Bullet points are a common feature on most resumes. How can you effectively use bullet points to get information across on your resume?
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Making the most of the space on the page is crucial when writing a great resume. Because resumes should be limited to one page or less in most cases, formatting tools like bullet points are of the utmost importance. Bullet points allow job seekers to provide more information in less space and increase the readability of a resume. Here’s how you can use effective resume bullet points in your job search.
The skills section is one of the most common places to use bullet points in a resume because of the amount of information it needs to contain. Your skills section should contain all of the hard skills, soft skills, and technical skills that make you suitable for the job title you are applying for. Therefore, it is key that you use bullet points to ensure you can address all of the skills required by the job posting. This not only increases your chance of impressing a hiring manager but makes your resume more friendly to applicant tracking systems (ATS) that will scan your resume. Some skill section bullet point examples include:
These tips from professional resume writers will help you to use bullet points in a way that directly deals with the most important parts of a job description. Some of these resume writing tips can also be useful when creating a matching cover letter for your application.
Spend a few moments brainstorming the skills, qualifications and experiences that are most relevant to the job posting. A good resume bullet point should add unique value to the overall resume rather than repeating information or filling space.
When you list achievements, be specific and use numbers or precise metrics. For example, “Increased productivity by 20%” or “Won four awards for excellent customer service” rather than “increased productivity” or “won awards.”
Your first bullet point should contain the most relevant and impressive skill and achievement you have. Recruiters will see these bullet points first if you list them at the top of their respective sections and this could prompt them to read further.
Save space by using phrases rather than complete sentences. For example, “Achieved personal best of 230 sales in a month” rather than “I achieved a personal best of 230 sales in one month last year” Both statements provide clear information, but the first is more concise and compact.
Use action verbs to make your bullet points impactful. Passive language choices will not impress hiring managers, so say “managed” rather than “was responsible for” to take ownership of your career and achievements. To make it even easier to create a well-formatted, effective resume that uses bullet points effectively, use ResumeHelp’s resume builder.
Try to limit your bullet points to one or two lines at most. You can write longer bullet points in your work experience section if necessary, but remember that your resume should be one to two pages in length.
Most of the time, the number of bullet points is not important because they are an incredibly effective way to communicate lots of information to recruiters in a short resume. Just ensure that all of your bullet points contain relevant information.
There is no single answer to this. Some people say yes, while others say it’s not needed, especially if the bullet points are fragments. Whatever you choose to do, it is crucial that you are consistent. Don’t mix and match, as inconsistency can put hiring managers off.
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