The Secret Formula for Writing Resume Bullet Points

The Level System

I wanted to provide a resume writing service that brought actual results. This meant that I had to understand what makes one bullet point better than another.

I had been a recruiter for 10 years, so I already “knew” what a great bullet point looked like, but I had to write the “formula” for it.

By analyzing and rewriting over 1,000 resumes, I came up with the Levels System.

It’s not only a clear way to assess each bullet point in a resume:
it's also a simple checklist to follow to write bullet points that convert.

I’ve tested the Levels System with hundreds of resumes, and the results speak for themselves.

How it Works

Each level (1-5) is a step at which you ask yourself a question.
These questions will help you uncover what you need to include.

The goal is to rewrite each of your bullet points to Level 5, which is the top 1% of resumes.

The more of these details you can add, the more Performance Signals you send recruiters, and the more reason there is for them to say "yes".

We’ll start with a basic sentence and improve the bullet point at each step. I’ll also explain the reason behind each step and give you a few Writing Rules you can apply easily.

Let's get started!

Level 1

The Question: "What did I work on?"

It's a rather simple question, but it might be trickier than you think.
After all, you need to decide what to write about. As a general rule of thumb, you should write about each of the individual duties present in your job description.

For this first step, you're simply listing one accomplishment, focusing on what was delivered.

Level 1 Example

The only information here is that we tested something and what that something was.

Writing Rules

• Don't use pronouns.
• Write everything in the past tense.
  Doing so isn't mandatory for your most recent job, but I'd still advise it:
  you want to focus the story on what you've already accomplished.

This level serves as a base. Stop here and your resume will be rejected, so let's get on with Level 2.

Level 2

The Question: "How did I do it?"

Now we're starting the real work. This question helps you focus on the specific tasks involved in your accomplishment.

Level 2 Example

In Level 1, the recruiter only had a vague idea of your "doing some testing". Now they know you've got experience with both unit and e2e testing.

Writing Rules

Include abbreviations in parentheses, for example "end-to-end (e2e)", for two reasons:

• (a) Recruiters tend to be less technical and may not understand abbreviations.
• (b) Both the full spelling and abbreviations could be used by recruiters to filter or search through resumes, so you don't want to miss any opportunity.

Level 3

The Question: "What tools did I use?"

This is an essential question, especially for technical roles where tools matter. Software engineers: show off the toolbox 🔨
It's time to give hiring managers and recruiters a clear idea of your skill set and tech stack.

This step has another purpose: it provides you with more opportunities for ATS keyword matching.

Level 3 Example

Writing Rules

Add all types of tools involved in the task, even if they are secondary. For example, add TypeScript & Node.js to provide a general sense of the environment and the programming language used to write the tests, even though the primary information is about Jest and Cypress.
This gives a hiring manager the full picture.

Level 4

The Question: "What method did I follow?"

It's now getting a bit trickier, but this is where you score extra points with recruiters.

This question will help you talk about your understanding of key methodologies, frameworks, theories, or processes involved in your delivery.

Doing this is important because your prospective employer is likely to employ such methodologies.
It's also worth noting that the key decision maker, the hiring manager, is most likely the one in charge of implementing and enforcing these frameworks. Show them that you care.

Level 4 Example

Writing Rules

You may feel like this doesn't apply, but that is usually not the case.
Even duties that feel straightforward and non-technical are based on some theory.
For example, if you are "selling stuff", you could mention "SPIN selling" or "consultative selling". If you're delivering presentations, you can talk about "storytelling techniques", and so on.

Level 5

The Question: "What was the result?"

Almost there! This is another crucial step which will differentiate you from most of your competition.

It does two things:

• It provides the reviewer with a clear idea of your actual impact.
• More importantly, it shows that you care about your impact, at least enough to measure and report it.

Level 5 Example

Writing Rules

• If you only use one metric, select the most important one. For example, some may argue that test coverage isn't the best metric to assess efficient testing.
• If you believe your metrics are not "strong" enough, add them anyway. Hiring managers care more about you being result-oriented (see (b) above) rather than the actual performance. That's especially true if you are a junior.

That's it!

Repeat these five steps for every single bullet point this way, then compare your new resume with the old one.
The improvement should be obvious to you. This means it will be to recruiters too.

In my experience, this should place you above 99% of resumes in terms of quality.
Of course, there are other factors at play, but this should give you a considerable advantage.

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