Why Bullet Points Matter

You’ll probably spend more time reading this article than the average recruiter will spend reading your resume.

The majority of recruiters spend less than three minutes reviewing a resume, according to a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management.

That’s why resumes need good organization. A well-organized resume allows recruiters to quickly find what they’re looking for. Bullet points help organize information into nuggets and make resumes more manageable.

Bullet Points That Go ‘Bang’

While quite lengthy, this bullet point from the resume of an advertising industry veteran is still one of the best I’ve seen in years.

It makes sense that this bullet point comes from someone with a background in advertising; he does a fantastic job here of advertising himself.

I like this bullet because it clearly communicates that this person is capable of completing multiple projects in a high-stress environment; it seamlessly incorporates successes with the details of the job; and it has a perfect ending: The “on time and under budget” is icing on the cake.

Use Bullets Sparingly

Often people complain that they just can’t summarize their jobs with less than five bullet points.

But, when I came across this resume for a cytotechnologist, I couldn’t help but wonder: “If he can summarize his job in four bullet points, can’t you do the same?”

Year-Year Anonymous Medical Center Anytown, USA

Cytotechnologist/Histotechnologist

A cytotechnologist, by the way, studies human cells for signs of cancer or other diseases. And, this one seems to also be a good writer of resume bullet points.

Put Success Before the Rest

Prioritizing the order of your bullets is critical.

Why? It’s called “the primacy effect” — whatever people see first, they remember best. So for your resume to be truly memorable, your strongest qualifications and achievements should go in the top bullets.

Don’t bury your best as this job seeker did:

Department Store, Anytown, USA Sales Clerk, March — June, Year

The first thing I would do is move the award to the top of the list — it’s this candidate’s most impressive (and unique) achievement.

Then, I would work on the other bullets, focusing more on specific achievements than day-to-day responsibilities. “Assisted customers” is not terribly informative. A sentence on how the job seeker “boosted sales 10 percent” — or some other tangible example of success — would be better. v The final result: A stronger resume.

Department Store, Anytown, USA Sales Clerk, March — June, Year

Avoid Repetition

It can be hard to avoid repeating words in bullets, but consider what would happen if you didn’t:

The resume writer sampled above could have condensed these into one bullet:

Or used words other than “writing.”

If you’re having a hard time finding alternative words, use a thesaurus, but carefully. Never use words that you cannot define.