Resume And Cv Guide (Page 13 of 67) in pdf

Resume And Cv Guide Page 13

Creating Effective Bullet Points

What are bullet statements?

How you describe your work experience is critical to your ability to market yourself effectively and

obtain an interview. Beginning with action verbs, the bullet statement format is often the best way to

demonstrate skills based on your experience in a job. Even though your work experience may not

be related to the kind of job you want, you still have relevant, transferable skills that can be applied

to almost any job. While industry knowledge is important, demonstrating your skills is absolutely

essential for an employer to assess your ability to perform in a specific position.

How do I write a bullet statement?

Think about what you did most of the time in your job. What was most significant? What resulted in

a positive outcome? How did you stand out on the job? What did you learn or accomplish?

Consider how you developed and used common transferable skills: communication, time

management, multi-tasking, leadership, analytical ability, problem-solving, negotiation, working in a

fast-paced environment.

Bullet statements should begin with an action verb. Please see page 14 of this packet for sample

action verbs. If you are no longer working in a position, use a past tense verb. If you are presently

working in a position, you may choose either present or past tense. Some experts suggest using

past tense verbs for all bullet statements for consistency and to eliminate the possibility that you

may forget to go back and change the tense when you end employment. You do not need to use

punctuations such as periods when making bullet statements. This frees you up to include all kinds

of information in a short format, as opposed to full sentences and paragraphs, which take up space.

The following are examples of poorly written bullet statements that have been revised to be

more effective:

Poor:



Inventory duties

Revised:



Receive, store, and inventory pharmaceutical supplies and medications, and notify

pharmacist when inventory levels are low

Poor:



Guard duties

Revised:



Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to

guard against theft and maintain security of premises

Poor:



Greet customers

Revised:



Greet persons entering establishment, determine nature and purpose of visit, and direct

them to specific destinations

Resume And Cv Guide Page 13

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