25 Portfolio and Resume Power Words to Make You Stand Out 🌟

Discover how resume power words strengthen your professional profile and boost your chances of getting clients. Also, check out the best action verbs to use.

There’s no denying the freelancing world is competitive. Standing out from the crowd is vital to securing top-notch projects from dream clients, and what better way to differentiate yourself than with a stellar digital portfolio?

To craft a good resume or portfolio, you need resume power words. These carefully chosen terms have the extraordinary ability to captivate a hiring manager or potential client, succinctly conveying your expertise, experience, and competence. 

This in-depth guide covers the concept and importance of power words for Independents. We’ll explain how these linguistic gems elevate portfolios to leave a lasting impression on prospective clients. Whether you have years of freelancing experience under your belt or you’re just getting started, these examples and expert tips are invaluable.



What are power words? 💪

Power words are strong verbs describing the action. Strategically used in portfolio, job proposal, and resume writing, they highlight your skills, professional track record, and accomplishments. These words pack a punch and can help you find work as an Independent.

What are action verbs? 🤔

Active verbs express something a sentence’s subject, such as a person or animal, can do. For example, in the sentence “The freelancer works on their computer,” “works” is the action verb. Other action verb examples include “run,” “write,” and “design.” A power portfolio and resume word can also be an adjective, which is a word describing a noun or noun phrase. In the example, “The freelancer works on their brand-new laptop,” “brand-new” is the adjective.

With so many freelance candidates competing, setting yourself apart as a go-getter is the name of the job search game. Add power words to your portfolio to showcase your confidence and quickly capture the attention of a recruiter or potential employer. They’re an excellent way to add compelling vibrancy and specificity to your descriptions. 

Why are power words and action verbs important? 🤠

Your portfolio is like an amalgamation of your personal and professional story, where action verbs infuse your achievements with a sense of dynamism, illustrating your proactive approach and can-do attitude. These words speak to your unique qualities, highlighting your strengths and potential. 



In the competitive landscape of the independent workforce, where every detail counts, these words can be the difference between blending in and standing out. 

25 power word examples ✅

Persuasive, powerful action verbs transform ordinary digital portfolios into extraordinary examples of your skills and experience. Whether you want to showcase your teamwork, communication, creativity, problem-solving, or leadership skills, there’s a power word to suit your needs. 

Here are 25 action words and examples of how to use them: 

Teamwork 🫶

1. Collaborated: She collaborated effectively and was a team player when working as part of a remote team.
2. Supervised: He supervised team efforts to successfully achieve project milestones.
3. Supported: They provided valuable support to clients and colleagues throughout the project lifecycle. 
4. Contributed: She contributed thoughtfully during team discussions, sharing potential solutions during challenging situations. 
5. Facilitated: He skillfully facilitated client meetings to maintain forward momentum for projects.

Communication 👂

1. Spearheaded: They spearheaded persuasive presentations to communicate proposals to stakeholders.
2. Negotiated: She negotiated respectfully and effectively to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
3. Presented: He presented compelling slideshows to diverse audiences of varying sizes.
4. Articulated: They clearly articulated project timelines, objectives, and milestones to project managers. 
5. Employed: She employed advanced design programs to create eye-catching web designs. 

Creativity 🎨

1. Innovated: He innovated unique design solutions in the face of challenging project issues. 
2. Designed: They designed captivating brochures that met and exceeded project and client specifications. 
3. Conceptualized: She conceptualized successful advertising campaigns to increase brands’ returns on investment (ROIs).
4. Strategized: He strategized and implemented action plans to reach different target markets.
5. Transformed: They transformed basic wireframes into interesting, functional mobile applications. 

Problem-solving and project management 👔

1. Initiated: She initiated the resolution of client queries thoughtfully and professionally. 
2. Forecasted: He forecasted market statistics to successfully devise and implement strategies to increase conversion rates.
3. Debugged: They debugged mobile applications to client specifications.
4. Accomplished: She accomplished improved efficiency throughout the organization via streamlining standard operating procedures (SOPs).
5. Organized: He organized and multitasked to submit projects on time. 

Leadership and efficient results 👍

1. Guided: They guided clients toward appropriate choices for backend web support. 
2. Overhauled: She overhauled designs and oversaw successful rebrands of client businesses.
3. Devised: He devised optimized landing pages to achieve higher click-through rates.
4. Motivated: They motivated team members to reach project benchmarks ahead of schedule.
5. Achieved: She achieved consistent praise from clients regarding design outcomes. 

And here’s a pro tip: Choose power words that align with your strengths and your potential client’s needs. Before you start creating your resume, check a sample or template online for inspiration. 

Benefits of using power words 🙌

If you’re considering using the power words above for your digital portfolio, cover letter, personal website, or job application, you’re in luck — the benefits are worth it. Here’s what including these power verbs can do for you:

• Boost readability: Power words enhance your content’s readability. While using some industry terms is unavoidable, adding power words to job and project descriptions makes them easier to understand. 
• Reduce repetition: If you’ve ever had to write a unique job description for similar roles, you know avoiding duplication can be tricky. Power words help add a variety to your languages and content, making it more interesting.
• Make writing stronger: Power words are descriptive; use them in bullet points to enhance the impact of your resume summary and portfolio content.  

How to use action words in your portfolio 📁

Using action words in your freelance portfolio can make all the difference, but how do you do it? Here are six essential tips for choosing the right words (and avoiding the wrong ones): 

1. Be concise: Choose power words that describe your accomplishments and skills precisely. This adds depth to your portfolio and positions you as an expert. 
2. Tailor to your industry: Incorporate industry-specific terms when possible. This demonstrates your knowledge and helps you connect with clients seeking specialized expertise.
3. Highlight company values: Research the values and mission of your target clients, and add action words that align the best. This demonstrates your awareness of and commitment to their vision.
4. Emphasize popular skills: Research highly sought-after skills in your field, and add related power words to your portfolio to appear more desirable to your audience. 
5. Showcase achievement: Choose action words that convey your work’s impact to highlight your trustworthiness and ability to deliver results.
6. Avoid generic terms: Steer clear of overused words like “successful,” “experienced,” and “hardworking” in favor of more unique descriptors. When in doubt, try using a synonym (and don’t use too complex terms). 

Power words come in different shapes and sizes. In addition to action verbs, you can use the following types of terms: 

• Company values-related keywords: Use key terms from the client or company’s About page to identify yourself as a good fit. 
• Industry keywords: Add popular buzzwords that are related to your specific industry.
• Popular skills keywords: Leverage words that describe essential skills your clients seek. 

Build your digital portfolio on Contra 🏗️

Contra’s Independent-driven platform puts freelancers first, and our Portfolios feature has everything you need to build and manage your career as an Independent. It’s easy to use — the information in your Contra Profile populates your Portfolio with the click of a button. Your new personal website goes live online in no time. 

For impactful advice, tips, and tricks on freelancing, visit our blog, The Contrarian. You can also join Contra’s Slack community to discuss your journey with like-minded professionals.

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