If you want to emphasize that you can use your skills to make things better or more effective, the present-tense verb 'enhance' is a great word to use in your resume. It shows that you have the ability to improve a product or an idea and make it more useful for a company or consumers.
The term 'enhance' signifies that you're a good problem-solver who brought about positive change, but it's also one that you should be careful not to overuse. Repeating the same word continually in your resume will make recruiters think that you didn't take time to ensure each section is unique and assume that you also didn't spend time on other parts of your application. It's also important to remember that when writing about past experiences, you should use the verb's past tense.
The best way to fix this problem is by substituting synonyms for 'enhance', such as 'upgraded,' 'magnified,' or 'amplified.'
Using synonyms in your resume is an excellent way to mix things up, so it isn't too repetitive. When employers read your resume and see all those different words for 'enhance,' they'll get a sense of how many ways you've enhanced a product or process.
I've compiled some synonyms you can use instead of Enhance on your resume, followed by real examples I've written for clients (feel free to use them!).
Resume Synonyms for Enhance:
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Refined
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Progressed
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Elevated
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Expanded
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Enriched
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Boosted
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Blostered
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Polished
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Energized
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Revitalized
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Fortified
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Improvised
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Augmented
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Sculpted
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Economized
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Amended
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Modified
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Elaborated
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Amplified
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Upgraded
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Heightened
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Increased
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Magnified
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Intensified
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Deepened
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Accelerated
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Maximized
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Renovated
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Outpaced
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Redesigned
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Reformed
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Revamped
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Revitalized
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Strengthened
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Transformed
How to replace Enhance with a stronger action verb:
Let's look at examples of how you can remove and replace the overused phrase, Enhance, with a stronger synonym and alternative that is more effective at highlighting your achievements.
Before: Weak example using Enhance• Enhanced search queries to make the app load faster
⤸
After: Using a stronger synonym• Optimized legacy data storage and search query for the high-volume external web application, reducing the average response time by 63%. .
Before: Enhance• Enhanced the company's editorial standards
⤸After: Refined• Refined the company's editorial standards which resulted in a 25% decrease in typos and factual errors, getting content to market 15% faster.
Refined is a stronger and more professional verb that showcases your ability to improve something with a precise and focused approach. Including solid metrics in the revised version highlights the real-world impact of your contributions.
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: Enhance• Enhanced the IT department's problem-solving speed
⤸After: Progressed• Progressed the IT department's problem-solving speed by training teams in Agile methodologies, leading to a 30% reduction in system downtime.
As a hiring manager, I prefer seeing direct and active verbs like 'Progressed'. Including specific actions you took and the resulting benefits show your problem-solving skills and your ability to adapt and innovate.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced customer retention in the retail department
⤸After: Elevated• Elevated customer retention by designing a loyalty rewards program, resulting in a 40% increase in repeat business and a 20% boost in annual revenue.
The term 'Elevated' demonstrates success and ambition. It's pivotal to connect your actions to their outcomes, which is why I included specific details on the program and its impact on the business.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced company's outreach to potential clients
⤸After: Expanded• Expanded company's outreach to potential clients by developing a robust social media marketing plan, resulting in a 35% increase in brand engagement and a 20% rise in leads.
The verb 'Expanded' clearly conveys taking something from one level to a higher one. Including details on what was done and the measurable success gives a convincing evidence of your capabilities.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced company's product portfolio
⤸After: Enriched• Enriched the company's product portfolio by executing market research and competition analysis which led to launching 3 new profitable product lines.
The action 'Enriched' suggests adding value through your work. The change ties this value-add back to a specific action and measurable results.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced team's productivity
⤸After: Boosted• Boosted team's productivity by 20% by introducing time management tools and Agile methodologies.
Replacing 'Enhanced' with 'Boosted' directly shows the ability to raise performance. It's important to demonstrate how the improvements were realized by detailing the strategies implemented.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced the efficiency of logistics operations
⤸After: Blostered• Bolstered logistics operations efficiency, resulting in a 15% decrease in delayed shipments through the implementation of a new automated inventory system.
The verb 'Bolstered' connotes strength and support. By replacing 'Enhanced' with it, and adding clear figures, we directly point out the benefit you brought to the company.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced company's brand image
⤸After: Polished• Polished the company's brand image, leading to a 25% increase in brand awareness and a 35% boost in website traffic, by coordinating a successful PR campaign.
The term 'Polished' implies perfection and refinement, which is what the candidate achieved. This sentence now details exactly what was done and the beneficial results.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced team-building initiatives
⤸After: Energized• Energized team-building initiatives by designing and implementing monthly workshops and activities, which resulted in an 18% increase in employee engagement scores.
The action verb 'Energized' brings vibrant and positive energy to the candidate's achievements. The addition of precise information and results gives more credibility to the accomplishment.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced our mobile app user interface
⤸After: Revitalized• Revitalized the mobile app user interface, skyrocketing user engagement by 50% and improving the app store rating from 3.1 to 4.5 stars.
Using 'Revitalized' portrays a more vibrant and impressive achievement. It's crucial to show the quantitative impacts of your work, making the accomplishment more believable and impactful.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced security measures
⤸After: Fortified• Fortified the organization's security measures by implementing advanced data encryption, which resulted in zero data breaches in a 2-year period.
The term 'Fortified' implies strength and resilience, which are essential in security roles. The new phrase presents a concrete action undertaken, and the impressive outcome of zero data breaches.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced testing protocols
⤸After: Improvised• Improvised the testing protocols and integrated automated tools, shortening the debugging process by 30%, leading to faster product releases.
Substituting 'Enhanced' with 'Improvised' demonstrates innovation and quick thinking. Highlighting the testing protocols' modification and the positive impact it had on the release process shows the candidate's skills more effectively.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced supply chain efficiency
⤸After: Augmented• Augmented supply chain efficiency by renegotiating supplier contracts, leading to a 15% decrease in cost and a 20% faster product delivery process.
By using 'Augmented' in place of 'Enhanced', you effectively demonstrate your capability to improve systems. Quantifying the impact of your work helps to better illustrate the value you brought to the company.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced the graphic design process
⤸After: Sculpted• Sculpted the graphic design process by integrating new software tools and techniques which shortened project completion times by 25%.
The strong verb 'Sculpted' implies a careful, thoughtful transformation. Detailing the methods used and the measurable outcome gives life and verity to your statement.
Before: Enhance• Enhanced the company's financial management
⤸After: Economized• Economized the company's financial management by overhauling budget allocation process, identifying cost-saving measures, and reducing overhead expenses by 12%.
Replacing 'Enhanced' with 'Economized' encapsulates the value you added in a financial context. The new sentence also captures the specific actions taken to achieve the results, painting a clear picture of your capabilities.
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 Enhance.
More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms
How to use Analyzed on a resume:
• Analyzed 50+ companies to identify potential investments, built valuation models, and visited 90+ members of senior management in Germany, Nigeria, Indonesia and Singapore to evaluate companies' growth outlook.
How to use Prepared on a resume:
• Prepared a 100 page pitch book summarizing findings and presented analysis to managing directors.
How to use Streamlined on a resume:
• Streamlined the implementation process and reduced the average product delivery time from 10 days to 4 days by redefining responsibilities and improving accountability of employees.
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.
How to use Led on a resume:
• Led consolidation of 8 data systems into 1; resulted in over $55k in annual savings.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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