When you work with someone or something, it demonstrates that you have a certain level of diplomacy and communication skills. These are important for any job; it suggests that you know how to work with others and that you can work well within a system.
So if you're looking for a job that involves working in teams, using the verb 'work with' will help give the recruiter an idea of how you operate. However, the phrase 'work with' is not action-oriented—it doesn't tell the recruiter what you did. Also, when writing your past achievement, it's better to use the past tense of the verb ('worked with').
A better way to write this would be to use a power verb like 'ignited' or 'coalesced.' These verbs are more specific, and they show the recruiter your unique skills or the exact results of your work.
Using power verbs in your resume can clarify precisely what you did—it shows your impact on a company or project. They also show how much initiative and leadership ability you demonstrated by taking the lead in getting results. When you use words like 'work with,' it sounds like you were just there and didn't do anything significant.
I've compiled some synonyms you can use instead of Work with on your resume, followed by real examples I've written for clients (feel free to use them!).
Resume Synonyms for Work with:
-
Negotiated
-
Coordinated
-
Consulted
-
Streamlined
-
Influenced
-
Spearheaded
-
Led
-
Facilitated
-
Fostered
-
Managed
-
Standardized
-
Championed
-
Conducted
-
Mobilized
-
Orchestrated
-
Reinforced
-
Conveyed
-
Maximized
-
Launched
-
Revamped
-
Advocated
-
Corresponded
-
Defined
-
Gathered
-
Interpreted
-
Persuaded
-
Partnered
-
United
-
Assimilated
-
Coalesced
-
Diversified
-
Energized
-
Harmonized
-
Melded
-
Blended
-
Embraced
-
Encouraged
-
Ignited
-
Co-authored
-
Cooperated
How to replace Work with with a stronger action verb:
Let's look at examples of how you can remove and replace the overused phrase, Work with, with a stronger synonym and alternative that is more effective at highlighting your achievements.
Before: Weak example using Work with• Work with product and marketing teams to implement app redesigns
⤸
After: Using a stronger synonym• Collaborated with product and marketing teams to redesign the mobile onboarding process, improving retention and user experience by 40%.
Before: Work with• Work with vendors to acquire supplies
⤸After: Negotiated• Negotiated contracts with vendors, securing high-quality supplies at a 15% reduced cost
Replacing 'work with' with 'Negotiated' makes the candidate's role clearer, while adding a concrete achievement strengthens the statement. This shows the candidate's ability to drive cost savings through negotiation skills.
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: Work with• Work with sales team to achieve targets
⤸After: Coordinated• Coordinated with the sales team to exceed targets by 20%, generating an additional $500k in revenue
By stating 'Coordinated', we imply that the candidate had a more proactive role within the team. Adding a specific achievement associated with a monetary gain emphasizes their contribution to the organisation's revenue.
Before: Work with• Work with clients on design projects
⤸After: Consulted• Consulted directly with clients to streamline design projects, resulting in a 30% improvement in efficiency
Using 'Consulted' instead of 'work with' suggests a more leadership role. Adding a quantifiable achievement helps demonstrate the candidate’s ability to result in improved efficiency.
Before: Work with• Work with IT team to improve network security
⤸After: Streamlined• Streamlined the IT infrastructure resulting in boosted network security by 50%
Replacing 'work with' with 'Streamlined' not only underscores leadership capabilities but also highlights the candidate's understanding on information technology. Meanwhile, quantifying the increased security reinforces the achievement/result.
Before: Work with• Work with marketing team on ad campaigns
⤸After: Influenced• Influenced the direction and creativity behind ad campaigns that resulted in a 35% increase in brand recognition
The term 'Influenced' emphasizes your role as a significant contributor. Adding a specific impact such as the increased brand recognition helps precisely define how your contributions made a difference.
Before: Work with• Work with staff to implement a new software system
⤸After: Spearheaded• Spearheaded the implementation of a new software system, reducing processing time by 25%
Using the word 'Spearheaded' implies leadership and initiative. Quantifying the reduction in processing time then gives concrete evidence of the positive impact made.
Before: Work with• Work with development team to launch the product
⤸After: Led• Led the development team to successfully launch a product 2 months ahead of schedule, boosting market share by 15%
Changing 'work with' to 'Led' suggests leadership and responsibility. Adding a specific accomplishment and its impact, demonstrates the candidate's effectiveness.
Before: Work with• Work with HR to resolve employee conflicts
⤸After: Facilitated• Facilitated timely resolutions of employee conflicts, decreasing attrition rate by 10%
By using 'Facilitated', we make the candidate's role clear. Also, quantifying the decreased attrition rate shows how you positively influenced employee retention.
Before: Work with• Work with cross-functional teams to improve workflows
⤸After: Fostered• Fostered a collaborative cross-functional team environment, improving workflow efficiency by 20%
By replacing 'work with' by 'Fostered', we attribute the outcome directly to the candidate’s actions. By specifying the improvement rate, we draw attention to the candidate’s role in improving workflow efficiency.
Before: Work with• Work with partners to increase sales
⤸After: Managed• Managed relationships with strategic partners, increasing sales by 25%
Replacing 'work with' with 'Managed' emphasizes leadership and responsibility. Specifying the increase in sales highlights the achievements.
Before: Work with• Work with production team to reduce errors
⤸After: Standardized• Standardized production methods, reducing errors by 40% and improving overall quality
'Standardized' showcases organization and leadership skills. Including numbers like '40%' offers quantifiable proof of the candidate’s achievements, making the resume stronger.
Before: Work with• Work with management to increase customer satisfaction
⤸After: Championed• Championed a customer-centric initiative that boosted customer satisfaction scores by 30%
Replacing 'work with' with 'Championed' paints a clearer picture of your role and impact. Adding a concrete impact lets employers know just how much your initiative improved customer satisfaction.
Before: Work with• Work with operations team to improve workflow
⤸After: Conducted• Conducted a productivity audit that resulted in a 15% improvement in workflow efficiency
'Conducted' demonstrates the candidate’s more active role in the project. Including the percentage of improvement provides a concrete measurement of the candidate’s contribution.
Before: Work with• Work with team to manage event
⤸After: Mobilized• Mobilized a team to successfully deliver a citywide event, attracting over 10,000 participants
'Mobilized' implies leadership and motivation abilities. Adding the scale of event and number of participants makes the impact clear and significant.
Before: Work with• Work with product team to create new features
⤸After: Orchestrated• Orchestrated the creation of innovative features in the product, increasing user engagement by 45%
'Orchestrated' emphasizes the candidate's pivotal role. Highlighting a measurable outcome makes this point stronger and showcases the candidate's direct effect on improving user engagement.
Before: Work with• Work with design team to improve user experience
⤸After: Reinforced• Reinforced design standards which led to an improvement in user satisfaction by 35%
Shifting 'work with' to 'reinforced' hints at active involvement. Including user satisfaction rate becomes a convincing proof of user experience enhancement.
Before: Work with• Work with market research team to collate data
⤸After: Conveyed• Conveyed comprehensive market insights derived from data, assisting company to gain a 20% increase in market share
Contextually, 'Conveyed' relays strategic communication talents. Including the metric in terms of market share benefits, adds a touch of completeness to the experience.
Before: Work with• Work with finance team to manage budget
⤸After: Maximized• Maximized operational output of the finance team, slashing budget deficit by 30% in the first quarter
'Maximized' strongly implies efficiency and resourcefulness. Quantifying the reduction in budget deficit emphasizes the candidate's financial management competence.
Before: Work with• Work with cross-functional teams on project execution
⤸After: Launched• Launched a successful project with cross-functional teams, resulting in a cost saving of $200,000
Rephrasing 'work with' to 'Launched' showcases initiative and ability to drive projects. Adding the dollar amount saved quantifies the results attained.
Before: Work with• Work with team towards process improvement
⤸After: Revamped• Revamped outdated procedures, saving the team roughly 15 hours per week
Using 'revamped' demonstrates your ability to improve and innovate. The metric, ’15 hours per week’, demonstrates efficiency gained via your initiative.
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 Work with.
More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms
How to use Managed on a resume:
• Managed a cross-functional team of 10 in 3 locations (London, Mumbai and New York), ranging from entry-level to Ph.D. analysts, and closely collaborated with business development, data analysis, operations and marketing teams.
How to use Prepared on a resume:
• Prepared a 100 page pitch book summarizing findings and presented analysis to managing directors.
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 Overhauled on a resume:
• Overhauled the company's website by increasing graphics usage by 50% and mobile responsiveness by 100%; generated 70% more leads via email capture forms, reduced bounce rate by 20%.
How to use Created on a resume:
• Created and maintained models for M&A plans, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Product SVA Analysis, Credit Risk Assessment Models, and Common Stock Liquidity Comparisons.
How to use Conducted on a resume:
• Conducted private equity due diligence in $400M portfolio. Performed strategic and analytical valuation of assets based on interviews with experts and created extensive models of the industries; persuaded client to move forward with acquisition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get a free resume review: Find out if your action verbs are strong enough.
I'd recommend uploading your resume below to get a free resume review. You'll get a detailed analysis of your resume's action verbs and your experience, with instant suggestions on how to improve them based on recruiter insights.
Related resume examples