By using the present tense verb 'contribute,' you're showing that you've played a positive role in making something happen. You could have contributed to a project by helping to make it a success, or you might have contributed to an organization by boosting morale or improving processes. This verb also shows that you're able to work well as part of a team and help others accomplish their goals.

Demonstrating that you've made an impact is the kind of accomplishment that can get recruiters' attention. That's why it can be tempting to use the word 'contribute' on your resume, but if you do so more than once, you risk giving the impression that you have no other skills to offer. Moreover, to express past accomplishments, use the past tense of the verb ('contributed').

You can avoid it by swapping 'contribute' for other words like 'furthered,' 'fortified,' or' integrated.' Using these synonyms shows what specific skills you're contributing and your strong understanding of the impact that work has.

This method allows you to demonstrate creativity and originality while showcasing the skills needed for a given position. It also allows you to display more of your talents than just one word could convey.

I've compiled some synonyms you can use instead of Contribute on your resume, followed by real examples I've written for clients (feel free to use them!).

Resume Synonyms for Contribute:

Innovated
Orchestrated
Galvanized
Resolved
Streamlined
Engineered
Instigated
Architected
Combined
Collaborated
Cooperated
Integrated
Linked
Merged
Pooled
Synchronized
United
Critiqued
Coalesced
Suggested
Fortified
Reconciled
Gathered
Presented
Rendered
Moderated
Energized
Furthered

How to replace Contribute with a stronger action verb:

Let's look at examples of how you can remove and replace the overused phrase, Contribute, with a stronger synonym and alternative that is more effective at highlighting your achievements.

Before: Weak example using Contribute

• Contributed to the application devlopment lifecycle

⤸

After: Using a stronger synonym• Collaborated with 3 team members to design new processes for application development lifecycle management (ALM) using Agile methodologies, resulting in a faster time to market new products by 50%..

Replacing Contribute with Innovated ▾

Before: Contribute

• Contributed to the creation of new marketing strategies

⤸

After: Innovated• Innovated groundbreaking marketing strategies that increased online sales by 30%, reduced cost-per-acquisition by 40%, and spiked website traffic by 100% over 6 months.

I chose the term 'innovated' to emphasize the candidate's active role in introducing something new or different. I detailed precisely how the candidate made a difference, highlighting their specific impact on sales, customer acquisition costs, and web traffic to illustrate their value. Such quantifiable results will impress hiring managers.

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.

Replacing Contribute with Orchestrated ▾

Before: Contribute

• Contributed to product launch plans

⤸

After: Orchestrated• Orchestrated a successful product launch plan, accelerating market penetration by 70% in the first quarter and generating $3M in revenue within the first six months.

I substituted 'contributed' with 'orchestrated' to portray the candidate as a leader or initiator, not merely a participant. The number-based results and the time-limited outcome give a clear picture of the impact the candidate made, providing concrete proof of effectiveness in operational management.

Replacing Contribute with Galvanized ▾

Before: Contribute

• Contributed to team morale and enthusiasm

⤸

After: Galvanized• Galvanized diverse teams toward achieving aggressive sales targets, resulting in a remarkable increase of 50% in annual revenue growth.

The word 'galvanized' communicates leadership and an ability to motivate teams. The increased annual revenue growth quantifies the result of this motivation, giving the hiring manager a clear metric to understand the candidate's impact.

Replacing Contribute with Resolved ▾

Before: Contribute

• Contributed to resolving internal conflicts

⤸

After: Resolved• Resolved cross-departmental conflicts, fostering a harmonious work environment that boosted team productivity by 35% within four months.

'Resolved' is more assertive and decisive compared to 'contributed.' By introducing quantitative data (35% increase in productivity), this revised statement precisely conveys the candidate's accomplishments, giving hiring authorities a better sense of the candidate's abilities.

Replacing Contribute with Streamlined ▾

Before: Contribute

• Contributed to optimising workflow

⤸

After: Streamlined• Streamlined the production process, boosting work efficiency by 40% and saving approximately two hours per product, translating to a cost-saving of $1000 per day.

The word 'streamlined' implies that the candidate directly made processes smoother and more efficient. The result is presented in a way that shows how much time was saved per product and how this translated into daily cost savings, providing a concrete demonstration of the candidate's impact.

Replacing Contribute with Engineered ▾

Before: Contribute

• Contributed to software design

⤸

After: Engineered• Engineered a customer-friendly software application, driving a 60% surge in user satisfaction and decreasing customer service calls by 30% within two months of launch.

The verb 'engineered' clearly demonstrates the candidate's expertise in software development. By adding specific measurable successes such as increased user satisfaction and decreased customer service calls, hiring managers can see the positive real-world implications of the candidate's work.

Replacing Contribute with Instigated ▾

Before: Contribute

• Contributed to new business initiatives

⤸

After: Instigated• Instigated new business initiatives that catapulted annual profits by 45%, earning the company regional recognition for outstanding performance in the market.

Replacing 'contributed' with 'instigated' showcases the candidate as a front-runner in driving business growth. The quantifiable increase in annual profits and regional recognition offer a snapshot of the candidate's direct impact and potential for future achievements.

Replacing Contribute with Architected ▾

Before: Contribute

• Contributed to the development of the company's IT infrastructure

⤸

After: Architected• Architected a robust IT infrastructure that reduced system downtime by 90% and improved data accessibility for over 200 employees within six weeks of implementation.

The term 'architected' positions the candidate as a tech visionary reinforcing their ability to build robust systems. By tying this to specific measurable outcomes, the candidate can clearly demonstrate their value to potential employers.

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 Contribute.

More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms

How to use Led on a resume:

• Led multi-disciplinary 7 person team to design, develop, and launch online e-commerce store; prioritized and resolved 45+ new features and bug fixes.

How to use Developed on a resume:

• Developed and implemented heavily parallelized algorithms to resize and watermark 5MM+ images of different sizes using Amazon EC2.

How to use Enabled on a resume:

• Enabled integration with existing systems by creating tool that extracts metadata from images and provides metadata to a system-wide search database..

How to use Handpicked on a resume:

• Handpicked by global head of operations from among 50+ senior associates to lead first-ever strategic alliance project with Company in Hong Kong.

How to use Interviewed on a resume:

• Interviewed future end users in London and New York daily to identify and analyse the inefficiencies in the existing manual process of bulk updating customer details.

How to use Performed on a resume:

• Performed financial analysis to evaluate public and private financing alternatives to strengthen client's balance sheet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for Contribute on a resume?

You can say Critiqued, Energized or Fortified instead of Contribute.

What can I say instead of Contribute on a resume?

Words like Contribute are overused on resumes. Instead, you should use other phrases like Pooled, Cooperated, Linked, Combined, United or Synchronized.

Get a free resume review: Find out if your action verbs are strong enough.

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