A strong CV starts every experience line with an action verb in the active voice: "Led," "Negotiated," "Reduced," rather than "Responsible for" or "I took part in." The action verb highlights what you did, not what you were in charge of. It makes the CV easier to read for a recruiter who decides in a few seconds, and richer in keywords for screening software. The formula that works: action verb + object + quantified result.
"Responsible for customer service," "In charge of stock management," "Took part in rolling out the new tool." If your CV looks like this, it is not wrong. It is just flat. The recruiter reads a job function, not a contribution, and nothing grabs their attention.
The simplest lever to change that costs nothing: the first word of each line. In this article, we look at why the action verb makes the difference in Switzerland, the list of verbs that carry weight, the ones to avoid, and the method to rewrite your experience without inventing anything.
Why do action verbs change everything on a CV?
A recruiter does not read your CV, they scan it. Eye-tracking studies on CV screening, notably those by the firm The Ladders, show that the first glance lasts only a few seconds, on the order of 6 to 7 seconds, to decide whether a CV deserves a closer look. In that short window, the eye catches the beginnings of lines. A strong action verb at the start of each bullet guides the reading and pushes the essentials to the top.
The action verb works on three levels:
- It puts the subject up front. "Managed a team of 8 people" underlines your initiative. The passive phrasing "The team was under my responsibility" dilutes the role and shifts the attention.
- It signals a result. A verb like "Reduced" or "Increased" naturally calls for a figure behind it. A function like "Responsible for" calls for nothing.
- It feeds screening software. In Switzerland, most large companies run applications through an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) before any human review. This software spots recognised skills and verbs. Vague phrasing performs worse than clear verbs like "Analyse," "Develop," "Coordinate." We break down this mechanism in our article on how the ATS works.
The principle stays the same: you hire someone for what they do, not for the title of their job. A CV built around action verbs, rather than fixed job-function labels, puts that contribution up front and reads more easily.
Which action verbs should you use, and for which kind of task?
Not all verbs are equal. The right verb depends on what you want to show: leading, improving, creating, or convincing. Here is a base list sorted by intent.
| What you want to show | Action verbs to favour |
|---|---|
| Lead, manage | Led, Supervised, Directed, Oversaw, Coordinated, Structured |
| Improve, optimise | Reduced, Increased, Optimised, Accelerated, Simplified, Strengthened |
| Create, launch | Designed, Developed, Launched, Rolled out, Set up, Created |
| Sell, convince | Negotiated, Retained, Grew (a portfolio), Closed, Prospected |
| Manage, organise | Managed, Planned, Organised, Administered, Tracked, Controlled |
| Analyse, solve | Analysed, Diagnosed, Solved, Audited, Assessed, Anticipated |
A helpful pointer: a few verbs come up regularly in CV-writing guides, such as lead, roll out, supervise, optimise, secure, negotiate, structure and support. These are not magic words, but verbs that call for a concrete result behind them.
Choose the verb that truly describes your level of responsibility. "Led a project" and "Took part in a project" do not say the same thing. Just stay honest: a verb that is too strong compared with reality shows up in an interview, and turns against you. It is the same logic as with job titles, a topic we cover in our guide to the mistakes that get an application rejected in Switzerland.
Which verbs and phrasings should you avoid?
As much as some verbs carry weight, others weaken the line. They fall into four families.
| Type to avoid | Examples | Why it weakens |
|---|---|---|
| Passive or job-function phrasing | Responsible for, In charge of, Tasked with | They describe a title, not an action or a result |
| Vague participation verbs | Took part in, Helped with, Contributed to, Involved in | They suggest you were present, not that you did something |
| Verbs that are too weak | Tried, Attempted, Assisted, Was asked to | They convey hesitation rather than action |
| Verbs that are too grandiose | Revolutionised, Radically transformed, Reinvented | In Switzerland, an excess of superlatives rings false and hurts credibility |
The most common trap is "Took part in." It gives the impression of a passive role, even when you did the bulk of the work. Ask yourself what you actually brought and replace it: "Took part in the website redesign" becomes "Coordinated the website redesign with 3 providers."
Watch out for the opposite excess too. In the French-speaking Swiss market, understatement is a strong code. A CV packed with "Revolutionised" and "Transformed" on every line loses credibility. A solid action verb followed by a real figure beats a superlative with no proof.
How do you turn a flat line into a powerful one?
The verb alone is not enough. The formula that works is simple: action verb + object + quantified result. The figure is what makes the verb credible. A CV backed by concrete results is seen as more reliable than a purely descriptive one, and it reads faster because the information jumps out.
Here is the transformation line by line:
| Flat version | Powerful version |
|---|---|
| Responsible for customer service | Managed a team of 6 advisors, cut response time from 48 hours to 4 hours |
| In charge of accounting | Handled the accounting of 3 companies, closed the monthly books in 5 days instead of 12 |
| Took part in improving sales | Grew a portfolio of 40 B2B clients, +18% revenue in one year |
| Social media management | Led 4 social accounts, grew the community from 2,000 to 9,000 followers in 8 months |
The method comes down to three habits:
- Start with the action verb in the past tense. No "I," no job function. The action, straight away.
- Add the useful context. What scope, what team size, what budget. That is what gives the scale.
- End with the result. A figure, a percentage, a timeframe. If you do not have an exact figure, an honest estimate beats an empty line, but never invent one.
This rewriting work, line by line and tailored to each posting, takes time. That is exactly what candidat.app does: from your real background, the tool reformulates your experience with action verbs and a result-oriented structure, in line with Swiss conventions, without adding anything you did not do. To go further on the form, see also our guide to the Swiss CV format in 2026.
In short
The action verb is the cheapest and most effective lever on a CV. It replaces passive functions ("Responsible for," "Took part in") with concrete actions ("Led," "Reduced," "Negotiated") that put your contribution up front. It makes the CV easier to read for a recruiter who decides in a few seconds, and richer in keywords for the screening software so widespread in Switzerland. The formula to remember: action verb + object + quantified result. Avoid vague participation verbs and grandiose superlatives, which ring false in a Swiss market that values understatement. Always choose the verb that describes your real responsibility: nothing more, nothing less.
FAQ
Should you write action verbs in the infinitive or the past tense?
On a CV, the past tense without "I" is the most common and the most readable: "Led," "Developed," "Reduced." The infinitive ("Lead," "Develop") is also used and remains correct, especially to describe a current role. The key is to stay consistent throughout the document.
How many different action verbs should you use?
Vary them to avoid repetition, but without forcing it. Repeating "Managed" on every line becomes tiring; using a rare, convoluted verb every time sounds artificial. About ten well-chosen verbs, matched to your actual tasks, are more than enough for a CV.
Do action verbs really help you get past ATS software?
Indirectly, yes. ATS tools mainly spot skills, tools and job titles, but clear, recognised verbs ("Analyse," "Develop," "Coordinate") make your sentences more readable for the machine than vague phrasing. In Switzerland, a large majority of big companies run applications through an ATS before any human screening, so clarity counts double.
Can you use strong action verbs without figures to back them up?
Yes, but it is less powerful. A verb like "Optimised" calls for a result. If you do not have a precise figure, describe the concrete effect: "Simplified the invoicing process, removed 2 manual steps." What matters is the proof of a result, quantified or not. Never invent a figure.
Do these verbs also work for the cover letter?
Yes, the same logic applies. A letter built on concrete actions ("I developed," "I led") is more convincing than a letter in passive phrasing. The letter just leaves more room for "I" and for storytelling, whereas the CV goes straight to the verb.