Résumé words · Results and numbers
Another word for “Grew”
What it is trying to claim: That something got bigger over time under your care.
Why it underperforms
It implies sustained effort rather than a single jump, which is its advantage, and it is undermined by the same percentage habit that undermines "increased". A growth figure with no base is unreadable, and a growth figure with no time period is worse, because the same number over one month and three years describe different achievements entirely.
Stronger than "Grew"
Not ranked. Each is right for one situation, and the situation is the column that matters.
| Word | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Increased | A specific metric rather than an overall size. |
| Doubled | The multiple is clean enough to carry the sentence. |
| Scaled | The system had to change shape to cope, not just get bigger. |
| Built | It started from nothing, which is a different claim. |
| Expanded | Coverage or reach rather than volume. |
A real bullet, fixed
Before
Grew the customer base significantly year over year.
After
Grew paying accounts from 340 to 910 over two years, with monthly churn falling from 4.1% to 2.6% across the same period.
Adding the churn figure pre-empts the obvious objection, which is that you can buy growth by acquiring customers who leave.
When “Grew” is the right word
Constantly, when both endpoints and the duration are present. It is a more honest verb than "drove" because it makes no claim about being the sole cause.
Common questions
- What can I say instead of "Grew" on a résumé?
- Increased, Doubled, Scaled, Built. Pick the one that matches what you actually did, then follow it with a number. Adding the churn figure pre-empts the obvious objection, which is that you can buy growth by acquiring customers who leave.
- Is "Grew" bad on a résumé?
- It implies sustained effort rather than a single jump, which is its advantage, and it is undermined by the same percentage habit that undermines "increased". A growth figure with no base is unreadable, and a growth figure with no time period is worse, because the same number over one month and three years describe different achievements entirely.
- When is it fine to use "Grew"?
- Constantly, when both endpoints and the duration are present. It is a more honest verb than "drove" because it makes no claim about being the sole cause.
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.
- DroveThat something moved because you supplied the force.
All 125 words are on the résumé words index. For the verbs grouped by what they claim, read résumé power verbs.
After the résumé
Fixing the words is the easy half. The applying is the slow half.
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