When recruiters look at your resume, they're looking for a sense of your work history, career trajectory, and professional growth. However, they also want to see evidence of your ability to perform the job you're applying for—and that's where the verb 'drive' comes into play. This word shows that you're self-motivated and can get things done without much direction.

The verb 'drive' is the perfect word to describe what you do in your job—making things happen. Despite this, it's important to use synonyms as much as possible because this term has a lot of meanings that can often be misinterpreted. In your resume, you want to be sure that you use the most appropriate word for each situation. Moreover, when writing about past experiences, it's best to use the past tense of the verb.

Instead, use power verbs like 'motivated' or 'propelled.' These words have similar meanings but don't carry the same connotations that 'drive' does. You could also use words like 'directed,' which can mean both leading and guiding someone or something.

The more descriptive you can make your resume, the better chance you have at standing out from other candidates applying for the same position.

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

Resume Synonyms for Drive:

Spearheaded
Channeled
Revamped
Boosted
Orchestrated
Amped
Elevated
Accelerated
Maximized
Revitalized
Catapulted
Amplified
Escalated
Upgraded
Supercharged
Sharpened
Ran
Propelled
Directed
Impelled
Launched
Stimulated
Motivated
Initiated
Piloted
Navigated
Commanded
Controlled
Commissioned
Expedited
Ordered
Instructed
Compelled
Authorized
Empowered
Promoted

How to replace Drive with a stronger action verb:

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

Before: Weak example using Drive

• Drive down development costs and time spent for the company

⤸

After: Using a stronger synonym• Reduced the time spent on development by 73% by creating maintainable reusable components. .

Replacing Drive with Spearheaded ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive the creation of new marketing campaigns.

⤸

After: Spearheaded• Spearheaded the development of fresh marketing campaigns which led to a 45% increase in brand visibility in just 6 months.

I replaced 'Drive' with 'Spearheaded' to better depict the leading role the applicant had. I also quantified the results to demonstrate the effectiveness and impact of the marketing campaigns.

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 Drive with Channeled ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive efficiency in team operations.

⤸

After: Channeled• Channeled new workflow procedures, reducing internal communication errors by 50% and improving project execution time by one week.

Including numbers here shows the reader that you've not only driven efficiency but have done so to a specific, measurable degree.

Replacing Drive with Revamped ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive a larger audience to the company website.

⤸

After: Revamped• Revamped the company's website SEO strategy, increasing website traffic by 35% in the first three months.

The change to 'Revamped' from 'Drive' provides a more precise idea of what task was carried out. Also, quantifying the impact gives the claim more weightage.

Replacing Drive with Boosted ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive customer engagements.

⤸

After: Boosted• Boosted customer engagements by 60% by crafting interactive email campaigns and improving the user interface.

In this edit, 'Boosted' gives recruiters a clear idea of what you accomplished. Also, stating how you achieved these results provides credibility to your claim.

Replacing Drive with Orchestrated ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive improvements in process workflows.

⤸

After: Orchestrated• Orchestrated improvements in process workflows which ultimately resulted in a 30% decrease in project completion time.

‘Orchestrated’, as a more powerful verb, implies a greater degree of responsibility than ‘Drive’. Also, quantifying how much time was saved makes your claim objectively impressive.

Replacing Drive with Amped ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive sales in competitive markets.

⤸

After: Amped• Amped company's sales in a highly competitive market by 20% through aggressive and strategic business development efforts.

Replacing 'drive' with 'amped' provides a more powerful and active description of the task. Also, clearly stating the effort as well as the result helps to show effectiveness.

Replacing Drive with Elevated ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive company's digital presence.

⤸

After: Elevated• Elevated the company's digital presence by implementing a robust social media strategy that grew followers by 200% within a year.

The verb 'Elevated' replaces 'Drove' to better express the level of achievement in the task. A solid number emphasizes the success of the strategy employed.

Replacing Drive with Accelerated ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive faster product development.

⤸

After: Accelerated• Accelerated product development by introducing agile methodologies, reducing the launch cycle by 2 months.

The term 'Accelerated' gives the recruiters an idea of the speed of your action. Defining what actions were taken and what they led to provides the 'how' and 'why' for your accomplishment.

Replacing Drive with Maximized ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive revenue for the company

⤸

After: Maximized• Maximized company earnings by revamping the pricing strategy, contributing to an annual growth in revenue by $500,000.

Using 'Maximized' instead of 'Drive' gives a more decisive nature to your statement. Also, adding a concrete number gives your claims more credibility.

Replacing Drive with Revitalized ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive more interest on the company blog.

⤸

After: Revitalized• Revitalized the company blog, leading to a 40% rise in organic traffic in less than a year.

By substituting 'Drive' with 'Revitalized', the transformation is better represented. Also, quantifying the increase in traffic showcases the success of your efforts clearly.

Replacing Drive with Catapulted ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive tech innovations in the team

⤸

After: Catapulted• Catapulted team's tech innovation efforts by introducing modern developer tools which enhanced productivity by 25%.

By changing 'Drive' to 'Catapulted', the sentence suggests that you have been instrumental in the improvement. Adding precise percentages helps to substantiate your claims.

Replacing Drive with Amplified ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive client satisfaction rates

⤸

After: Amplified• Amplified client satisfaction rates, achieving 98% positive feedback score by innovating service delivery processes.

The transition from 'Drive' to 'Amplified' as well as quantifying the achievement, gives hiring managers a clearer idea of your accomplishment and its impact.

Replacing Drive with Escalated ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive web traffic.

⤸

After: Escalated• Escalated web traffic by 150% by optimizing page load time and enhancing user experience.

Switching 'Drive' with 'Escalated' implies a significant and rapid rise. Including specific actions that led to this rise gives a better understanding of your role.

Replacing Drive with Upgraded ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive initiatives to improve team morale

⤸

After: Upgraded• Upgraded team morale by implementing weekly recognition programs leading to a 30% decrease in employee turnover.

Changing 'Drive' to 'Upgraded' conveys a significant improvement in the situation. The focus on specific initiatives and outcomes helps to create a vivid picture of your performance.

Replacing Drive with Supercharged ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive improvement in team performance.

⤸

After: Supercharged• Supercharged team performance by introducing a mentoring scheme that led to a 25% rise in productivity.

Replacing 'Drive' with 'Supercharged' introduces dynamism to your role. By detailing the initiative and its effect, you demonstrate your understanding of the importance of actionable results.

Replacing Drive with Sharpened ▾

Before: Drive

• Drive quality in work deliverables.

⤸

After: Sharpened• Sharpened work deliverables quality by instituting regular training sessions, increasing first-time-right cases by 40%.

The shift from 'Drive' to 'Sharpened' enhances the effectiveness of your resume by showing the hiring manager not only what you did, but how you did it and what the result was.

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 Drive.

More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms

How to use Developed on a resume:

• Developed a prototype to identify key influencers on Twitter using clustering techniques over 100,000 data points in Python.

How to use Designed, on a resume:

• Designed, executed, and optimized digital marketing campaign on Google's AdWords for $20B CPG company, yielding 20% ROI improvements.

How to use Analyzed on a resume:

• Analyzed fundamental growth drivers via top-down (macro/sector trends, competition) and bottom-up (growth strategy, revenue forecast, cost allocation) approaches, and analysis of senior management and shareholding structure..

How to use Conducted on a resume:

• Conducted market analysis and competitor benchmarking analysis to evaluate the distribution strategy of luxury fashion brand; summarized findings in comprehensive report to client.

How to use Performed on a resume:

• Performed a gap analysis by conducting a current state assessment to understand the inefficiencies associated with the existing manual business process.

How to use Created on a resume:

• Created content and copy for social media channels (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and email newsletter; assessed customer response to create targeted messaging and inform future content; social media following grew 125%+ organically.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for Drive on a resume?

You can say Ran, Motivated or Propelled instead of Drive.

What are other words for Drive on a resume?

Words like Drive are overused on resumes. Instead, you should use other phrases like Controlled, Ran, Instructed, Stimulated, Commissioned or Launched.

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