Job Description Action Verbs

The following is a list of commonly used action verbs for describing positions. Definitions come from the
Merriam-Webster Dictionary unless otherwise noted. This list should be used as a guide when
completely the Essential Functions of the PDQ. Note that this list is a sample of potential verbs, and not
meant to be an exhaustive list of all verbs to be used.

Administer To provide or apply something; to put something into effect

Advise To give an opinion or suggestion to someone about what should be done; to give
advice to someone
Analyzes To study something closely and carefully; to learn the nature and relationship of the
parts of something by a close and careful examination
Approve To officially accept (an idea, action, plan, etc.)
Arranges To organize the details of something before it happens; to plan (something)
Assesses To make a judgment about (something)
Assigns To give someone a particular job or duty; to require someone to do a particular task
Assists To give support or help; to make it easier for someone to do something or for
something to happen
Attends To go to and be present at (an event, meeting, etc.)
Audits To perform an audit of or for: to attend (a course) without working for or expecting to
receive formal credit
Authorizes To give power or permission to (someone or something)
Collaborate To work with another person or group in order to achieve or do something
Collects1 Bring or gather together (things, typically when scattered or widespread)
Communicate To give information about (something) to someone by speaking, writing, moving your
hands, etc.; to get someone to understand your thoughts
Compile To put together (various songs, pieces of writing, facts, etc.) in a publication or
collection
Conduct To direct or take part in the operation or management
Confers To discuss something important in order to make a decision
Confirms To tell someone that something has definitely happened or is going to happen; to
make (something) definite or official
Consolidates To join or combine together into one thing; to make (something, such as a position of
power or control) stronger or more secure
Consult To talk about something with (someone) in order to make a decision
Coordinates1 Bring the different elements of (a complex activity or organization) into a relationship
that will ensure efficiency or harmony
Counsel Advice given especially as a result of consultation
Create To produce or bring about by a course of action or behavior
Delegate To assign responsibility or authority; to appoint as one's representative
Deliver Do take and hand over to or leave for another; To come through with
Designs To plan and make (something) for a specific use or purpose
Develop To create (something) over a period of time
Direct To say (something) to a particular person or group; To cause (someone or something)
to move in a particular direction
Disseminates To disperse throughout
Distribute To divide (something) among the members of a group

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Definitions referring to Oxford Dictionaries
Documents1 To record (something) in written, photographic, or other form
Draft To draw the preliminary sketch, version, or plan
Edit To alter, adapt, or refine especially to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a
particular purpose
Educate To train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or
profession
Establish To train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or
profession; to cause (someone or something) to be widely known and accepted
Estimate To give or form a general idea about the value, size, or cost of (something); to make an
estimate of (something)
Evaluate To judge the value or condition of (someone or something) in a careful and thoughtful
way
Examines To look at (something) closely and carefully in order to learn more about it, to find
problems, etc.
Facilitates To make (something) easier; to help cause (something); to help (something) run more
smoothly and effectively
Formulate To put into a systematized statement or expression; to prepare according to a formula
Gather To bring (things or people) together into a group; to choose and collect (things)
Guide To direct, supervise, or influence usually to a particular end
Implement To carry out, accomplish, especially to give practical effect to and ensure of actual
fulfillment by concrete measures
Inform To give information to (someone)
Initiates To cause the beginning of (something); to start or begin (something)
Integrates To combine (two or more things) to form or create something; to make (something) a
part of another larger thing
Interact To make (something) a part of another larger thing
Interpret To explain the meaning of (something)
Investigates To observe or study by close examination and systematic inquiry
Issue To put forth or distribute usually officially
Maintains To keep in an existing state (as of repair, efficiency, or validity); to preserve from failure
or decline
Manage To have control of (something); to take care of and make decisions
Modifies To change some parts of (something) while not changing other parts
Monitors To watch, keep track of, or check usually for a special purpose
Motivate To give (someone) a reason for doing something
Negotiate To discuss something formally in order to make an agreement
Obtain To gain or get (something) usually by effort
Order To put in order (arrange); to give an order to (command)
Organizes To arrange or form into a coherent unit or functioning whole
Oversees1 Supervise (a person or work), especially in an official capacity
Participate To be involved with others in doing something; to take part in an activity or event with
others
Plan To think about and arrange the parts or details of (something) before it happens or is
made
Prepares To make (someone or something) ready for some activity, purpose, use, etc.

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Definitions referring to Oxford Dictionaries
Present To formally talk about (something you have written, studied, etc.) to a group of people;
to make (something) available to be used or considered
Processes1 To subject to or handle through an established usually routine set of procedures
Produces To cause (something) to exist or happen; to cause (a particular result or effect)
Provide To make (something) available; to supply (something that is wanted or needed)
Recommends To say that (someone or something) is good and deserves to be chosen; to suggest that
someone do (something)
Reconcile To find a way of making (two different ideas, facts, etc.) exist or be true at the same
time
Records To write (something) down so that it can be used or seen again in the future; to
produce a record of (something)
Recruit To find suitable people and get them to join a company or an organization
Research To search or investigate exhaustively
Responds To say or write something as an answer to a question or request
Review To examine or study again; to study or look at
Scans To look at (something) carefully usually in order to find someone or something
Schedules To plan (something) at a certain time; to appoint, assign, or designate for a fixed time
Searches To carefully look for someone or something; to try to find someone or something
Selects To choose from a number or group; pick out
Serves To furnish or supply with something needed or desired
Solicit To approach with a request or plea
Solve To find a way to deal with and end (a problem)
Submit To give (a document, proposal, piece of writing, etc.) to someone so that it can be
considered or approved
Supervise To be in charge of (someone or something); to watch and direct (someone or
something)
Supply To make (something) available to be used; to provide someone or something with
(something that is needed or wanted)
Test To use a set of questions or problems to measure someone's skills, knowledge, or
abilities; to apply a test as a means of analysis
Train To form by instruction, discipline, or drill; to teach so as to make fit, qualified, or
proficient
Translate To change words from one language into another language; to explain (something) in a
way that is easier to understand
Verifies To establish the truth, accuracy, or reality of

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Definitions referring to Oxford Dictionaries