Résumé bullet points

WorksheetCommented REDLINE? This is your guide.

Redline your résumé bullets: the rewrite sheet

The first look at your résumé lasts about 7 seconds. Your titles earn the read. Your bullets win it.

Eye-tracking studies agree on two things. The first pass over a résumé takes seconds and goes mostly to job titles. And once a recruiter slows down, the longer they keep reading, the more likely the résumé moves on. Your bullets are what keep them reading. This sheet gives you a 3-part pattern, a list of weak openers and what to swap them for, a way to find numbers when you think you have none, and a fill-in worksheet.

By Preston KirschnerFounder, AI Career HubUpdated Oct 15, 2026

What's inside this worksheet

Eye-tracking research on how recruiters read
The verb + proof + how pattern
12 weak openers and what to write instead
What to use when you don't have a number
Fill-in rewrite sheet and an AI prompt
6 before-and-after examples

8 min read7 sources Skip to the checklist

Average initial screen of a résumé in Ladders' 2018 eye-tracking update, up from about 6 seconds in 2012.: 7.4 sec; Vendor study. The 2018 report doesn't say how many recruiters took part.; Ladders, Eye-Tracking Study, Nov 2018
Job titles got more of recruiters' time than any other part of the résumé.: #1; Ladders, Eye-Tracking Study, Nov 2018
Recruiters eye-tracked in a peer-reviewed study. The longer they looked at a résumé, the more likely they were to advance it.: 221; Computer-science résumés (2,043 analyzed). A correlation, not proof that longer reads cause offers.; Pina et al., Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction, Jun 28, 2023

In this guide

01THE DATA

Titles earn the read. Bullets win it.

Ladders, a job site, eye-tracked recruiters reading résumés in 2012 and again in 2018. In 2018 the average initial screen was 7.4 seconds, up from about 6 seconds in 2012 (Ladders, Nov 2018). On the best-performing résumés, recruiters "scanned the left side of the resume evenly, picking out titles", and job titles got more time than any other element.

That first pass is a sort, not a read. What happens next is where bullets matter. In a peer-reviewed study, researchers eye-tracked 221 recruiters reviewing computer-science résumés: "The longer a recruiter observed a resume, the more likely they were to move that resume to the next level" (Pina et al., Jun 2023). Time spent on the Experience section was one of the signals.

Ladders found the same thing on page two: an engaged recruiter will read a second page, but time there is "strongly predicted by how compelling the first page is" (Ladders, Nov 2018). The layouts that did best were "bold job titles supported by bulleted lists of accomplishments".

So the job splits in two. Clear titles get you past the scan (there's a fix for those at the end). Strong bullets turn the scan into a read. The rest of this sheet is about the bullets. The pattern, swaps and worksheet below are our recommendations, not study findings.

02THE PATTERN

Every strong bullet has 3 parts: verb, proof, how

A weak bullet describes the job you were given. A strong one describes what changed because you were there. Here's the pattern we use: four rules of thumb, then one bullet built piece by piece.

Lead with the verb. In web-reading eye-tracking research, people "read the third word on a line much less often than the first two words" (Nielsen Norman Group, Apr 2006). That's about web pages, not résumés, but it's a good reason not to spend your first two words on "Responsible for".
One idea per bullet. If you need "and" twice, it's two bullets.
Two lines, max. If it wraps to a third, cut the how down to its most specific part.
Keep the order. Verb first, then proof, then how. Some people put the number first ("Cut reply time 67% by…"). That works too. Just don't bury it at the end of a long sentence.

Built from: "Responsible for managing the company's social media accounts."

1. The verb

The question it answers: What did you do? (Not what were you assigned.)
In the example: Grew the company's Instagram

2. The proof

The question it answers: What changed, and by how much?
In the example: from 2K to 11K followers in 8 months

3. The how

The question it answers: How did you do it? This is what shows it was you and not luck.
In the example: with a weekly how-to series

Part	The question it answers	In the example
1. The verb	What did you do? (Not what were you assigned.)	Grew the company's Instagram
2. The proof	What changed, and by how much?	from 2K to 11K followers in 8 months
3. The how	How did you do it? This is what shows it was you and not luck.	with a weekly how-to series

03THE SWAPS

12 weak openers and what to write instead

Most weak bullets start the same way. Search your résumé for these, strike them, and pick a replacement that's actually true of what you did.

Responsible for

Why it's weak: Describes the job ad, not your work
Try instead: Ran, Owned, Grew, Managed (then say how much)

Helped with / Assisted

Why it's weak: Hides your part
Try instead: Name your piece: Built, Drafted, Analyzed, Tested

Worked on

Why it's weak: Says nothing about the outcome
Try instead: Shipped, Launched, Delivered, Finished

Participated in / Involved in

Why it's weak: You were in the room. So was everyone else.
Try instead: Presented, Led the [X] workstream, Wrote the [Y]

Handled

Why it's weak: Vague about volume and result
Try instead: Resolved, Processed, Closed (plus how many)

Duties included

Why it's weak: A list of tasks, not results
Try instead: Delete it. Start each bullet with a verb.

Tasked with

Why it's weak: Says what you were asked, not what you did
Try instead: Say what you did with the task

Supported

Why it's weak: Who? With what?
Try instead: Trained, Coached, Unblocked, Covered (name who)

Used [tool]

Why it's weak: The tool isn't the achievement
Try instead: Built [thing] with [tool]; Automated [task] in [tool]

Familiar with / Exposure to

Why it's weak: Signals you haven't really done it
Try instead: Move it to Skills, or show one thing you made

Various / Multiple / Several

Why it's weak: A number you didn't count
Try instead: Count it: 14 clients, 3 launches, 6 teams

Successfully

Why it's weak: Results are assumed to be successes
Try instead: Cut the word and keep the result

If your bullet starts with	Why it's weak	Try instead
Responsible for	Describes the job ad, not your work	Ran, Owned, Grew, Managed (then say how much)
Helped with / Assisted	Hides your part	Name your piece: Built, Drafted, Analyzed, Tested
Worked on	Says nothing about the outcome	Shipped, Launched, Delivered, Finished
Participated in / Involved in	You were in the room. So was everyone else.	Presented, Led the [X] workstream, Wrote the [Y]
Handled	Vague about volume and result	Resolved, Processed, Closed (plus how many)
Duties included	A list of tasks, not results	Delete it. Start each bullet with a verb.
Tasked with	Says what you were asked, not what you did	Say what you did with the task
Supported	Who? With what?	Trained, Coached, Unblocked, Covered (name who)
Used [tool]	The tool isn't the achievement	Built [thing] with [tool]; Automated [task] in [tool]
Familiar with / Exposure to	Signals you haven't really done it	Move it to Skills, or show one thing you made
Various / Multiple / Several	A number you didn't count	Count it: 14 clients, 3 launches, 6 teams
Successfully	Results are assumed to be successes	Cut the word and keep the result

04NO NUMBER?

No metric? Use scale instead

Not every job has a dashboard. You still have scale. Any one of these makes a bullet concrete. Pick the one that's most impressive for the role you want.

Volume

Ask yourself: How many?
Example: Answered 60+ customer tickets a day

Frequency

Ask yourself: How often?
Example: Ran the weekly release for a 12-person team

Reach

Ask yourself: For whom, and how many people?
Example: Trained 40 new hires on the intake process

Speed

Ask yourself: How fast, or how much faster than before?
Example: Cut report turnaround from 3 days to same-day

Quality

Ask yourself: Fewer errors, better ratings, less rework?
Example: Zero missed deadlines across 9 client launches

Firsts

Ask yourself: Were you the first or only one to do it?
Example: First on the team to automate the monthly audit

Choice

Ask yourself: Were you picked for it?
Example: Chosen to lead onboarding for the new office

Kind of scale	Ask yourself	Example
Volume	How many?	Answered 60+ customer tickets a day
Frequency	How often?	Ran the weekly release for a 12-person team
Reach	For whom, and how many people?	Trained 40 new hires on the intake process
Speed	How fast, or how much faster than before?	Cut report turnaround from 3 days to same-day
Quality	Fewer errors, better ratings, less rework?	Zero missed deadlines across 9 client launches
Firsts	Were you the first or only one to do it?	First on the team to automate the monthly audit
Choice	Were you picked for it?	Chosen to lead onboarding for the new office

05THE WORKSHEET

Redline 3 bullets in 20 minutes

Start with the 3 bullets under your most recent job title. Those get read first once a recruiter slows down. Copy the sheet, fill one in per bullet, then paste the rewrites back into your résumé.

Copy your original bullet into the sheet.
Strike the opener if it's on the swap list above.
Answer the 3 questions. Skip the wording for now. Just get the facts down.
Write the rewrite: verb, then proof, then how.
Run the 4 checks. If one fails, fix that part only.
Read it out loud. If it sounds like a job ad, go back to step 3.

Bullet rewrite sheet

Original bullet:
[paste it here]

1. The verb: what did I actually do?
[ ]

2. The proof: what changed, and by how much?
(no number? volume, frequency, reach, speed, quality, firsts, choice)
[ ]

3. The how: how did I do it?
[ ]

Rewrite (verb + proof + how):
[ ]

Checks:
[ ] Starts with a strong verb, not "Responsible for" or "Helped with"
[ ] Has a number or a clear scale
[ ] Says how, so it's clearly my work
[ ] Fits in 2 lines

One-line formula

[Verb] [what you owned] [proof: number or scale] by/with [how].

Example: Built a prompt library for support replies that cut first-response time from 6 hours to 2.

The example is illustrative, not a real person's résumé.

AI prompt: let a chatbot interview you (it won't invent numbers)

I'm rewriting one bullet on my résumé. Here it is:
"[paste your bullet]"

The role I'm applying for: [job title, and paste 3–5 key lines from the job post]

Interview me to find the facts, one question at a time:
1. What exactly did I do (my part, not my team's)?
2. What changed because of it? If I don't know a number, help me find a scale: volume, frequency, reach, speed, quality, firsts.
3. How did I do it?

Rules:
- Never invent or guess a number. Only use facts I give you.
- When you have enough, write 3 versions of the bullet: verb first, then proof, then how. Each under 2 lines.
- Tell me which version fits the job post best, and why.

Works in any chat assistant. The "never invent a number" rule matters: every figure on your résumé is something you may be asked to explain.

06EXAMPLES

Before and after, across different jobs

These rewrites are illustrative, not real people's résumés. The numbers show the shape of a good bullet. Use your own.

Responsible for managing the company's social media accounts.

After: Grew the company's Instagram from 2K to 11K followers in 8 months with a weekly how-to series.
What changed: Duty → result

Helped with the migration to a new CRM system.

After: Led data cleanup for a 40K-contact CRM migration. Launched on schedule with zero lost records.
What changed: Helped → owned

Used ChatGPT to improve team productivity.

After: Built a ChatGPT prompt library for support replies. Cut reply time from 6 hours to 2.
What changed: Vague → specific

Worked on the data pipeline for analytics.

After: Rebuilt the nightly analytics pipeline in Airflow, so dashboards refreshed by 7am instead of noon.
What changed: Worked on → shipped, with a before and after

Handled scheduling for the clinic.

After: Scheduled 120+ patient visits a week across 4 providers, and cut same-day gaps by moving reminders to text.
What changed: Handled → volume plus how

Participated in hiring for the team.

After: Interviewed 30+ candidates and wrote the take-home exercise now used for every analyst hire.
What changed: Participated → owned a piece

Before	After	What changed
Responsible for managing the company's social media accounts.	Grew the company's Instagram from 2K to 11K followers in 8 months with a weekly how-to series.	Duty → result
Helped with the migration to a new CRM system.	Led data cleanup for a 40K-contact CRM migration. Launched on schedule with zero lost records.	Helped → owned
Used ChatGPT to improve team productivity.	Built a ChatGPT prompt library for support replies. Cut reply time from 6 hours to 2.	Vague → specific
Worked on the data pipeline for analytics.	Rebuilt the nightly analytics pipeline in Airflow, so dashboards refreshed by 7am instead of noon.	Worked on → shipped, with a before and after
Handled scheduling for the clinic.	Scheduled 120+ patient visits a week across 4 providers, and cut same-day gaps by moving reminders to text.	Handled → volume plus how
Participated in hiring for the team.	Interviewed 30+ candidates and wrote the take-home exercise now used for every analyst hire.	Participated → owned a piece

07BONUS

Then make sure your titles get you past the scan

Bullets only get read if the first pass goes well. In Ladders' 2018 study, the worst-performing résumés had a "cluttered look and feel": long sentences, multiple columns, very little white space, and few section or job headers to pull the eye down the page.

Put each job title on its own line, in bold, on the left. That's where recruiters' eyes go first.
Use one column. Save sidebars for a portfolio site.
Keep clear section headers: Experience, Projects, Education, Skills.
Under each title, put your strongest bullet first.
If your official title was vague, add a plain description in the same line: "Associate II (Data Analyst)". Keep the real title so a background check matches.

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