Resume bullet point breakdown: Write impactful bullet points and impress recruiters
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The strength of your bullet points will ultimately decide how successful your resume is. Even if you have all the right skills and qualifications, if your bullet points do not bring out the best of them, a hiring manager is unlikely to identify you as an ideal candidate.
Writing attention-grabbing bullet points is not too difficult if you know exactly what to do. There are many tried and tested resume bullet point formulae that you can adopt for your resume. Writing better bullet points will help you write a better resume. We will start our discussion by observing some weak resume bullet points.
What are weak resume bullet points?
You can’t write a strong resume bullet point without knowing what makes for a weak one. Weak resume bullet points are often very vague. They offer no specifics to the reader about your contribution to the role. Also, weak resume bullet points do not start with action verbs. Almost all the time, weak bullet points are passive sentences. Generic resume bullet points also fall under the weak category. Here are some weak resume bullet points that you may have seen before:
- Responsible for projects.
- Talked with customers.
- Increased sales for the company.
These bullet points do not give any specific information about you to the reader. More importantly, they are boring enough to turn off interested employers and hiring managers. Let’s take a look at how you can do the exact opposite of that on your resume.
How to write strong resume bullet points
There are several techniques you can use to create strong resume bullet points that grab the attention of hiring managers.
Emphasize achievements
Strong resume bullet points revolve around professional achievements, not job duties. The key to writing a good bullet point is identifying your best professional accomplishments.
Quantify results
Your accomplishments and achievements are more impressive on a resume when you have backed them up with quantifiable data. Before you start writing bullet points, gather the information you have about your achievements. Numbers, figures, percentages, and dollars saved all make for good bullet points.
Employ action verbs
Passive bullet points don’t impress hiring managers. In fact, they make you seem like you never take any initiative. Start your bullet points with strong and descriptive action verbs. Here’s an article that teaches you all about using action verbs for your bullet points.
Use adjectives
Make your bullet points rich, so that your resume becomes an interesting read for the hiring manager. The right adjectives can make your bullet points a few times more attractive. Also, adjectives can help you emphasize your skills.
Keep it short
Don’t make your bullet points too long. No hiring manager would ever want to read a bullet point that is rambling onto its third line. Ensure that your bullet points are concise.
Make it clear
The major motive of your bullet points is to draw the recruiter’s attention toward your impressive achievements. Don’t use too complex language that drowns your accomplishments in confusing grammar.
Write full sentences
Just because you are writing bullet points, it does not give you the creative license to write half sentences and phrases. You must always write full sentences for your bullet points.
Use a good formula
One bullet point writing formula that you can use is [Action Verb + Quantified Result + Linking Phrase + Your Action]. This formula allows you to emphasize your achievements while keeping the hiring manager interested.
Write STAR bullet points
Another impressive type of bullet point is the STAR bullet point. These bullet points allow you to create compelling narratives of your professional achievements. Read this article to learn all about writing STAR bullet points.