Are you putting together your resume, but finding it's not really hitting the mark? Recruiters and potential employers sift through large volumes of resumes at a time, so it is important to stand out - and to stand out quickly. One of the key ways to catch their eye is to use bullet points to highlight key areas, including your key achievements, so the points you are trying to get across can be easily identified at a glance, with minimal effort.
When should you use bullet points?
Bullet points can be used to effectively demonstrate the duties that you performed in each of your roles, and to highlight key achievements. When writing your resume, these should be included under the basic information relating to each role (job tile, the company you worked for, the duration of the role etc.), and need to be written with impact to give the right impression.
Use action verbs
Start each bullet point with an action verb, to increase the impact of each sentence. Examples of action verbs include accomplished, supervised, managed, initiated, designed, created etc. Using action verbs to start each sentence will help give each task meaning, and linking it to an achievement where possible is an added bonus. You can also use these types of words in your summary to increase impact.
Use company values
A good way to show that you are aligned to the company that you are applying to is to look at their company values, and try to weave these into your messaging. For example, if a company talks a lot about the importance of collaboration, try to add this keyword to a couple of your bullet points to show that you are aligned to the organisation you are looking to work for.
Begin with the most impressive point first
Make sure you order your bullet points to include the most impressive first. Recruiters and prospective employers are time poor, so you have to write your resume under the proviso that they may only skim through the first few points under each role.
Include skill keywords
Recruiters and potential employers will be scanning your CV for various skills that are related to the role you are applying for. Make sure that you take a detailed look at the job description, and include skills that are flagged as important in your bullets. This will enable employers and recruiters to easily see how you will be fit for the role.
Include examples to back up what you are saying
Lastly, to add more power to your bullet points, add examples of where you have delivered. For example, you can talk about the dollar value of specific projects you have managed and the impact that you had on the project, or give examples of where you achieved 110% of your targets. Providing evidence to back up what you talk about shows that you can deliver on what you say.
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