// resume power verbs
Another word for "Improve" on a resume
"Improve" shows up on nearly every resume because it sounds like impact, but on its own it names a result without the action or the amount behind it. Recruiters skim past it because it could describe a minor tweak or a company-wide overhaul. A verb that names how you made things better — plus a number — turns a vague claim into proof.
Why "improve" weakens your resume
"Improve" is a summary word: it announces that something got better while hiding the skill you actually used to do it, which is exactly what a hiring manager is trying to assess. "Improve efficiency" could mean anything; "Automate the intake process, cutting turnaround from 3 days to 4 hours" shows both the work and the payoff. Specific method verbs also line up with the phrasing in job descriptions, which is what ATS keyword matching scans for. Lead with a precise verb, attach a measurable result, and the bullet earns its place.
20 stronger words for "improve"
Optimize
when you tuned a system, process, or campaign for measurably better performance
Streamline
when you removed steps or friction to make a process faster or cheaper
Enhance
when you added capability or quality to an existing product or feature
Strengthen
when you made a process, relationship, or control more robust and reliable
Refine
for precise, incremental adjustments to an already-working process
Upgrade
when you replaced an older tool, system, or standard with a better one
Modernize
when you brought a legacy system or workflow up to current standards
Overhaul
when you rebuilt a broken or outdated process from the ground up
Elevate
when you raised the quality, standard, or perception of something
Accelerate
when your work made a process or outcome measurably faster
Boost
when you produced a clear, quantifiable lift in a metric
Reduce
when the improvement was cutting cost, time, errors, or waste — name the drop
Revamp
when you gave an existing product, page, or program a substantial redesign
Restructure
when you reorganized a team, process, or system for better output
Standardize
when you improved consistency by creating a repeatable process or template
Simplify
when you cut complexity so a process was easier to run or understand
Resolve
when the improvement was fixing a specific, recurring problem
Automate
when you replaced manual effort with a system, improving speed or accuracy
Scale
when you improved capacity so a process handled far more volume
Fine-Tune
when small calibrations yielded a measurable, documented gain
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Check my resume free →Before / after: bullets that drop "improve"
Improve customer satisfaction.
✍️ Streamline the onboarding flow, raising CSAT from 62 to 81 in two quarters.
Improve system performance.
✍️ Optimize database queries, cutting average page load from 3.2s to 0.9s.
Improve team processes.
✍️ Standardize the code-review process, reducing production bugs by 34%.
Frequently asked questions
Is "improve" a good word for a resume?
It isn't wrong, but it's weak on its own. "Improve" states that something got better without showing the action behind it or the size of the gain. Swap it for a verb that names your method — Optimize, Streamline, Automate — and add a number so the result is verifiable.
What can I say instead of "improve" on a resume?
Pick the verb that fits what you actually did: "Optimize" for tuning performance, "Streamline" for removing friction, "Overhaul" for a full rebuild, "Reduce" when the win was cutting cost or time. Always pair it with a measurable outcome.
Should resume bullets use "improve" or "improved"?
Use present tense ("improve") for your current role and past tense ("improved") for previous jobs. Either way, the verb should be specific and backed by a number — the tense matters far less than naming the action and the result.
Keep improving your resume
- What an ATS is and how it works
- The ATS-friendly resume template
- How ATS keyword matching works
- The ATS-friendly resume format
- Why resumes get rejected by ATS
- Free ATS checker with no signup
Weak verbs dragging your bullets down? Swap them using stronger resume action verbs.
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