Elevating Bullet Points
Quick Tips
- Start with a strong and descriptive action verb
- Mimic or mirror language from the job description (work smarter!)
- Use keywords and buzzwords for industry
Show numbers – Quantify your experiences and actions:
• Dollar amounts ($)
• Percentages (%)
• Frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
• Number of staff/team
Feature accomplishments and results when you can! Share what accolades you now possess:
- “Resulting in…”
- “Creating…”
- “Improving…”
- “Generating…”
Don’t be afraid to be specific:
- Mention skills, techniques, and knowledge, especially ones that are specific to role
- Mention technology platforms, tools used, and assessment strategies
Formula For A Strong Bullet Point
- What you did
- How you did it
- Why you did it and/or who did you benefit
- Quantify
- When possible, share the accomplishment
Example
Collaborated with 9 managers across 4 teams to aid in hiring efforts including writing and managing online job postings, screening resume, and conducting first-round interviews, resulting in the placement of 8 new hires.
Goal Of Bullet Point
The goal of the bullet points is to help the reader understand how you did the job (better than anyone else) rather than defining the job.
3 types of bullets:
- Duties (weakest)
Oversee new membership drive and registration for sorority - Skills Developed (better)
Marketed sorority through social media and print strategy, and accurately recorded details of new members in excel database - Accomplishments (best!)
Increased new membership by 20% through social media and print marketing strategy, and accurately recorded details in excel database
Ask Yourself These Things to Really Enhance Bullet Points
- What did you do?
- How did you do it?
- Why did you do it?
- Who did it benefit?
- Did I initiate this?
- How was it done?
- Did I create something?
- Can I quantify this action?