When writing resume bullets, you should include a past tense verb that explains what you were responsible for, what actions you took, and what the result for the business was. Wherever possible, use the same language as the job description and include any relevant numbers or figures that you can.

Format: Past Tense Verb + Responsibility + Action + Result

Each item on your resume should tell the person reading it why you are relevant to perform the tasks of a job. The best way to convey this is to first explain what you were responsible for. Did you lead a team or a project? Were you tasked with hitting certain sales or marketing goals? Did you manage a budget, or have a limited time to accomplish something? Start your bullet with a verb in the past tense.

Example: “Provided customer service.”

Next, add an action you took or a problem that needed solving and how you addressed it. This explains to the reader that you didn’t just show up everyday: there were tasks that you needed to complete, and you took action to make sure that happened. You may list more than one item as long as each one showcases a different skill.

Example: “Provided customer service including technical support, troubleshooting, and repair services.”

Finally, explain what the impact on the business was due to the actions you took. It’s important that the result is about how you created great outcomes for the company, your team, or the customer. This shows the reader that you are focused on the bigger picture, and helping to achieve the goals set by your leaders.

Example: “Provided customer service including technical support, troubleshooting, and repair services that contributed to an increase in customer satisfaction and retention.”

That’s a good start, but you can improve your bullets by adding in numbers wherever possible. Numbers explain to the reader what the real impact of your contribution was. Numbers take your bullets from a claim to a reality in the mind of the person reading your resume. If you can’t give a specific number, an estimate will work. If you can’t provide a number, giving the frequency or scale of a task helps to explain your impact.

Example: “Provided dozens of daily customer service interactions including technical support, troubleshooting and repair services on hundreds of mobile devices that contributed to a 30% increase in customer satisfaction and a 15% decrease in churn.”

Resumes are usually read by people who don’t know how to do the job. They are going to compare your bullets to the requirements on a job description. As you write your bullets, make sure that you are copying as much language as you can from the job description into your bullets. After your bullets are in the right format, adjusting them to use the same language as the job description is the best way to show the read that you are a good match for the job.