faster, smarter, or better. It emphasizes the ability to improve systems, code, or processes.

How to use: Use “Optimized” as the first word of bullet points highlighting:

• How you have made software or systems run more efficiently.
• Be as specific on techniques, tools, and technology implemented in your optimization
• Show the results of that optimization.

Examples:

1. “Optimized ML models with hyperparameter tuning and complicated algorithms for increasing prediction accuracy by 20%”
2. “Optimized SQL query and database schema based on indexing and query rewriting to reduce the time to retrieve data by 50%”

Using action verbs for software engineering resumes like “optimized” indicates that you can optimize software performance and make it more efficient while placing your resume in a more attractive spot before hiring managers.

5. Deployed

Usage of action verbs for software engineering resume:

When to Use: The action verb “Deployed” is good for highlighting your part and involvement in the process of releasing or distributing software or systems. It highlights your presence within the deployment process and, thus, shows one’s potential for being fully in charge of production environments.

How To Use: “Deployed” can be used to describe

• How you have worked on the release or deployment of software solutions
• Highlight any tools, platforms, or approaches used.
• Note outcomes or improvements you have made.

Examples:

1. “Deployed a new customer management system in Docker and Kubernetes, improving scalability, with a reduction in downtime of 40%.”
2. “Deployed a cloud-based application to AWS to streamline the process of release and cut deployment time by 50%.”
3. “Deployed continuous integration and delivery pipelines in Jenkins and GitLab CI which resulted in increased efficiency during development life cycles and cut deployment errors down 30%.”

Action verbs like “Deployed” in a software engineer resume show how involved you are in developing releases and managing production environments.

Also read: What Should You Expect From an Engineering Manager Interview?

6. Collaborated

Usage of action verbs for software engineering resume:

When to Use: The action verb “Collaborated” is excellent for proving your ability to work effectively and cooperatively with others, whether in a team environment or across departments. It is about teamwork, communication, and joint problem-solving.

How to Use: Use “Collaborated” to describe:

• Your experience working with colleagues, stakeholders, or other teams on projects or initiatives.
• Describe the nature of the collaboration undertaken, tools or methods used
• The outcomes achieved.

Examples:

1. “Collaborated with data scientists to implement machine learning models into production, enriching predictive analytics and informing decision processes.”
2. “Collaborated with the QA team to design and implement test procedures that would improve quality for software and eventually decrease bugs by 40%.”

Using action verbs for software engineering resumes like “Collaborated” effectively presents your team-playing and communication skills, hence making the resume more interesting and relevant to potential employers.

7. Designed

Usage of action verbs for software engineering resume:

When to Use: The action verb “Designed” is excellent for showing your input to the actual conceptualization and planning of software systems, features, or applications. It demonstrates your involvement in designing and concept-building projects.

How to Use: Use Designed” to emphasize experience concerning the designing and planning of software-based solutions.

• Be precise while giving details about the type of design activity, tools, or methodologies used.
• How your design has had an impact on the project

Examples: 

1. Designed intuitive user interfaces for a mobile app using Figma and Adobe XD, improved user experience through an increase of up to 20% in user retention

Action verbs for a software engineering resume might include “Designed,” to indicate that you are a person who can design and develop software solutions, making your resume pop in front of hiring managers.

8. Analyzed

Usage of action verbs for software engineering resume:

When to Use: You should use the action verb “Analyzed” if you want to bring out the fact that you analyzed or studied data, systems, or software to find information and draw conclusions that will guide any decision. It emphasizes the ability to analyze and interpret the complications seen in the information.

How to Use: Apply the verb “Analyzed” in 3 steps:

• Describe an experience of perusing through data, performance metrics, or software functionality.
• You can also add in the techniques or tools used
• The possible outcomes or improvements you obtained from your analysis.

Examples:

1. “Analyzed system performance metrics using New Relic and Splunk, finding bottlenecks, and implementing optimizations that improved system efficiency by 30%.”
2. “Analyzed user behavior data for patterns and pain points, which led to redesign that improved user interaction by 15%.”

Using action verbs like “Analyzed” in your software engineering resume demonstrates your analytical skills and ability to derive actionable insights that will make your resume more acceptable to potential employers.

Also read: How to Prepare for Facebook Engineering Manager Interview: Skills Needed, Interview Questions, and Prep Tips

How to effectively use the action verbs

Select the Right Action Verbs: Identify relevant action verbs that pertain to the job or industry. A software engineering resume will employ verbs that reveal the particular skills and qualifications that employers want.

Be Specific yet concise: Use an action verb that clearly describes your accomplishment along with what you did. With action verbs for software engineering resume, think about what you were doing for the project’s completion.

Quantify Your Success: Use numbers or percentages to show the impact of your deeds. This way, you can establish concrete proof of your skills within your resume for software engineering.

Use a Combination of Action Verbs: Do not use repetitive verbs. Use a mix of action verbs that prove a range of your different skills and experiences in your software engineering resume.

Tailor your verbs for each section: You can use unique action verbs in particular resume sections. For example, you can have leadership verbs for experience and technical verbs for skills on your resume for software engineering.

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FAQs: Maximizing Your Resume with Action Verbs

1. How do I choose the right action verbs to use in my resume?

Choose appropriate action verbs appropriate for the job or industry. Using verbs that correspond to the skills and qualifications required in the job posting will make your software engineering resume more effective for that position.

2. Why do you need to be specific when using the action verbs?

Be very specific and use only brief action verbs to relate to the work accomplished and the responsibility taken so that your software engineering resume will work better.

3. How can one count his achievement with an action verb?

Count achievements with the help of metrics, like numbers or percentages. It can be a true effect of the action; this will make your software engineering resume more interesting.

4. Why should I use a range of action verbs in my resume?

Use diversified action verbs because this will feature your flexibility and keep your resume fresh throughout. This is one way of preventing repetition and showing a large variation of skills in your software engineering resume.

5. How do I tailor the action verbs for different sections of my resume?

One can align these action verbs by the focus of the section of the resume. Use leadership verbs for experience and technical verbs for skills to optimize your software engineering resume

Related Reads: 

1. Google Engineering Manager Interview Questions and Preparation

2. Amazon Engineering Manager Interview Questions

3. Amazon Engineering Manager Interview Prep – A Complete Guide

4. 30+ Software Engineering Manager Interview Questions to Crack the Interview

5. Facebook Engineering Manager Interview Process