How to Craft Effective Bullet Points!

Bullet point descriptions are probably one of the more time-consuming parts of creating a résumé. That’s because it requires the largest amount of writing and lots of thinking. You have to remember things you did with your previous employers and tell it all in a condensed three to four sentences. I know it’s super overwhelming. 

Take a breath. 

Bullet point descriptions summarize what you did at each company. Each job should have at least three to four bullet points, but that number is flexible. You must include bullet point descriptions for your relevant experience, but it becomes optional for work experience, activities, and volunteer work. 

When you’re unsure what to write for your bullet points, think about these four questions.

• Did you have any accomplishments?

• Did you contribute to any growth?

• What were your daily tasks?

• Were you a leader or manager in any capacity?

Did you have any achievements?

For this topic, think about any large tasks you were a part of. That could mean fundraising for a campaign, revamping a subscriber program, or landing any client or gig. These are all significant accomplishments, and they catch the attention of the recruiters.

Did you contribute to any growth?

For this topic, think about numbers. Growth is often associated with numbers. NUMBERS STAND OUT ON A RÉSUMÉ!!! Any time you can add a number to anything you did, it provides hard evidence for the recruiter. Here are some examples of growth: 

• Social media follower count and impressions 

• Number of subscriptions to a page 

• Sales 

• Increasing website traffic 

What were your daily tasks?

That means explaining more about your day-to-day tasks. This could be an opportunity to showcase any communication or team skills. 

Were you a leader or manager in any capacity? 

This topic showcases any leadership or management skills. Think about any time you were head of a project or the person of contact. That’s when you should utilize those verbs that relate to management and leadership. 

TAILORING TO JOB DESCRIPTIONS 

Bullet points should be tailored to the job/internship that you’re applying for. You should pull keywords from the job description. That can be verbs or tasks to then implement in your description. That doesn’t mean copying and pasting word-for-word the job description. 

Essentially, this step is completed for the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Applicant Tracking Systems filter out résumés that lack keywords before forwarding the rest to the recruiter. According to JobScan, 97.4% of Fortune 500 companies utilize ATS. This step is ideal to follow if you’re looking to get your résumé in front of recruiters. 

GRAMMAR 

As mentioned, bullet points come with the most amount of writing, so these points must come with great grammar. Here are a few grammatical rules for bullet points:

• Don’t place a period at the end 

• Make sure the verb starts in the correct verb tense, either present or past 

• Ensure that the bullet point is a complete sentence when you add a subject

• Don’t start with “Responsible For,”

Regarding verb tenses, you want to ensure that past experiences are written in the past tense, and that current experience uses the present tense. Don’t write the present verb as a present participle or “ing” verb. It should be written in the simple present tense. 

• Lead 

• Teach 

• Research 

• Conduct 

More sample action links here.

Bullet Points should also be complete sentences when you add a subject. When it comes to double-checking this rule, imagine an “I” in front of your bullet points and then read it aloud. 

OTHER FORMATTING 

Bullet points should not be too brief or elaborate. The goal is to describe your task in under two lines. It becomes too clunky if your description crosses over two lines on the page. Descriptions should not be less than four words either. Four-word descriptions don’t allow the recruiter to understand your task.

You want to provide enough information so that the recruiter gets the idea. You don’t want to be so short that there’s no context, but you also don’t want to be so lengthy that it takes a long time for the recruiters to skim.

❌Incorrect: Manage a team 

❌Incorrect: Manage a team of seven full-time writers and three freelancers through writing guidelines, and company policies while also communicating effectively through email and Microsoft Teams

✅Correct: Managed a team of seven full-time writers and three freelancers  

Check out our video on bullet points here.