Career Services

Create Powerful Bullet Points

These main ideas or "bullet points" give the reader a true picture of your skills and qualifications

by showing off each of your relevant transferable skills and abilities. Make sure to keep them

relevant to the industry in which you are applying. 

Experience

• This is the most important part of the résumé and usually the longest 

• The purpose of this section is to show a potential employer you have the transferable skills to be successful in the position you are applying for.   

• In this section, start with present or most recent position and work backwards 

• Detail only the last four or five positions or employment covering the years in college, unless earlier information is relevant 

• Be sure to list all substantial experiences, whether paid or unpaid. Employers like to see volunteer and community work. 

Job Position 

• Your job title, company name, city, state and dates position was held (start & end date - year and month are sufficient) 

• Describe your accomplishments, responsibilities and transferable skills 

• Begin each bullet point with a third person, past tense action verb (for past positions) OR present tense action verb  – see below examples

Job Description

• Great job descriptions include all of the following: action + object = outcomes

• When possible, note any achievements or key lessons learned from your experiences.

• Highlight what you have done in a concise, powerful, action-oriented way.

• Since position titles usually do not do justice to the work performed, it is advisable to highlight the functions for which you were responsible.

• Be careful about listing multiple short term experiences (less than 6 months).  

Examples of Action Verbs: