Stop Using "Responsible For" on Your Resume

Open your resume right now. Press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) and search for "Responsible for." If you have more than zero matches, you have a problem that's likely costing you interviews.

"Responsible for" is the most common phrase on resumes — and the most damaging. It's passive, vague, and tells recruiters exactly nothing about your actual impact.

Think about it: "Responsible for sales" describes a duty. It tells the recruiter what you were supposed to do. It says nothing about what you actually did, how well you did it, or the results you achieved.

In On Writing Well, William Zinsser argues that strong writing requires strong verbs: "Verbs are the most important of all your tools. They push the sentence forward and give it momentum." The same principle applies to resumes.

Use active verbs unless there is no comfortable way to get around using a passive verb. The difference between an active-verb style and a passive-verb style — in clarity and vigor — is the difference between life and death for a writer.

Why do action verbs work so much better than passive phrases? The answer lies in cognitive psychology.

Daniel Kahneman's research in Thinking, Fast and Slow shows that our brains process concrete, vivid language faster and remember it better than abstract language. "Responsible for marketing" is abstract. "Launched 3 viral campaigns reaching 2M users" is concrete.

When a recruiter reads your resume, their brain is doing rapid pattern matching: "Is this person a doer or a sitter?" Action verbs signal a doer. Passive phrases signal someone who showed up but didn't necessarily contribute.

Nothing in life is as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it.

The implication for resumes: what you make the recruiter think about — through your word choice — shapes their entire perception of you. Lead with action, and they'll see you as someone who takes action.

Watch what happens when we swap passive duties for active achievements. The same experience reads completely differently:

Example 1: Social Media Manager

Example 2: Customer Support Representative

Example 3: Project Manager

Example 4: Software Engineer

Notice the pattern: the "after" versions all start with an action verb, include specific scope, and end with a measurable result.

Every bullet point on your resume should follow this formula:

This formula works because it answers the three questions every recruiter asks:

1. 1.What did you do? (The action)
2. 2.What was the scope? (The context)
3. 3.What was the result? (The impact)

Angela Duckworth, in Grit, emphasizes that achievement is about consistent effort toward goals. Your resume bullets should demonstrate this pattern: action toward measurable goals.

Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.

Bullet points that show sustained results ("over 6 months," "across 3 quarters") signal grit and reliability.

Replace weak words with these impact drivers. Choose verbs that match your role and achievements:

Leadership & Management

• Led, Directed, Supervised, Mentored, Coached
• Orchestrated, Spearheaded, Championed, Mobilized
• Recruited, Hired, Onboarded, Developed

Creation & Development

• Built, Developed, Designed, Architected, Engineered
• Created, Launched, Pioneered, Established, Founded
• Authored, Drafted, Formulated, Devised

Improvement & Optimization

• Improved, Optimized, Streamlined, Enhanced, Accelerated
• Revitalized, Transformed, Modernized, Upgraded
• Resolved, Fixed, Debugged, Troubleshot

Growth & Revenue

• Grew, Increased, Expanded, Scaled, Multiplied
• Generated, Produced, Delivered, Exceeded
• Captured, Secured, Won, Closed, Negotiated

Analysis & Strategy

• Analyzed, Assessed, Evaluated, Audited, Investigated
• Identified, Discovered, Diagnosed, Pinpointed
• Strategized, Planned, Forecasted, Modeled

Communication & Collaboration

• Presented, Communicated, Articulated, Conveyed
• Collaborated, Partnered, Coordinated, Facilitated
• Negotiated, Persuaded, Influenced, Advocated

Beyond "responsible for," here are other resume-killers to search and destroy:

• "Duties included" - Replace with what you actually achieved
• "Helped with" - Replace with your specific contribution
• "Assisted in" - Replace with action you took
• "Worked on" - Replace with built, developed, created
• "Participated in" - Replace with led, drove, contributed
• "Was involved in" - Eliminate entirely; be specific
• "Served as" - Start with the action instead

Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words.

Every word on your resume should earn its place. Passive filler words don't earn anything.

Cal Newport, in So Good They Can't Ignore You, argues that career capital comes from rare and valuable skills demonstrated through real results — not from duties performed.

Don't follow your passion; let your passion follow you in your quest to become so good they can't ignore you.

Your resume should showcase the career capital you've built. Action verbs + results = proof of value.

The difference between a resume that gets interviews and one that gets ignored often comes down to language. Passive phrases signal passive candidates. Action verbs signal achievers.

Take 15 minutes today to audit your resume using the checklist above. Replace every "responsible for" with a specific achievement. Add numbers wherever possible. Make every word earn its place.

Want a resume built with action verbs from the start? Try our AI-powered resume builder