Writing Achievement-Focused Resume Bullet Points

I've been writing resumes for over 15 years. A long time. After all these years, there is still one widespread mistake I see in these files that is easy to fix: Heavy emphasis on day-to-day tasks with minimal results. If you want your resume to stand out and be noticed, it must share value. Value is best demonstrated through results. Fill your resume with specifics, metrics, and personal initiatives, and aim to create results-rich resume statements like the samples below. Examples of helping a business do things faster, better, or smarter: 🔹 Lowered customer complaints 60% by launching a formal feedback system. 🔹 Improved product delivery time 23% after assigning clarified monthly job tasks to the entire team. Examples of making money, saving money, or increasing efficiency: 🔹 Grew revenue 44% and improved gross margin 25% in 1 year by standardizing business operating procedures. 🔹 Produced $2.5M in cost savings after renegotiating all supply and service contracts. Examples of personal success: 🔹 Built sustainable technical sales organizations from the ground up within 3 global organizations. 🔹 Generated over $4M in new revenue after identifying, pursuing, and securing 2 new international client contracts. The above statements can be further detailed for more significant impact with added context, but hopefully, you get the idea: * Focus heavily on results, not tasks. * Share metrics and measurements. * Be specific, not vague. * Focus on details unique to you that align with the target audience's requirements. If you don't think you have any results, check out the comments for a link to a free guide to help you better identify and track your achievements. Every person has done something well in their work, and these things can be measured more often than not. The key is to start identifying them and writing them down!

I’ve been interviewing candidates for a new role and there’s one thing I’ve seen 90% of them struggle with: sharing the story of their career achievements. But don’t worry—I’ve got a simple hack that can help you overcome it: ✏️ Create a monthly ritual to review and document every significant work win, and turn each into a mini-case study. Documenting your wins regularly will save you HOURS when you prep for your next interview—plus it’s great fodder for: ⤷ your annual performance review ⤷ your 1x1s with your manager ⤷ your resume Here’s my 3-step process: 1️⃣ Weekly Check-in: Turn work ➡️ wins ⤷ Start a weekly habit of documenting your wins (grab my free template in the comments). ⤷ Block 30 minutes on your calendar every Friday to hold yourself accountable. ⤷ Ask yourself, “What did I accomplish this week that moved the needle?”   2️⃣ Monthly Recap: Turn wins ➡️ headlines ⤷ Identify 1–2 significant achievements and summarize them using this formula: [Action Verb] + [Specific Metric] + [Timeframe] + [Business Impact] ⤷ Make a bullet-point list (so you can stay organized and repurpose it for your resume later!) ⤷ Include dates and timelines for your own records—you’ll use them in step 3.   3️⃣ Quarterly Story-Building: Headlines ➡️ stories ⤷ Identify your top 3 quarterly wins. ⤷ Start a fresh document and map out each of those wins using the STAR method: ️ ⭐ Situation: What was the context? ️⭐ Task: What was your specific responsibility? ⭐ Action: What steps did you take? ⭐ Result: What measurable outcome did you achieve? ⤷ Ask AI to help you share that information as a story. Here’s the prompt I like to use: ✍ Can you help me turn this achievement into a story using the STAR framework for an upcoming interview for a [title here] role? Please keep it concise. [paste win]   Here’s what this looks like in action 👇 ⤷ Weekly win: March ’23 → Decreased CPA by 28% & increased conversion by 15% ⤷ Monthly recap: Optimized paid search campaigns in March 2023 that decreased CPA by 28% while increasing conversions by 15%, resulting in higher profit margins for the company. ⤷ Quarterly story: When I joined the marketing team in January 2023, our paid search campaigns were generating leads but at a high CPA, with budget constraints approaching in Q2.I was tasked with reducing CPA without sacrificing lead volume. In March 2023, I audited our campaigns and implemented three key changes: restructured ad groups with tightly-themed keywords, refined match types with strategic negative keywords, and A/B tested value-focused ad copy. By month-end, these optimizations decreased cost-per-acquisition by 28% while increasing conversion volume by 15%, saving budget and creating a scalable framework for future campaigns. What are your tips for storytelling in your interviews? I’d love to hear them. 

I have been writing, reading, and reviewing resumes for nine years. Here are some best practices for 2025: ✅ A resume's job is to get you an interview. It's a marketing document, not a detailed career history. You don't need deep details about all of your tasks and responsibilities for all of your roles. Just stick to the highlights that are relevant to the jobs that interest you. 👏 The keyword here is RELEVANT. If it's relevant to the jobs you're applying for, keep it. If it's not relevant, remove it. 👏 ✅ A resume can be more than one page. Two pages are fine. A recruiter would rather see two pages that have lots of white space, 11-point font, and room for the eye to breathe. This is better than trying to cram everything dense into one page with a 9-point font. ✅ Keep the format simple. Avoid graphics or charts. Keep it all in one column (not two). No fancy fonts, stick to the basics. Keep the sections simple and easy to identify. We just want to make this easy to scan. ✅ City and State, not your full address. Don't list your full address on the resume. This protects your privacy and avoids potential bias. Just list your closest city and state. If you live far from a city, you can say, "[city name] metro area." I also recommend creating an email just for your job search and putting that on your resume to protect your privacy. ✅ Lead with the result. Resume bullet points typically go "Did X to achieve Y which resulted in Z." I flip that: "Got results Z by doing X in order to achieve Y." "I got these results by doing this action in order to achieve this goal." Even better if the "results" have metrics attached: "Reduced production time by 20% in six months by implementing new scheduling software for 50 employees that improved cross-functional collaboration." Why lead with the result? This market is very competitive, and you have to stand out from a sea of applicants. Leading with results, outcomes, and achievements helps you do that. It's the difference between show vs. tell. You can TELL me you're good at something (that's boring and generic), or you can SHOW me by sharing bullet points about your results, metrics, and outcomes (that's specific and intriguing). Plus, numbers and results help illustrate your impact. I'm rooting for you. 👊 ♻ Please repost if you think this advice will help others. ***** Hi, have we met? I'm Emily and I'm on a mission to get the #GreenBannerGang back to work, one actionable step at a time. #jobsearch #jobhunt #jobseekers

Most people read job descriptions looking for reasons they're NOT qualified. 🔄 What if you flipped that? Here's a simple exercise that changed how I think about my experience—and it'll transform how you see yours too.  Take any job description. Any one. Now add a question mark to every bullet point. 'Manage cross-functional teams to deliver projects on time' becomes 'Have I managed cross-functional teams to deliver projects on time?' 'Analyze data to drive strategic decisions' becomes   'Have I analyzed data to drive strategic decisions?' Suddenly, you're not reading requirements—you're taking inventory of your skills. Here's where it gets powerful: For every 'yes,' you write 2-3 bullets about HOW you did it. Then add those bullets to your master resume. 📝 Example in action: Job says: 'Develop and execute email marketing campaigns?' Your brain: 'Wait... I created that welcome series for new users. And that re-engagement campaign. And I A/B tested subject lines...' Your master resume gets: • Developed 5-email welcome series driving 35% activation rate • Executed re-engagement campaign recovering 500+ dormant users • A/B tested subject lines, improving open rates by 22% See what happened? You just discovered three achievements you forgot you had. 🎯 Why This Works: 1️⃣ It triggers memory through specific prompts 2️⃣ It builds confidence (you've done more than you think) 3️⃣ It creates a searchable achievement database 4️⃣ It makes tailoring resumes FAST Most people wait until they're desperately applying to realize they don't have bullets ready. But imagine having 50+ achievement bullets in your back pocket, organized and ready to deploy. That's the power of a master resume. 💪 The Strategy: 📊 Spend 30 minutes this week: • Pick 3 job descriptions in your field • Add question marks to every requirement • Answer honestly • Write bullets for every 'yes' • Add to your master resume Do this regularly, and you'll never scramble for resume content again. Bonus: You'll spot skill gaps early and can address them BEFORE you need that dream job. Here's the mindset shift— Job descriptions aren't tests you might fail. They're mirrors reflecting skills you already have. You just need to look. 👀 Stop reading job descriptions as rejection letters waiting to happen. Start reading them as discovery tools for the experience you've already earned. Your next resume bullet is hiding in a job description right now. Go find it. #ResumeTips #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #ResumeWriting #JobDescriptions #CareerDevelopment #MasterResume Build your master resume with all your achievements in one place using Teal's Resume Builder → https://lnkd.in/gJSNk4FN ♻️ Reshare to help someone make their next job move. 🔔 Follow me for more job search & resume tips.

Most geoscientists have a resume. But if you don't have a 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦, you'll struggle to remember your own greatness when it’s time to update it. This is not a resume you send out with applications or to recruiters - it's your internal career database, your personal archive of everything you've accomplished. Building one also helps you spot trends - those subtle shifts in your skills, interests and impact that show how your career has evolved. Once you open your eyes to these, you can start asking yourself what these shifts mean for your future direction. Here's what I recommend to my clients: 1️⃣ Set a timer for 25 minutes and 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀. Don’t format - just write. Work backward through your career. Go back as far as you can - even if you won’t use that lab tech experience from 25 years ago on a resume today, it’s still valuable to acknowledge. 2️⃣ Grab your 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 and spend another focused session filling in what you missed. Repeat these sessions until you’ve captured your full career story. 3️⃣ Review what you’ve written and format it as 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀. Move from narrative to resume-style bullet points. Example: “Reduced plume-area uncertainty by 40% by modeling contaminant transport using MODFLOW.” 4️⃣ Reframe your bullet points for impact using three lenses - 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, and 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹. Ask: 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳? - 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹: What did I do to address the challenge?   - 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: What was the driver and value created?   - 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹: How did I demonstrate things like teamwork, communication, or leadership? At this point, you have your master database of experiences and accomplishments. If you are ever in another job search, you have a great resource from which to pull resume content. A 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 is more than a document - it’s a record of a career well lived. As you read it, take a moment for introspection: What have you learned? What insights have you gained? How have you changed? Do you have a 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦? If not, start building one this week - your future self will thank you.

As a recruiter, I've reviewed thousands of resumes. If you're struggling to land interviews, you need to use the 𝗫𝗬𝗭 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 format: Context: recruiters spend less than 10 seconds reading your resume. If your resume doesn't clearly showcase your skills, you won't get the attention of recruiters. The XYZ resume format is the most effective way I've found to write the bullet points on your resume. 👇 Here's how to implement it: XYZ stands for: "Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]" So instead of saying "Increased sales revenue," you'd write: "Increased sales revenue (X) by 30% over 6 months (Y) by implementing a new CRM system and streamlining sales processes (Z)." Here's why it works: ↳ It states your achievements (X). ↳ It quantifies your results (Y). ↳ It explains your specific actions (Z). I've been recommending this format for years – if you're looking for a job please feel free to use it! - 💡Want to learn more of the recruiting hacks I learned over 4+ years as a recruiter? Follow me Timothy for weekly recruiting tips.

Your achievements didn’t disappear — you just need to dig them out. I’ll show you how. Don't let your achievements fade from memory!  Here's how to reconstruct your professional contributions after moving on. When approaching this challenge, I recommend focusing on time, resources, and scope. 1. Recalculate Using Time-Based Patterns Work backward using your routine responsibilities and time frames. Example:  "Knowing I reviewed ~50 high-risk cases daily in a 260-day work year = approximately 13,000 reviews annually, preventing potentially harmful content from reaching millions of users." 2️⃣ Leverage Past Performance Reviews Even partial memories of performance discussions provide valuable data points. Example:  "My manager consistently noted I exceeded quality targets by 10-15% — a specific range I could reference even without the exact documents." 3️⃣ Connect With Former Colleagues Strategically Reach out with specific questions rather than vague requests. Example: "Instead of asking 'What was my impact?', I asked my former team lead: 'Do you recall if our policy update reduced escalations closer to 30% or 40%?' This jogged his memory of the exact 36% reduction." 4️⃣ Translate Qualitative Wins to Quantitative Estimates For process improvements or qualitative achievements, estimate reasonable impact. Example: "After implementing my training program, team onboarding time decreased from approximately 4 weeks to 3 weeks — a 25% efficiency gain affecting 20+ new hires annually." 5️⃣ Research Industry Benchmarks Can't remember your numbers? Look up industry averages.  If a typical agent resolves 150 tickets/week and you consistently performed above that threshold, highlight this comparison.  Pro Tip:  When exact figures aren't available, use conservative ranges and qualifiers like "approximately," "over," or "more than" to maintain credibility while still showcasing your impact. Remember to structure your accomplishments using this framework:  • Problem you solved  • Tools/methods used  • Quantifiable before/after results  • Key lessons learned This approach not only strengthens your resume but also prepares you for interview discussions. I help people to land more interviews with resume review and interview. Need help? Let's chat

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 Of the thousands of resumes I've critiqued, one mistake stands out among many of them: candidates often neglect their resumes where it matters the most. They write bland action statements for their most recent positions, whereas for older roles, they provide solid accomplishment statements. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟬 𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. To employers, recent accomplishments indicate your ability to achieve similar results going forward, especially if those accomplishments are relevant and consistent. Case in point: I was sitting with a client yesterday, reviewing her #resume, and said to her, "You see, ten years ago, where you have actions followed by quantified results? You need to do the same for your more recent jobs. "Here’s what I’m talking about. For your job 10 years ago, you wrote: 'Revolutionized the Provider-Patient Portal projects by integrating industry-leading compliance standards; achieved a 20% increase in user proficiency.' You need to highlight similar accomplishments for your most recent job." I continued, "In this bullet point under your most recent job, you wrote: 'Developed and implemented change management strategies for digital transformation initiatives.' What was the impact on the company?" A look of confusion appeared on my client's face. "Were the strategies you implemented successful?" "Yes." "How do you know? Did they improve processes? Save time? In what ways did they benefit the company?" Confusion shifted to understanding. She replied, "The result was that more staff used the digital tool, which led to greater efficiency and saved time."   "So, you could write: 'Developed and implemented change management strategies for digital transformation initiatives, resulting in increased staff adoption of digital tools, improved efficiency, and time savings.' Do you know how much time was saved?" "I'm not sure, but I can figure it out. So you're saying I need to update my five other bullet points like this?" "You don't have to," I teased, "but it will increase the number of interviews you get." "I've got some work to do." Don't we all? #ResumeTips #JobSearch #LinkedInUnleashed

After reshaping 200+ PM resumes, I’m finally checking my work against the Internet’s wisdom (and the results are surprising)! Here are the top 6 pieces of advice for improving your resume, gathered from multiple sources across the web. This is all great advice! (And aligns with my approach.) But the list leaves out the MOST important tip, which I'll share at the end. (Oh, and point #5 is not totally wrong, but it's misleading and tends to lead to BAD resumes.) 1. Start with a Strong Summary – Your resume should open with a brief, compelling summary that highlights your key skills and qualifications. This helps grab the hiring manager’s attention right away. And entices them to read more. 2. Use Action Verbs – Start each bullet point with strong action verbs like "developed," "led," or "implemented" to make your achievements stand out and show proactivity. 3. Tailor Your Resume to the Job – Customize your resume for each position you apply to by a) making it clear that you *are* the role they are looking for, and b) if necessary adding keywords from the job description into your Skills section. The keywords help pass applicant tracking systems (ATS) and reassure HR recruiters that you're qualified. (Note: The Internet doesn't know this, but the hiring manager doesn't care much about keywords.) 4. Focus on Achievements, Not Responsibilities – Don’t just list what you were responsible for. Instead, emphasize what you accomplished in each role and how it benefited the company. (Good, but not enough - refer to point #7.) 5. Keep It Concise – Stick to one or two pages, focusing on the most relevant experience. Hiring managers typically spend only a few seconds scanning a resume, so brevity is key. --> (#5 is actually wrong. That five second scan is only focused on the first half page. *If* they like what they see, they'll spend a lot more time on your resume.) 6. Use a Clean Format – Stick to professional, easy-to-read fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Georgia. Avoid overly flashy design elements, like multiple columns, that could confuse ATS systems and readers! And no typos - usually instant disqualification! A pretty good set of tips, especially if you take them the right way (e.g., #5). What's missing? Something that relates to #4: 7. Show Your Impact - Achievements are often boring. But put your achievement in the context of a problem worth solving and a meaningful transformation, and suddenly it's not boring. ** Before: Saved the company over $1.2M by renegotiating with suppliers. ** After: Renegotiated supplier contracts, reversing rising supply chain costs and saving $1.2M (10%), while improving supplier relationships, enhancing product quality, and reducing time-to-market. --- Want some "Internet approved" help with your resume? I can make sure you apply all these tips, especially #7. Click the "Make your resume amazing!" link on my LinkedIn profile page to learn more.