What is an ATS and why does my resume need to pass it?

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software used by 98% of Fortune 500 companies to filter resumes before a human sees them. If your resume isn't formatted correctly or lacks the right keywords, it gets rejected automatically. HAIRED's resume builder creates ATS-friendly CVs by design.

Is the HAIRED CV builder free?

Yes. You can build your resume completely free. The free plan lets you preview your CV and run up to 3 ATS analyses per day. Downloading a clean PDF without watermark requires a Pro plan starting at $9.99/week.

What is the Job Match feature?

Job Match is a Pro feature where you paste a job description and upload your current CV. The AI rewrites your CV to match that specific job — adjusting keywords, structure, and emphasis — so it passes ATS for that role.

What resume templates does HAIRED offer?

HAIRED offers 4 ATS-friendly templates: Harvard (classic, preferred by consulting and finance), Modern (clean design for tech and startups), Executive (senior roles and leadership positions), and ATS Pro (maximum keyword density for automated screening).

How much does HAIRED Pro cost?

HAIRED Pro is available at $9.99/week, $29/month, or $149/year. All Pro plans include unlimited CV downloads, Job Match, LinkedIn tools, AI writing assistant, and priority support.

What's a stronger word than 'assisted' on a resume?

It depends on how involved you actually were. For meaningful contribution to a shared outcome: Contributed to, Supported, Facilitated. For a specific, named part of the work: Coordinated, Executed, Delivered. If you were the primary driver and someone else just approved or reviewed your work, consider claiming the achievement more directly rather than using 'assisted' at all.

Is it okay to say 'helped' on a resume?

It's honest, but it's also the word most likely to undersell a real contribution, since it can describe anything from a small favor to doing most of the actual work under someone else's title. If you did substantial work, describe what you specifically did rather than defaulting to 'helped.'

Should I avoid 'assisted' and 'helped' entirely?

No — if your role genuinely was supporting someone else's effort in a limited way, 'assisted' or 'supported' is the accurate description and shouldn't be inflated. The goal is precision, not making every contribution sound bigger than it was.

How do I tell if I should say 'assisted' or claim the work directly?

Ask what would have happened without your involvement. If the outcome wouldn't have happened, or would have been meaningfully worse, describe your specific contribution directly ('built,' 'coordinated,' 'drove') rather than 'assisted.' If your role really was secondary support to someone else's effort, 'assisted' or 'supported' is accurate and fine to use.

Synonyms for 'Assisted' or 'Helped' on a Resume (2026)

Quick Answer

"Assisted" and "helped" are honest words, but they're also the two most likely to undersell real work — both can describe anything from a minor favor to doing most of the actual job under someone else's name. If your contribution was substantial, use Contributed to, Supported, Facilitated, Coordinated, or Delivered to be more specific — or, if the outcome genuinely depended on you, describe what you did directly instead of hedging with "assisted."

The Real Problem: These Words Hide the Size of the Contribution

"Assisted with the product launch" could mean you proofread the announcement email, or it could mean you built half the feature and coordinated the rollout while someone else got formal credit. The word doesn't distinguish between those — which means a recruiter reading it has no way to know which one happened, and will likely assume the smaller version.

This is different from a word like "managed," which is vague but not self-diminishing. "Assisted" specifically signals a secondary role, so using it for work that was actually central costs you credit you earned.

More Precise Language for Support Work

If you contributed meaningfully to a shared effort

Contributed to, Supported, Collaborated on, Partnered with

Weak: "Assisted with the annual budget planning process." Stronger: "Contributed to annual budget planning, building the revenue forecast model used by the finance team."

If you handled a specific, defined part of the work

Coordinated, Executed, Delivered, Prepared

Weak: "Helped organize the company's annual conference." Stronger: "Coordinated logistics for a 300-person annual conference, managing vendor contracts and the event schedule."

If you provided support to a senior colleague or manager

Supported, Facilitated, Enabled

Weak: "Assisted the marketing director with campaign planning." Stronger: "Supported campaign planning for the marketing director, drafting briefs for three product launches."

When to Skip "Assisted" Entirely

If the outcome genuinely depended on what you did — not just on someone else's decision to include you — describe the work directly instead of hedging. Ask yourself: would this have happened without my specific contribution? If the honest answer is no, claim it plainly.

Underselling: "Assisted in closing a major client deal." More accurate: "Built the client proposal and pricing model that closed a $200K deal."

This isn't about inflating your role — it's about not automatically defaulting to the smaller-sounding word when a more specific, accurate one exists.

Not Sure If Your Bullets Undersell Your Work?

HAIRED's Fix with AI rewrites vague or hedging language into specific, credit-claiming bullets — automatically.

Related Word Swaps

Bottom Line

"Assisted" and "helped" aren't wrong when they're accurate — but they're easy to reach for by habit, and they quietly shrink real contributions when used out of modesty rather than accuracy. Describe what you specifically did, and save "assisted" for the cases where support really was the whole story.

Run your resume through HAIRED's free AI analyzer to catch hedging language, or let Fix with AI rewrite it.

Synonyms for 'Assisted' or 'Helped' on a Resume: What to Say Instead (2026)