A trait valued highly by many companies is the ability to work as part of a team. One way to show this in your resume is by using the word 'aided' in your bullet points. 'Aided' describe a skill that involves assisting in a task, like when you have helped complete a project. It's also a necessary skill for people who work directly with clients or customers.
The verb 'aided' is a good way to show that you have skills and abilities for jobs requiring teamwork and collaboration. But it's vague and unspecific—it doesn't say which tasks you performed, how you performed them, or why they were important.
You can fix this by using action verbs instead of weak ones. For example, instead of saying 'aided', try saying 'enabled' or 'reinforced'. Action verbs like these give more insight into your role on the team and show off your skills and experience.
Action verbs demonstrate what makes you stand out as an employee—your ability to be proactive and take charge of projects. Your resume should highlight this behavior to prospective employers so they see you can do more than just aiding.
I've compiled some synonyms you can use instead of Aided on your resume, followed by real examples I've written for clients (feel free to use them!).
Resume Synonyms for Aided:
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Promoted
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Expedited
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Facilitated
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Fortified
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Spearheaded
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Pioneered
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Harmonized
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Boosted
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Optimized
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Improved
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Strengthened
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Championed
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Transformed
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Accelerated
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Elevated
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Innovated
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Revitalized
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Modernized
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Empowered
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Piloted
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Enabled
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Inspired
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Advocated
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Assessed
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Endorsed
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Served
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Nurtured
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Saved
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Emboldened
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Reinforced
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Forwarded
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Settled
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Verified
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Abetted
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Supplied
How to replace Aided with a stronger action verb:
Let's look at examples of how you can remove and replace the overused phrase, Aided, with a stronger synonym and alternative that is more effective at highlighting your achievements.
Before: Weak example using Aided• Aided in maintaining high customer satisfaction
⤸
After: Using a stronger synonym• Administered innovative design inputs and comprehensive quality testing extending from prerelease to maintenance for a product with 90K users allowing for a 100% satisfaction in users’ experience..
Before: Aided• Aided in sales growth
⤸After: Promoted• Promoted product features leading to a 35% increase in quarterly sales by hosting 10+ product demos for potential clients.
As a hiring officer, I pinpointed 'promoted' as the buzzword that highlights an active role. I also included specific actions and concrete results to drive home the value delivered.
Tip: I've prepared a ton of additional examples for you to give you inspiration. Please click on any of the following to expand and see real examples of how I've rewritten client bullet points.
Before: Aided• Aided in reducing delivery time
⤸After: Expedited• Expedited delivery time by 50% by implementing a machine learning characteristic algorithm, streamlining daily shipment dispatches.
By swapping 'aided' with 'expedited', the sentence becomes more powerful. It now tells how you directly implemented an innovative strategy and achieved a significant improvement.
Before: Aided• Aided in project completion
⤸After: Facilitated• Facilitated the completion of 15 projects 3 weeks ahead of schedule by streamlining communication processes between internal teams.
Here, 'aided' was replaced with 'facilitated' to show the active contribution. I also added specific numbers and methodologies to reinforce the impact made.
Before: Aided• Aided in improving system security
⤸After: Fortified• Fortified the company's data security system by introducing multi-factor authentication, mitigating potential breaches by 60%.
The verb 'fortified' makes a stronger impression than 'aided' and conveys a deliberate action. Metrics were included to quantify the level of improvement made.
Before: Aided• Aided in designing a new marketing campaign
⤸After: Spearheaded• Spearheaded the design of a new marketing campaign that generated $500K in revenue and boosted website traffic by 40%.
In the revised sentence, 'spearheaded' replaces 'aided' to emphasize ownership of the initiative. Including the revenue generated and the traffic increase underscores the success of your actions.
Before: Aided• Aided in developing new software
⤸After: Pioneered• Pioneered the development of new accounting software which saved the company $100K in monthly operational costs.
'Pioneered' replaces 'aided' to highlight initiative and leadership. The after sentence gives clear information about the cost savings attributable to your software development.
Before: Aided• Aided in resolving team discord
⤸After: Harmonized• Harmonized a team of 10 professionals, reconstructing the collaboration framework, which improved project efficiency by 25%.
Plugin 'harmonized' for 'aided', showcases your soft skills. The enhancement of team efficiency and use of quantitative measures underscores your strong teamwork.
Before: Aided• Aided in increasing sales
⤸After: Boosted• Boosted annual sales by over $1M by identifying and targeting a new lucrative customer segment.
'Boosted' has been used instead of 'aided' to show direct impact made. The improvement underscores exactly how your action led to an increment in sales.
Before: Aided• Aided in improving the production process
⤸After: Optimized• Optimized the production process, achieving a 30% efficiency increase in assembly line operations by implementing an innovative lean management system.
'Optimized' replaces 'aided' to foster a more assertive and proactive image. The language surrounding the metric used gives a more vivid picture of the substantial efficiency gain.
Before: Aided• Aided in customer service
⤸After: Improved• Improved customer satisfaction scores across 4 stores by 80% by launching a new customer follow-up system.
Replacing 'aided' with 'improved' provides a more dynamic action verb. Itemizing the scale of your responsibility and painting a picture of the outcomes strengthens credibility and commitment to results.
Before: Aided• Aided in team building activities
⤸After: Strengthened• Strengthened a 10-person sales team, conducting weekly trainings, resulting in a 15% increase in monthly sales.
The term 'strengthened' is used to demonstrate the active role in the betterment of the output. Inflating the sentence with measurable actions and impact gives the viewer a clearer image of accomplishments.
Before: Aided• Aided in advocating for company values
⤸After: Championed• Championed company's corporate social responsibility initiatives resulting in a 20% increase in positive media coverage.
Here, 'championed' is used instead of 'aided' to underline leadership and passion. Focusing at the direct result of the action offers a quantified value.
Before: Aided• Aided in updating the company's website
⤸After: Transformed• Transformed the company's website which increased daily traffic by 200% and subscriptions by 150% in 6 months.
'Transformed' is an active, dynamic verb replacing 'aided'. Including specific metrics about the improvement on website traffic and subscriptions create a stronger impact.
Before: Aided• Aided in the product development
⤸After: Accelerated• Accelerated product development cycle by 20% by regulating a robust prototype testing procedure.
In the revised bullet point, 'accelerated' replaces 'aided' to highlight single-handed effort in reducing the product development cycle. The numerically quantified impact makes it more effective.
Before: Aided• Aided in enhancing department's performance
⤸After: Elevated• Elevated department's performance, improving key performance indicators by 35% in 12 months with dynamic strategy reforms.
As a hiring manager, using a word like 'elevated' instead of 'aided' gives the sentence more gravitas. It becomes more specific and easily understood, showing the measurable success attained.
Before: Aided• Aided in product development
⤸After: Innovated• Innovated a new product enhancement that increased customer engagement by 45% and revenue by $500K.
'Innovated' replaces 'aided' to demonstrate creativity and initiative. I also included specific metrics to quantify the candidate's unique impact on product enhancement and subsequent success.
Before: Aided• Aided in improving team morale
⤸After: Revitalized• Revitalized spirits of a 15-member team, leading to an 80% decrease in turnover and an increase in productivity by 25%.
By switching 'aided' with 'revitalized', we highlight the proactive approach towards enhancing team morale. Including the resulting decrease and increase metrics in turnover and productivity respectively, shows the positive effects of the candidate's action.
Before: Aided• Aided in updating office technology
⤸After: Modernized• Modernized office technology leading to a 30% increase in team productivity and saving $200K annually on outdated software.
The use of the term 'modernized' instead of 'aided' directly reflects the reform undertaken. This, along with clear metrics show the impact you made.
Before: Aided• Aided in staff training sessions
⤸After: Empowered• Empowered a 20-member sales team with a detailed training program, which boosted the sales volume by 35% over a year.
Replacing 'aided' with 'empowered' conjures a sense of leadership. The detail provided on the improvement made also depicts your efforts in a successful light.
Before: Aided• Aided in testing new technology
⤸After: Piloted• Piloted the deployment of AI technology that streamlined customer service, reducing response times to customer queries by 40%.
Replacing 'aided' with 'piloted' suggests leadership and initiative. Including details on how the technology streamlined customer service shows an effective use of technology to achieve customer satisfaction.
How to use these synonyms in practice
We've put together an infographic to give you more examples of how to put this into practice. Note the use of strong action verbs instead of words like Aided.
More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms
How to use Built on a resume:
• Built complete investment pitch books for 4 deals at advanced stages and liaised with 12 prospective international co-investors.
How to use Optimized on a resume:
• Optimized $100MM+ retail company's advertising spend by media type through multivariable regression analysis; exceeded target growth by 15%.
How to use Analyzed on a resume:
• Analyzed brand's pricing, advertising and distribution data and identified seasonal trends and white space by integrating consumer insights; recommended strategic changes in portfolio and marketing plan to C-suite executives, reversing sales slump (+6.5%).
How to use Evaluated on a resume:
• Evaluated strategies and synergies surrounding potential acquisition targets for a major car manufacturer..
How to use Conducted on a resume:
• Conducted sector research in TMT space through expert interviews, market reports, and engagement with external advisors; created sector map of big data analytics space; prepared recommendations on attractiveness and feasibility on 6+ prospects.
How to use Collaborate on a resume:
• Collaborate with developers and product management team to assess project outcomes and prioritize future app features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get a free resume review: Find out if your action verbs are strong enough.
To figure out if you're using the right verbs on your resume, you should upload it to the tool below. It'll analyze at each of your resume's bullet points and verbs, as well as 20+ key criteria hiring managers look for, and tell you if you have any big mistakes that need fixing.
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