Résumé Bullets: Factual Bragging

Your résumé is missing something that will transform it into one that gets the interviews you want. Résumé bullets will help you compete, because most people are doing this wrong … or rather they don’t know how to do it right.

(NOTE: This is for applications with private sector companies. Government applications are very different.)

Most of us—myself included—learned how to write résumé bullets by copying the style from job announcements, that is, simply writing down the tasks we did at each job. WRONG. This is only part of what you need to communicate. You need to highlight your “results” and “accomplishments.”

You want to know if you can do the job (a task breakdown, the job description). Employers want to know how you produce results. They want to know that you can:
• reduce their stress
• make their customers happy
• help them go home on time
• save money
• increase sales
That’s the bottom line. When you hear people talk about “results” or “accomplishment-based résumés,” this list is what they mean. So, how have you done some of these?

Numbers get attention!

Knowing what makes for a good “result” is important, but there is a second key element to writing interesting résumé bullets: numbers. Numbers provide detail. Detail gets the reader to imagine you doing these things. This makes you a real person within the imagination. The more real you seem, the better your odds of getting interview phone calls, because most of the applications will be glossed over.

Why else are numbers important? They make the eye stop and read. Have you heard that recruiters spend about 6 seconds looking at typical résumé? It’s because they are looking at 100 or 200 résumés that are just a bunch of black and white blah, blah, blah. They are not really reading the résumés at this point. Use lots of numbers, and they will actually read your résumé. Why? In a sea of black and white, digits stand out.

The formula for writing each résumé bullet is:

Bullet = Results + Task

A formula needs numbers! You will need to do some research with past coworkers and managers, records from past jobs, and your own memory. (Estimates are fine, as long as they are realistic.) Ask yourself these types of questions:
• How many orders did I fill?
o How frequently? (per 4-hour shift, per week, per month, etc.)
• How much were the orders worth? (typical amount or a range)
• How many customers did I work with?
o How frequently?
• How many people were on my team?
• How much did I help increase sales? (an amount or a percentage)
• How much money did I save for the business?
• How much time did I save?
o How frequently?

Here are some examples:
I had to spend about 3 hours twice a week transferring information from a database into a specific Excel spreadsheet. It was a pain, but it was necessary. We had 8 people installing new computers every day for almost 3 months who depended on this spreadsheet. A colleague of mine created an Excel macro to automatically move the database information into the spreadsheet. Here’s his résumé bullet for that accomplishment:
• Reduced workload by 6 hours per week for 10 weeks by writing an Excel macro that helped coordinate 8 people upgrading 1,200 computers

Here's one for working in fast food:
• Filled 800 orders per 8 hour shift, averaging 2 hamburgers or sandwiches and 2 orders of french fries per order

Here are a few military-oriented examples:
• Preserved 1,000+ star systems by destroying Imperial Death Star as part of 32-fighter attack force
• Saved Galactic Empire from certain doom by leading ground assault force of 9 AT-AT, 8 AT-AR, and 6 AT-PT walkers on Hoth, destroying the Rebel Alliance’s hidden base
• Repelled the evil of Saruman by leading 300 men and 200 elves against 10,000+ orcs and Uruk Hai during 12-hour battle at Helm’s Deep

As you can see, you may need to do a little research to get your numbers.

When you are done, your résumé should sound impressive. That’s the point. Besides, if you brag about yourself using facts, it’s not really bragging.