To craft a good resume, you must use action verbs that describe your skills and abilities. Planned is a verb that shows you're good at thinking ahead—you're able to look at situations from different angles, which helps you come up with creative solutions or ideas no one else would have thought of.

Yet, in your resume, you want to avoid using the word 'planned' twice in a row. It'll make your resume seem repetitive and long-winded or make it look like you haven't put enough thought into constructing your resume.

To resolve this, replace 'planned' with other words that show you have the same skill, such as masterminded, projected, or budgeted. These are all great ways to convey that you can take all the resources at your disposal and use them efficiently and effectively.

This switch-up will help keep your resume attractive and engaging for the recruiter, who will be likelier to read it all through. If you use synonyms, you can communicate to hiring managers that you have a full life of interests and experiences related to the job description—they'll feel like they're reading about how you've used your skills to improve an organization or solve problems.

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

Resume Synonyms for Planned:

Forecasted
Designed
Outlined
Engineered
Spearheaded
Strategized
Implemented
Pioneered
Segments
Budgeted
Schemed
Arranged
Charted
Mapped
Projected
Plotted
Aimed
Allowed
Concerted
Concocted
Devised
Laid out
Programmed
Formulated
Masterminded
Orchestrated
Drew
Computed
Anticipated

How to replace Planned with a stronger action verb:

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

Before: Weak example using Planned

• Planned and executed big-data conference

⤸

After: Using a stronger synonym• Organized 3-day big data conference with 150+ attendees; curated agenda, promoted event, secured attendance, coordinated event logistics, and liaised with speakers and sponsors; generated $45K revenue .

Replacing Planned with Forecasted ▾

Before: Planned

• Planned the company budget

⤸

After: Forecasted• Forecasted and executed a $1.5M annual budget, slashing expenditure by 25% via strategic cost containment initiatives; reported directly to CFO

I transformed the weak and vague bullet point to a more robust statement by using a strong action verb - 'Forecasted'. By detailing the size of the budget, percentage of cost reduction, and the specific stakeholder involved, we create a stronger impression of the candidate's role and competence.

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 Planned with Designed ▾

Before: Planned

• Planned new software infrastructure

⤸

After: Designed• Designed and implemented a high-performance software infrastructure, leading to a 30% improvement in application response times and enhancing user satisfaction

By changing 'Planned' with 'Designed', we better clarify the candidate's role. I also quantified the improvement in application responsiveness, reinforcing the candidate's impact in terms of precise, measurable results.

Replacing Planned with Outlined ▾

Before: Planned

• Planned marketing strategies

⤸

After: Outlined• Outlined comprehensive marketing strategies that expanded the customer base by 200%, achieving record-breaking sales growth for two consecutive quarters

Switching 'Planned' for 'Outlined' provides a clearer picture of the candidate's responsibility. By adding quantitative results and mentioning the period of achievement, it gives context and displays their impact more effectively.

Replacing Planned with Engineered ▾

Before: Planned

• Planned the new logistics system

⤸

After: Engineered• Engineered an innovative logistics system, which increased overall efficiency by 35% and slashed delivery times by 2 days

Substituting 'Planned' with 'Engineered' emphasizes the candidate's technical skills. Incorporating specific measurable outcomes demonstrates their abilities to potential employers more convincingly, showcasing their input was not only conceptual but also results-driven.

Replacing Planned with Spearheaded ▾

Before: Planned

• Planned office renovation

⤸

After: Spearheaded• Spearheaded a complete office renovation project, finishing 3 weeks ahead of schedule and saving 15% on the allocated budget

Arriving at 'spearheaded' instead of 'planned', it displays leadership and shows the candidate was a driving force behind the project. Detailing time and cost saved is far more illustrative and impactful than the original vague statement.

Replacing Planned with Strategized ▾

Before: Planned

• Planned sales approach for new product

⤸

After: Strategized• Strategized a unique sales approach for an innovative product line, leading to a 50% increase in market share within the first quarter

The keyword 'strategized' shows strong planning skills. Further, stating specific accomplishments like '50% increase in market share' gives evidence of the candidate's effective strategy and successful execution.

Replacing Planned with Implemented ▾

Before: Planned

• Planned new HR policies

⤸

After: Implemented• Implemented modern HR policies that reduced staff turnover by 20% and improved employee engagement scores by 15%

The choice of 'Implemented' over 'planned' transitions the candidate from a passive planner to an active driver of change. Adding the effects of these policies makes the claim more impactful and quantifiable.

Replacing Planned with Pioneered ▾

Before: Planned

• Planned digital marketing campaign

⤸

After: Pioneered• Pioneered an engaging digital marketing campaign, generating 1M online impressions and boosting website traffic by 35%

Pioneered' emphasizes innovation. Providing particular results like the impressions and website traffic increase, we create a measurable metric of campaign success.

Replacing Planned with Segments ▾

Before: Planned

• Planned the restaurant's opening

⤸

After: Segments• Supervised the launch of a 100-seat sushi restaurant, recruiting a team of 20 and achieving break-even in 6 months

Locating 'Supervised' as the verb harnesses the candidate's leadership ability. By stating the scale of the restaurant, team size, and the time taken to break-even, it not only shows the achievement but also gives a sense of the candidate's capability.

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 Planned.

More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms

How to use Analyzed on a resume:

• Analyzed 1500+ responses to a consumer survey to evaluate brand perception and customers' willingness to pay.

How to use Led on a resume:

• Led interview campaign with existing customers (300+ person survey, 40+ face-to-face discussions) to formulate requirements of a new product to help couples manage their expenses; outputs directly impacted product roadmap.

How to use Managed on a resume:

• Managed international stakeholders in India, United Kingdom and Hong Kong by hosting daily standups and coordinating weekly status reports.

How to use Liaised on a resume:

• Liaised with marketing to drive email and social media advertising efforts, using predictive modeling and clustering, resulting in a 35% increase in revenue.

How to use Developed on a resume:

• Developed strategies to trade and manage risk on the trading book comprising 30+ indices; 2016 P&L: $8M.

How to use Doubled on a resume:

• Doubled new user acquisition from 10-15 users to 20-25 through the implementation of new marketing strategies focused on online advertising and improving the company's web presence, social media, and search engine optimization..

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for Planned on a resume?

You can say Formulated, Plotted or Anticipated instead of Planned.

What can I say instead of Planned on a resume?

You should vary up your language on your resume, instead of using Planned over and over again. Good synonyms to use instead include:

Formulated
Budgeted
Allowed
Orchestrated
Masterminded
Computed

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

If you have a version of your resume ready, remember to get it checked using our free resume scanner below. It will make sure all your action verbs are strong enough, and give you feedback on any mistakes you might have overlooked, so you can fix them before a recruiter sees them.

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