300+ Strong Adjectives to Add To Your Resume (with Examples)

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When you’re writing a resume, using the correct adjectives when describing yourself or your experience is essential. It can help your resume to stand out. However, the question remains on how to find the best, strongest and most impactful resume? 

In this article, we’ve gathered guides to help you choose the most suitable descriptive words to present the best version of yourself in your resume as well as lists of adjectives for resumes for various roles. Follow our guide and write the best resume, making it shine in the eye of the recruiter with professional and yet powerful adjectives.

Why You Should Use Powerful Resume Adjectives on Your CV

Your resume is a collection of written descriptions about you and serves to help the recruiter to understand you. But words can sometimes be general and vague. This is where adjectives for resumes come in handy.

Good descriptive words on your resume are beneficial for they give the hiring team a clear idea of your ability and past achievement. The recruiter doesn’t need to guess and can, thus, make an informed decision when reviewing your resume. 

Here is an example:

❌  “Good web developer with experience in creating commercial-use websites.”

What is a good web developer? People interpret the word “good” differently. So the adjective “good” on the resume doesn’t do much to illustrate the your experience. Your resume can be remedied by choosing more specific adjectives to replace “good”.

✅  “10-year-experienced web developer, proficient in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.”

On the other hand, powerful adjectives free up space in your resume. One or two good adjectives can replace a long clause and make the writing succinct, which, in turn, shows that you are an efficient communicator, a trait that is valued in every profession.

Best Adjectives to Describe Your Skills for Your Resume

The number of total adjectives in English is quite large, but not all of them are good for your resume. You need to be careful when selecting adjectives to show your strengths for your resume because inappropriate or out-of-date descriptive words on a CV could backfire.

In this section, we've gathered lists of strong and good adjectives that you can use on your resume/CV for common and essential skills.

Adjectives for Leadership Skills on Your Resume:

accountableadept
advancedbold
competentconstructive
decisivedetermined
disciplinedeffective
encouraginghonest
influentialinspring
instrumentalmotivating
passionatereliable
resolvedJoined
resourcefulvisionary

Adjectives for Management Skills on Your Resume:

capablecompelling
coordinateddetail-oriented
dynamiceffective
effectualefficacious
efficientfast-learning
high-qualityorganized
perceptivepotent
powerfulpractical

Adjectives for Analytical/Critical Thinking Skills on Your Resume:

astutecalculating
complexdiscerning
insightfulintelligent
logicalmethodical
meticulousperceptive
practicalpragmatic
shrewdstrategic
thoughtful

Adjectives for Work Attitude/Work Ethic on Your Resume:

activeardent
concertedcommitted
confidentdedicated
devoteddiligent
drivenearnest
enterprisingenthusiastic
focusedindustrious
keenpassionate
persistentrelentless
spiritedstrong-willed
vigorouszealous 

Adjectives for Organizational Skills on Your Resume:

accuratecomprehensive
controlleddetailed
detail-orientedexhaustive
extensivemethodical
painstakingorderly
precisethorough
step-by-stepstructured

Adjectives for Teamwork on Your Resume:

amiableamicable
acceptingcalm
cheerfulcollaborative
conscientiouscooperative
courteousdiplomatic
harmoniousheedful
respectfulsupportive
team-mindedthoughtful
tolerant

Adjectives for Creative Thinking on Your Resume:

cutting-edgeforward-thinking
ground-breakingimaginative
ingeniousinnovative
innovatoryinventive
originalprogressive
revolutionaryrobust
unconventionalunique
unparalleledunprecedented
visionaryvivid
world-class 

Adjectives for Communication Skills on Your Resume:

articulateassertive
clearcoherent
cohesivecommunicative
confidentcordial
eloquentexpressive
personablepersuasive
pleasantpositive
thorough

Adjectives for Interpersonal Skills on Your Resume:

affableaffectionate
appreciativeapproachable
attentivecaring
easy-goingfriendly
genialgood-natured
mindfulsociable
outgoingpatient
receptiveresponsive
sensitivesympathetic
welcoming

Adjective for Time Management Skills on Your Resume:

cost-effectiveeconomical
effectiveefficient
labor-savingmethodical
orderlyproductive
streamlinedstructured
systematicsystematized
time-savingwell-organized
well-planned

Good Descriptive Words for Resumes of Different Professions

Another way to navigate the sea of adjectives that are suitable for your resume is to group them according to the profession. As different roles requires candidates with different personality traits, abilities and experience, look up descriptive words suitable for each jobs when you write your resume.

Therefore, to find good descriptive words to use for your resume, you first need to think of the required traits or skills for the role you're applying for.

Adjectives for a Teacher Resume

Some of the most desired traits of a teachers are patient, caring, thoughtful, knowledgable and good at communication. The adjectives you choose to write in your teacher resume should thus reflect those qualities.

action-orientedalert
caringcharismatic
compassionateconsiderate
creativededicated
demonstrabledevoted
discerningdynamic
inspiringmindful
nurturingself-motivated
sensitivesympathetic
thoughtfulunconventional
watchfulwitty

Adjectives for an Engineering Resume

Engineers are a popular career path, which requires candidates to be able to spot problems and come up with effective solutions. An ideal candidate would be inquisitive and analytic. 

certifiedcooperative
customer-focuseddetermined
detail-orienteddevoted
drivenefficient
focusedindustrious
logical-mindedmeticulous
painstakingprecise
resourcefultechnology-focused

Adjectives for a Nursing Resume

A nurse is tasked to take care of patients. Therefore, qualities like attentive and sympathetic are important. Consider the following adjectives that can reflect those traits on your resume.

acuteattentive
calmcareful
caringcompassionate
detail-orienteddetail-focused
empatheticeven-tempered
flexiblemeticulous
mindfulnurturing
open-mindedoptimistic
patientpatient-centered
preventivesenior
supportivesympathetic
understandingwell-served

Adjectives for a Customer Service Resume

A customer service specialist is responsible for solving problems for consumers. It require great communication skills and conflict resolution skills. They need to make the customer feel heard and valued. Descriptive words that can demonstrate you have these qualities are perfect for your customer service resume.

adaptablearticulate
astutecivil
communicativecustomer-centered
customer-orienteddeft
empatheticoptimistic
patientpostive
reliableshrewd
sensiblesensitive
sympatheticunderstanding
well-manneredwell-spoken

Adjectives for an Accountant Resume

Accountants perform financial management duties. Attention to detail and organization skills are required to do the job well. Good adjectives for an accountant's resume have to reflect those.

calmcertified
collaborativecommitted
confidentdedicated
devoteddetail-oriented
evolvingexperienced
generalhigh-performing
organizedpatient
reliableservice-oriented
scrupulousworth
tacticaltrustworthy

Adjectives for an Administrative Assistant Resume

Administrative assistants are crucial to any business. They make sure the operation at a company runs smoothly. Adjectives you can use to show that you are a suitable candidate on the resume have to showcase your organization skills, multi-tasking skills, teamwork skills and the ability to work under pressure.

adaptivecalm
collectedcommunicative
consideratedetail-focused
diligentefficient
energeticflexible
independentmonthly
organizedpatient
quantitativesenior
thoroughthoughtful
well-manneredwell-served

Adjectives for a Project Manager Resume

Important project manager qualities include leadership, teamwork, attention to detail, etc. The adjectives you put on your project manager resume need to highlight those traits.

action-orientedacuminous
acuteattentive
calmcommunicative
coordination-focuseddecisive
detail-orienteddetail-focused
efficientencouraging
inspiringsupportive
visionarywell-organized

Adjectives for a Graphic Designer Resume

Creativity and communication skills are integral to a graphic designer's career. So carefully choose good adjectives that show them for your graphic designer resume.

attentivecommunicative
creativecriticism-tolerant
curiouscustomer-focused
dependabledynamic
efficientexperimental
ingeniousinnovative
open-mindedoriginal
passionatepatient
reliableself-motivated
unconventional understanding

Adjectives for a Marketing Specialist Resume

A marketer's duties and responsibilities range wide from developing marketing strategies to creating content to planning marketing campaign. The adjectives suitable for a marketing specialist's resume, thus, vary. Read thorough the job posting and identify the most desired qualities before you consider some of the descriptive words listed below.

adaptableanalytical
confidentcooperative
creativeinnovative
inquisitiveinterpersonal
perceptivereliable
sales-mindedself-motivating
passionateself-starting
trustworthythoughtful

Adjectives for a Data Scientist Resume

A data scientist relies on their analytical mind to perform their duties well. Try to choose adjectives that convey this trait clearly for your data scientist resume.

acuteanalytical
business-mindedcommunicative
creativedetail-oriented
determinedexperienced
innovativeinquisitive
open-mindedpatient
perseverantresolved
rigorousstrong-willed

How to Use Adjectives in a Resume

Now that you have the lists of strong and powerful adjectives for your resume, you only need to know how to use them to highlight your professional experience as well as skills and where on the resume they belong to. 

Follow these simple steps to make your resume catch the recruiter’s eyes. 

  1. Make sure the adjective you choose is relevant to your experience and expertise.
  2. Find action verbs that are compatible with resume adjectives.
  3. Support descriptors with hard evidence, numbers and/or statistics, if applicable.
  4. Pay attention to things not to do when using adjectives in your resume.

There are three different sections in your resume where strong resume adjectives can be included:

  1. Resume Summary section
  2. Work Experience section
  3. Skills section

1. Resume Summary Section

Resume summary, or profile summary, is where you provide a concise description of yourself as an employee and where adjectives for your experience could come in handy in your resume.

Example of using adjectives in the profile summary section of a customer service representative’s resume:

Customer-oriented client relation specialist with 4 years of experience and 97% customer satisfaction. A calm and dedicated professional, specializing in complaint resolution and dealing with 400+ complaints per week.

Example of using adjectives in the resume profile section of a graphic designer’s resume:

Creative, interdisciplinary and communicative graphic designer with considerable experience in graphic design industry. Possess extensive knowledge of AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suite.

2. Work Experience Section

The work experience section provides an overview of your past achievement. You need adjectives to accurately describe your work experience for the recruiter to have a clear idea of your accomplishment on your CV.

Example of powerful adjectives used in an accountant resume:

  • "Trained a group of 5 associate accountants to undertake thorough reviews of monthly accounting functions."
  • "Provided budget and profit forecasts using quantitative analysis, allowing the company to wisely manage an investment worth $10 million."

Example of strong adjectives for a data scientist resume:

  • "Created efficient predicting models to forecast the number of customer orders that helped lower wait time by 10 minutes."
  • "Conducted rigorous data regression analysis, increasing stock price accurate prediction rate by 5%."

3. Skills Section

The skill section allows you to briefly elaborate on your skill sets on the resume, and adjectives that paint a clear picture can be used for this purpose.

💡 Tip: Read the job description for your intended position carefully and mention some keywords and core abilities that are required in the skill section with resume adjectives. 

Examples of adjectives for the “Skills” section in a resume:

  • Comprehensive knowledge of Google Analytics 
  • Attentive and sympathetic communication
  • Thorough product analysis
  • Advanced programming
  • Creative problem-solving skills

Cake provides the best resume builder, templates & examples for talents to demonstrate your qualifications. Let us help you land the dream with a strong resume (free download)!

Things Not to Do When Using Adjectives in Your Resume

As helpful as resume adjectives are, they can sometimes be a hindrance.

Here are some tips to avoid using adjectives in the wrong way in your resume.

  1. When describing yourself or your work experience, do not rely solely on resume adjectives to do the job.
    Descriptive words on a resume are supposed to emphasize your ability or achievement, not a substitute for actual experience or specific examples.
  2. Don’t overuse them.
    Do not litter your resume with adjectives. They can help you, but too many adjectives render your resume fluffy and lacking substance. 
  3. Don’t use adjectives in resume headers like “Education” or “Skills”.
    Adjectives ought to help the hiring team have a clear idea. Adding them to resume headers makes it more difficult for the recruiter to quickly grasp what each section is about.

Adjectives Not to Use on Your Resume

Finally, there are descriptive words to be avoided. They either don’t help give the hiring team a better understanding of you or paint you in a negative light.

❌  Here are 4 groups of resume adjectives that are better left off your resume: 

  1. Too cliché: hard-working, proactive, seasoned, synergistic
  1. Too obvious: knowledgeable, professional, punctual, qualified, responsible, result-driven, result-targeted
  1. Not objective: honest, loyal, noble, objective, smart
  1. Reflecting badly on you: ambitious, competitive, funny, unemployed

🔑  Key Takeaways

The Resume is where your character and strengths shine, and powerful and adequate use of adjectives to describe yourself on a resume can help you shine more. 

  1. Go through the lists provided above and carefully select relevant adjectives to use on your resume. 
  2. Choose an action verb that suits the adjective.
  3. Back the adjective up with data.

Also, keep in mind the DON’Ts when it comes to using adjectives in your resume:

  1. Avoid overused or vague adjectives as well as adjectives that can be considered as a negative trait.
  2. Don’t use too many adjectives on your resume.
  3. Don’t rely on adjectives alone for your professional experience or strengths on your resume.

Further reading:  300+ Action Verbs List for You Resume to Make Your Writing Stronger

--- Originally written by Yin-Hsuan Liang ---

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