Job Description Action Verbs

Use action verbs when describing the essential and non-essential duties in a job description. Since
every responsibility in a job description describes something the staff member does, it makes sense
to lead with a word that describes that action followed by the desired outcome for that action.
Action verbs should reflect behaviors that are measurable, observable, verifiable, and reliable. The
following are action verbs that are frequently seen in job descriptions, with a brief definition of
each. Note that this list is a sample of potential verbs, and not meant to be an exhaustive list of all
verbs to be used.

Administers To manage and be responsible for the running of a program, project, policies;
To provide or apply something
Advises To give an opinion or suggestion about what should be done; to give advice
Analyzes To study something closely and carefully; to learn the nature and relationship of
the parts of something by a close and careful examination
Approves To agree to or accept as satisfactory
Arranges To organize the details of something before it happens; to plan something
Assesses To make a judgment about something
Assigns To give someone a particular job or duty; to require someone to do a particular
task
Assists To give support or help; to make it easier for someone to do something or for
something to happen
Audit To perform an audit of to ensure accuracy, quality, integrity, etc.
Authorizes To give power or permission to someone or something
Collaborates To work with another person or group in order to achieve or do something
Collects To bring or gather together things, typically when scattered or widespread
Communicates To give information about something to someone by speaking, writing, etc.; to
get someone to understand your thoughts
Compiles To put together various documents, pieces of materials, information, etc.
Conducts To direct or take part in the running of an operation; to carry out
Confers To discuss something important in order to make a decision
Confirms To tell someone that something has definitely happened or is going to happen;
to make something definite or official
Consolidates To join or combine together into one thing
Consults To talk about something with someone in order to make a decision
Coordinates To bring different elements of a complex activity or organization into a
relationship that will ensure efficiency or harmony
Counsels To give advice especially as a result of consultation
Creates To produce or bring about by a course of action or behavior
Delegates To assign responsibility or authority; to appoint as one's representative
Delivers Do take and hand over to or leave for another; to come through with an action
Designs To plan and make something for a specific use or purpose
Develops To create something over a period of time
Directs To lead, guide, or control the operations of something; manage or govern
Disseminates To disperse throughout widely
 Job Description Action Verbs
Distributes To divide something among the members of a group
Documents To record something in written, photographic, or other form
Drafts To draw the preliminary sketch, version, or plan
Edits To alter, adapt, or refine especially to bring about conformity to a standard or
to suit a particular purpose
Educates To train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade,
or profession
Establishes To begin, build, or bring something about; to set as firm
Estimates To give or form a general idea about the value, size, or cost of something; to
make an estimate of something
Evaluates To judge the value or condition of someone or something in a careful and
thoughtful way
Examines To look at something closely and carefully in order to learn more about it, to
find problems, etc.
Facilitates To make something easier; to help cause something; to help something run
more smoothly and effectively
Formulates To put into a systematized statement or expression; to prepare according to a
formula
Gathers To bring things or people together into a group; to choose and collect things
Guides To direct, supervise, or influence usually to a particular end
Implements To put into effect a decision, plan, agreement, etc.
Informs To give information to someone
Initiates To cause the beginning of something; to start or begin something
Integrates To combine two or more things to form or create something; to make
something a part of another larger thing
Interacts To make something a part of another larger thing
Interprets To explain the meaning of something
Investigates To observe or study by close examination and systematic inquiry
Issues To put forth or distribute usually officially
Maintains To keep in an existing state as of repair, efficiency, or validity; to preserve from
failure or decline
Manages To have control of something; to take care of and make decisions
Modifies To change some parts of something while not changing other parts
Monitors To watch, keep track of, or check usually for a special purpose
Motivates To give someone a reason for doing something
Negotiates To discuss something formally in order to make an agreement
Obtains To gain or get something usually by effort
Orders To arrange; to give an order; to command
Organizes To arrange or form into a coherent unit or functioning whole
Oversees Supervise a person or work, especially in an official capacity
Participates To be involved with others in doing something; to take part in an activity or
event with others
 Job Description Action Verbs
Plans To think about and arrange the parts or details of something before it happens
or is made
Prepares To make someone or something ready for some activity, purpose, use, etc.
Presents To formally talk about something you have written, studied, etc. to a group of
people; to make something available to be used or considered
Processes To subject to or handle through an established usually routine set of procedures
Produces To cause something to exist or happen; to cause a particular result or effect
Provides To make something available; to supply something that is wanted or needed
Recommends To say that someone or something is good and deserves to be chosen; to
suggest that someone do something
Reconciles To find a way of making two different ideas, facts, etc. exist or be true at the
same time
Records To write something down so that it can be used or seen again in the future; to
produce a record of something
Recruits To find suitable people and get them to join a company or an organization
Researches To search or investigate exhaustively
Responds To say or write something as an answer to a question or request
Reviews To examine or study again; to study or look at
Scans To look at something carefully usually in order to find someone or something
Schedules To plan something at a certain time; to appoint, assign, or designate for a fixed
time
Searches To carefully look for someone or something; to try to find someone or
something
Selects To choose from a number or group; pick out
Serves To furnish or supply with something needed or desired
Solicits To approach with a request or plea
Solves To find a way to deal with and end a problem
Submits To give a document, proposal, piece of writing, etc. to someone so that it can be
considered or approved
Supervises To be in charge of someone or something; to watch and direct someone or
something
Supplies To make something available to be used; to provide someone or something
with
something that is needed or wanted
Tests To use a set of questions or problems to measure someone's skills, knowledge,
or
abilities; to apply a test as a means of analysis
Trains To form by instruction, discipline, or drill; to teach as to make fit, qualified, or
proficient
Translates To change words from one language into another language; to explain
something in a way that is easier to understand
Verifies To make sure or demonstrate that something is true, accurate, or justified
Job Description Action Verbs