Resume Synonyms for Maintain

Want another word for Maintain to use on your resume? Our team's compiled the most effective action verbs and synonyms you can use instead of the overused resume phrase, "Maintain".

Kimberley Tyler Smith Author Photo
Compiled by: Kimberley Tyler-Smith
Senior Hiring Manager
20+ Years of Experience

If you worked as a manager at a company, you could maintain your team's projects skillfully. Similarly, if you worked as an accountant, you would have experience maintaining spreadsheets and other data. 'Maintain' implies that you have the skills to keep things up and running.

Recruiters like knowing that candidates have this skill because it means they'll be efficient and can be trusted to follow through on work. 'Maintain' is truly a great word, but it should be used sparingly. If you use it more than once on your resume, you may come across as a little too robotic. Additionally, in your resume, use the past tense of 'maintain' ('maintained') unless you're discussing a current role.

To make your resume sound spontaneous, consider revising using other words that will give the same idea but are more specific. For example, instead of saying, 'Maintained all customer listings and sales on a database,' say that you 'Streamlined the company's business practices by developing a customer database and tracking sales.'

This helps you avoid overusing the same words in your resume using synonyms. Using different words to describe something makes your resume more gripping for the recruiter, increasing its effectiveness.

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

Resume Synonyms for Maintain:

  • Automated
  • Allocated
  • Balanced
  • Correlated
  • Controlled
  • Corrected
  • Engineered
  • Operated
  • Preserved
  • Remedied
  • Rebuilt
  • Regulated
  • Rehabilitated
  • Rejuvenated
  • Repaired
  • Restored
  • Reviewed
  • Saved
  • Streamlined
  • Sustained
  • Strengthened
  • Tightened

How to replace Maintain with a stronger action verb:

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

Before: Weak example using Maintain

Maintain strong relationships with strategic partners and meet senior executives

After: Using a stronger synonymStrengthened relationships with 6 strategic partners (including Expedia, Skyscanner and Airbnb) through follow-up meetings with C-suite executives.

Replacing Maintain with Administered

Before: Maintain

Maintain standard office duties and operations

After: AdministeredAdministered office operations which enhanced workflow by 20% through reorganising the filing system and upgrading office equipment

The changes removed vagueness in the original sentence by specifying the actions taken. I also added a numerical metric to show the impact of the administrative duties performed by the candidate.

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.


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 Maintain.


More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms

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 Assessed on a resume:

Assessed the product portfolio and created a brand turnaround strategy for a global fashion company; conducted qualitative interviews with industry experts and quantitative analysis to determine barriers to purchasing and distribution.

How to use Managed on a resume:

Managed team of four analysts to prepare training and proposal materials for strategic development of relationship with client.

How to use Generated on a resume:

Generated insights on customer churn and renewal rates from data tables with 100M rows in SQL.

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 Raised on a resume:

Raised awareness by regularly organizing and hosting collection and charity drives throughout local schools; increased donations by 50% since 2016.


Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for Maintain on a resume?

Below are some alternative words and synonyms to add to your resume instead of Maintain:

  • Allocated
  • Regulated
  • Controlled
  • Strengthened
  • Rehabilitated
  • Balanced

What is a better word for Maintain on a resume?

Synonyms you can use instead of the overused phrase Maintain include:

  • Reviewed
  • Correlated
  • Controlled
  • Strengthened
  • Sustained
  • Preserved

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

Want to know what's holding your resume back? Upload your resume to the tool below. You'll get a report outlining what you did well, and what you need to improve.



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