While applying for the job along with your skills and abilities your resume plays a major role. It acts like your sword in the battle field.
However, if the sword is not well maintained and rusted it won’t have an impact that it is supposed to. Similarly, the presentation of your resume matters a lot.
The resumes which are presented best with proper numbering and bullet points are the once which catch attention among the bunch of 100-1000 resumes.
Writing Resume Bullet Points:
1. Begin with bullet points:
You got to divide your resume in different sections after writing your personal details. These sections could be – work experience, education, projects, skills and so on.
So, while you write about different sections ensure that you begin numbering them.
Numbering them segregates one from another section which helps in lifting up the resume from presentational point of view.
2. Proper spacing:
It is vital to have each of your bullet points spaced properly. Add double space between two bullet points. This will make the resume easier to understand.
Proper spacing catches the attention easier as compared to cluttered presentation.
3. Different bullet points and numbering:
Now just presenting the resume in bullet points is not at all enough. You got to understand the ways in which you can make your resume more appealing and readable.
There are different fonts for numbering and different designs of bullets. Ensure that you are carefully using them.
For instance –
- Work experience –
A Ltd.
B ltd. - Languages known –
English
French
Using only one type of bullet for main point as well as the sub point will only confuse the reader in every possible way.
4. Be Precise:
It’s great that you have started using bullet points however it is disappointing if you fail to understand the purpose.
The purpose of having bullet points is to cut the matter in short and readable forms which would include only the main points.
Ensure that the points that you are fitting in bullets are limited to two lines or maximum three other wise it will turn into a paragraph rather than a “point”.
5. Write the main point:
Bullets are known to be crispier, short and to the point. You must only put the key words or the main points in the bullets.
For instance, instead of putting your entire work experience in paragraphs explaining your duties, and achievements you can simply write like –
- A Ltd. – Sales manager – achieved hikes in sales by 50%
- B Ltd. – Senior sales manager – lead a team of 20 employees
Putting up your experience in such short phrases makes assign you easier for them in no time.
This type of presentation also gets registered in the mind as compared to the paragraph formatted one.
6. Keep them in proper intervals:
Assembling them properly is important as well. In each section avoid adding more than 4-5 bullet points.
It’s okay if any one or two of your sections receives 6-7 bullet points but avoid doing it for every section or sub sections. Remember, too many bullet points can clutter your entire presentation also.
7. Make a rough draft:
Before going for final resume preparation it is better to list down few important points that you want your company to know about you. This simple act of preparing a rough resume by highlighting your qualities using bullet points helps you in designing your resume.
Preparing rough draft has dual benefit, firstly it ensures you don’t miss out on any point and next you can make proper allocation of skills with use of bullet points.
8. Length of resume:
Your resume works as the proof of how you present yourself in front of your hiring manager. It is a document that markets your capabilities.
Thus it should not be lengthy or else your resume won’t be able to make it. On an average among hundreds of resume, each resume is scanned for 30-60secs.
It’s not a story that you go on writing endlessly, you need to present yourself in maximum two pages with help of bullet points to avoid cluttering it.
9. Use of inverted pyramid theory along with bullet points:
As mentioned in above points, there are no concrete rules to be followed while going for sequencing of sections or skills with help of bullet points, however to make your resume gain preference over others use inverted pyramid theory.
According to this theory, mention your important skills at the beginning that you think would prove beneficial for the company and likewise go on placing the less important things at end.
This ensures that in those 30-60 seconds, your employer has a look at your capabilities and achievements without missing them over less important things.
10. Framing:
Many people find it difficult in framing sentences using bullet points for their resume while rest may get confuse on which point to focus more.
Thus for this reason, as suggested in above points, write your achievements on a paper first and then once you get rough idea about sentence structure, modify those framed sentences and making use of bullet points to include them in your resume.
11. Use of periods:
Bullet point periods not compulsory to be included in your resume. But if you are interested to use them, it is of utmost importance that you use them properly.
Although many resumes don’t go for using of bullet point periods, there is no hard fast rule, at the end it is an individual’s choice whether to use it or no.
12. Uniformity of bullet points period:
Ensure that when you opt for using bullet point periods, you maintain the uniformity of using bullet point period throughout in your resume.
Generally after abbreviations or while including your degrees make use of bullet point periods, if you want. However be consistent with their usability to make your resume presentable.
13. Spell checker:
After making use of bullet points to showcase your skills precisely in resume, ensure that you run a spell check. Along with spell check also opt for grammar check to avoid any grammatical errors as it tarnishes credibility of your resume.
All periods, punctuation marks and commas should work to enhance your resume and reflect clear key message to your hiring manager.
14. Opt for hard facts with bullet points:
It’s advisable to avoid subjective descriptions about yourself in your resume. When resumes are filled with points like optimistic person or ability to work under pressure, these qualities are ignored by hiring managers as most of the times they are false or inaccurate.
Thus, make use of bullet points to highlight your accomplishments with facts or if possible give statistical facts.
This works in your favor as your resume exactly presents company with the data that they need the most.
15. Tense:
Giving out clear message is the key for any resume. When sentences are put up using bullet points, there are chances of hiring managers finding out mistakes or any confusion done in terms of using of tense of those sentences.
Thus to avoid confusion, when you are mentioning about your achievements or projects that are already accomplished use past tense and for the ones that you are currently working on, present tense needs to be used.
16. Length of each bullet point:
To define bullet point sentences, they are neither too vague nor top detailed. Maintaining the correct balance between vague and detailed ideas helps you to develop correct sentences.
Normally the length of bullet point sentence in a resume should not be more than one or one and half lines. Besides sentences in bullet points are never completed.
For example-
- My work resulted in 5% increase in company sales- Normal sentence.
- Raised company sales by 5%- Bullet point sentence.
17. Formatting:
Formatting of your resume in correct way is important. Making use of bullet points will help your resume to be precise but ensure that the bullet points of a particular section end on that page itself.
Avoid breaking the sentence in middle and continuing it on next page. Along with adjustments in bullet point placing don’t forget to convert your final resume into PDF format.
18. Double check your facts:
To help your resume to stand out among all, ensure that those hard facts you have mentioned are correct.
As bullet points are short sentences, they will be well-read by employers, somehow it’s better to mention approximately in brackets if you are not sure of facts or simply don’t mention them.
Thus to conclude, there will be end number of advices you will be getting while framing your resume with help of bullet points. Don’t go for following all the advices as that will only bring in more trouble.
Absorb helpful points from every advice and create your master resume, which would help you stand out among all.
Lastly, keep it simple, clear and precise as far as possible because being creative is good but not at the cost of drawing attention in negative way. Thus go ahead and exploit the bullet point’s tool at your disposal efficiently to get that job.
