The Modern Resume Content and Writing

The Art of the Bullet Point: How to Write Concise, Powerful Statements

Toss out the old way of writing your resume. Learn to start every point with the big win you achieved (like money saved or earned) to instantly impress bosses.

Focus and Planning

Key Things to Remember for Great Bullet Points

1 Put the Result First

Start with the biggest achievement or the final number before you explain what you did to get there.

2 Keep It to One Line

Make sure every point fits on a single line so a busy reader can see your main point right away.

3 Start with a Strong Verb

Begin every bullet point with an action word to show you owned the work and cut out unnecessary words.

4 Remove Unneeded Words

Get rid of extra descriptions and details that don't clearly show your main goal or final number.

Updating Your Resume: From a To-Do List to Proof of Success

Stop using your resume like a list of daily tasks. Most people waste space on their resume by just listing what they were supposed to do. They use weak phrases like “Was in charge of,” “Helped with,” or “Had to do.” This is a beginner mistake: you are writing down history instead of selling what you actually achieved. When you sound like just another employee doing their job, you will be treated—and paid—like one.

At the top levels of business, what you were responsible for doesn't matter; only how much money you made, time you saved, or losses you prevented matters. Every line on your resume must prove why you deserve your pay. If you don't show the value with numbers, you are hurting your chances and signaling that you don't understand how business works. You are hurting your career growth by making people guess how good you are instead of proving it.

The problem is that hiring managers only look at your resume for about six seconds before they get tired of reading. If they have to stop and figure out the business value of your tasks, you have already lost. To fix this, you need to use the "Result-First Flip." The very best earners never start by saying what they did; they start with the positive change they created. By leading with the "Change"—the exact result you caused—you grab their attention right away and show that you are an investment, not just another expense.

The Three Steps to Change Your Resume

1
Check Your True Value
The Plan

Change how you think: from a list of duties to a record of value. Every bullet point must answer: "How was the company better off because I worked there?"

The Exercise

Take your old "duty" points and ask "So what?" three times. This forces you to find the real benefit (e.g., going from "Answered emails" to "Cut client waiting time by 40%").

What to Say

"I didn't just [Task]; I actually achieved [Amount of Money/Percentage] by [Action]."

What Recruiters See

We only spend six seconds at first glance. If your bullet starts with "Responsible for," we think you just showed up. We look for "Doers," not just people who were present. We want leaders.

2
Lead with the Big Win
The Plan

Put your success first to beat the reader's short attention span. By starting with the result (the money value), they see your worth even if they only read the first few words.

The Exercise

Rewrite every point with this order: [Result/What Happened] + [Action Word] + [What You Did/Context]. If you don't have a hard number, use a number about how often or how big (e.g., "handled 10 projects" or "done every week").

What to Say

"Made the department 22% better by building a new project tracking system for the top managers."

What Recruiters See

Big leaders think about saving resources. When you start with the result, you show you speak their language. You make it easy for us to feel like hiring you is a smart financial move.

3
Cut Out Everything Unnecessary
The Plan

Remove any word that doesn't prove your point. Resumes that are too long fail because the reader has to work hard to understand what you did. If they work too hard, they move on.

The Exercise

Read your bullet point to a friend. If it could also describe your coworker or someone else, it's too vague. Add a specific tool, a specific dollar amount, or a clear comparison of before and after to make it yours alone.

What to Say

"Saved $15,000 each month by talking to vendors to get better prices and getting rid of software we didn't need."

What Recruiters See

If your bullet point sounds like it could be anyone's, you look like an employee who can be easily replaced. We need to see your specific "Change." Being specific is the only way to stand out when many people have the same job title.

Common Questions: Making Your Impact Clear

Isn't leading with results too pushy or arrogant?

Being humble is good in life, but bad on a resume. You aren't writing a casual note; you are making a business argument for a high salary. If you hide your success at the end of a long sentence, you are making the recruiter do extra work to see your value. They won't bother. Successful people talk about results because results are the only real proof in business. If you are worried about sounding too bold, you are choosing to be ignored over being noticed. Pick one.

What if I don't have exact numbers or money figures?

Saying "I don't have numbers" shows you weren't thinking about results. Every job exists to fix a problem. If you didn't make money, you either saved time or lowered risk. Stop looking for dollar signs and start looking for the "Change" you created.

  • Time: If a task took three days and you made it take one? That’s a 66% speed increase.
  • How Often: If you made a system with zero mistakes? That’s 100% accuracy.
  • Size: If you handled 50 clients instead of 30? That’s 60% more work handled.

If you can't find a way to measure your work, you aren't seen as helpful; you are seen as a cost. Find the number, or find a new way to describe what you did.

Will recruiters think I'm taking too much credit if it was a team effort?

Recruiters hire individuals, not teams. If your team saved $1M, don't say "Helped the team." Say: "Saved $1M by [Your Specific Part] while working with a group of experts." Use strong words like Led, Built, or Completed. If you are too afraid to claim your part of the win, you are telling the hiring manager you don't take charge. In companies, people who don't take charge are often the first ones cut when things get tight. Own what you did, or someone else will.

Take Back Control of Your Career Story

Stop acting like an employee who only follows orders by listing your duties. When you lead with results, you make the "Expert Switch," changing how people see you from a replaceable applicant to a valuable business partner. Companies want to hire experts who prove their worth with clear results, not people they have to constantly manage. By ditching the "duty list," you show you are an investment, not a constant expense.

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