This article was co-authored by Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA and by How.com.vn staff writer, Hunter Rising. Katherine Kirkinis is a Career Coach and Psychotherapist who has served as a career expert for Forbes, Medium, Best Life, and Working Mother Magazine, and as a diversity and inclusion expert for ATTN and Quartz. She specializes in working with issues of career, identity, and indecision. She has doctoral-level training in career counseling and career assessment and has worked with hundreds of clients to make career decisions through career assessments. She is pursuing a doctoral degree at The University of Albany, SUNY where her work focuses on diversity and inclusion, racism in the workplace, and racial identity. She is a published author and has been featured in academic journals as well as popular media outlets. Her research has been presented at 10+ national APA conferences since 2013.
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Covering your recent job history is an essential component of any good resume—and the bullet points you include play a major role in how potential employers perceive you. But how many of these bullets are you supposed to include, anyway, and what are they supposed to cover? We'll guide you through some tips and tricks on how to format your bullet points so they catch an employer’s attention. Keep reading for the best advice on highlighting your skills on your resume along with tons of helpful examples.
Things You Should Know
- Put 3–6 bullet points for each job. Use more bullet points for your most recent positions and fewer for ones that are older.
- Start each bullet point with an engaging action word, such as “accomplished,” “developed,” “established,” or “secured.”
- Highlight achievements relevant to the job, like “Grew sales by 100% by starting new training program” or, “Served 25 customers an hour during peak business.”
- Organize your bullet points from the experience most relevant to the position you’re applying for to the least relevant.
Steps
Expert Q&A
- QuestionAre you supposed to put periods after bullet points in a resume?
Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MAKatherine Kirkinis is a Career Coach and Psychotherapist who has served as a career expert for Forbes, Medium, Best Life, and Working Mother Magazine, and as a diversity and inclusion expert for ATTN and Quartz. She specializes in working with issues of career, identity, and indecision. She has doctoral-level training in career counseling and career assessment and has worked with hundreds of clients to make career decisions through career assessments. She is pursuing a doctoral degree at The University of Albany, SUNY where her work focuses on diversity and inclusion, racism in the workplace, and racial identity. She is a published author and has been featured in academic journals as well as popular media outlets. Her research has been presented at 10+ national APA conferences since 2013.
Career Coach & PsychotherapistYou can, but you don't have to! Either way is fine—it really depends on personal preference. For instance, if you prefer a more open look, you could leave the periods off. - QuestionIs it okay to put achievements in your resume?Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MAKatherine Kirkinis is a Career Coach and Psychotherapist who has served as a career expert for Forbes, Medium, Best Life, and Working Mother Magazine, and as a diversity and inclusion expert for ATTN and Quartz. She specializes in working with issues of career, identity, and indecision. She has doctoral-level training in career counseling and career assessment and has worked with hundreds of clients to make career decisions through career assessments. She is pursuing a doctoral degree at The University of Albany, SUNY where her work focuses on diversity and inclusion, racism in the workplace, and racial identity. She is a published author and has been featured in academic journals as well as popular media outlets. Her research has been presented at 10+ national APA conferences since 2013.
Career Coach & PsychotherapistAbsolutely! In fact, focusing on your achievements is a great way to transition your resume in a different direction. Focus on the accomplishments that have to do with the job you want, and cut out anything that you don't want to do anymore.
Tips
- It doesn’t matter if your bullet points have periods at the end or not as long as you’re consistent throughout your entire resume.[14]Thanks
- Customize your resume specifically to the job you’re applying for rather than using the same one so you have a better chance at getting an interview.Thanks
- Try to keep your resume to 1 page since employers may not read more than that.Thanks
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about writing a good resume, check out our in-depth interview with Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA.
References
- ↑ https://www.cscc.edu/services/careers/pdf/Combination%20Resume.pdf
- ↑ https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php?id=44833
- ↑ https://thecampuscareercoach.com/ask-the-coach/should-i-use-paragraphs-or-bullet-points-on-my-resume
- ↑ https://carey.jhu.edu/uploads/documents/Resume_Power_Bullets.pdf
- ↑ https://www.marquette.edu/career-services/resources/resume-cover-letter-references-guide.php#WritingBulletedActionStatements
- ↑ https://careerdevelopment.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf1041/files/resume_guide_2020.pdf
- ↑ https://careerdevelopment.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf1041/files/resume_guide_2020.pdf
- ↑ https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2016/06/Resume-Guide-June-2016.pdf
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2016/05/improve-your-resume-by-turning-bullet-points-into-stories
- ↑ https://www.saintpaul.edu/studentservices/Documents/Create%20a%20resume%20in%206%20steps%20-%202017.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cscc.edu/services/careers/pdf/Combination%20Resume.pdf
- ↑ https://nursing.yale.edu/sites/default/files/ysn_resume_guide_draft_2.pdf
- ↑ https://careers.uiowa.edu/sites/careers.uiowa.edu/files/2022-02/EducationResumeGuide.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cmu.edu/career/documents/resources-by-college/scs/scs-resume-guide-2022.pdf
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