Résumé words · Results and numbers
Another word for “Drove”
What it is trying to claim: That something moved because you supplied the force.
Why it underperforms
It is a causation claim wearing a metaphor, and metaphors are where unearned credit hides. Numbers move for many reasons, so "drove a 40% increase" invites the question of what else was happening that quarter, and a reader who has run a team knows to ask it. The word is also badly overused in commercial writing, to the point where it registers as register rather than description.
Stronger than "Drove"
Not ranked. Each is right for one situation, and the situation is the column that matters.
| Word | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Grew | Sustained increase over time, less forceful and more checkable. |
| Led | The claim is about people rather than a number. |
| Launched | The cause was a thing you started. |
| Won | It was competitive and you can name what you took. |
| Rebuilt | Name the mechanism instead of the momentum. |
A real bullet, fixed
Before
Drove a 40% increase in qualified pipeline.
After
Rebuilt lead scoring around two behaviors that actually predicted close, which took qualified pipeline from about 60 to 85 opportunities a month while total lead volume stayed flat.
Holding volume flat is what rules out the obvious alternative explanation, which is the question "drove" always invites.
When “Drove” is the right word
When the thing genuinely would not have moved without you, and you can say what you did rather than only what resulted. The mechanism is what makes the causation believable.
Common questions
- What can I say instead of "Drove" on a résumé?
- Grew, Led, Launched, Won. Pick the one that matches what you actually did, then follow it with a number. Holding volume flat is what rules out the obvious alternative explanation, which is the question "drove" always invites.
- Is "Drove" bad on a résumé?
- It is a causation claim wearing a metaphor, and metaphors are where unearned credit hides. Numbers move for many reasons, so "drove a 40% increase" invites the question of what else was happening that quarter, and a reader who has run a team knows to ask it. The word is also badly overused in commercial writing, to the point where it registers as register rather than description.
- When is it fine to use "Drove"?
- When the thing genuinely would not have moved without you, and you can say what you did rather than only what resulted. The mechanism is what makes the causation believable.
Fix these next
- IncreasedThat a number went up because of something you did.
- AchievedThat you reached a target.
- GeneratedThat something valuable came into being because of your work.
- LedThat other people followed your direction toward something.
- GrewThat something got bigger over time under your care.
All 125 words are on the résumé words index. For the verbs grouped by what they claim, read résumé power verbs.
After the résumé
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