Use plain, specific language that explains what you did and what it produced. Start bullets with an accurate action, name the work and add enough context to show its value. Include numbers when you can support them. You do not need inflated verbs, jargon or a metric in every sentence.
What makes a useful bullet?
Try this editing pattern: action + work or problem + method or scope + supported result. Include the parts that clarify your contribution; do not force all four into every bullet.
Penn Career Services' description guidance asks applicants to connect actions with accomplishments. Its questions about tools, outcomes and scope are useful prompts when a duty feels too vague.
Illustrative before: “Responsible for reports.”
Illustrative after: “Compiled weekly stock reports from warehouse records and flagged missing entries for supervisor review.”
The revision tells a reader what kind of report, where its information came from and how the work was used. It does not invent a business result.
Which verbs should I use?
Choose the verb that matches your actual responsibility. “Built,” “reconciled,” “scheduled,” “tested,” “explained” and “documented” can all be useful. A stronger-sounding verb is less useful if it overstates your authority.
Yale's action-verb resource groups verbs by kinds of work. Use a list to find precise language, then check whether the verb fits. “Supported” may be the truthful choice when someone else led the project.
- Led: use when you directed the work or held responsibility for it.
- Coordinated: useful when you organized people, schedules or handoffs.
- Contributed: specify your part so the reader can understand it.
- Improved: explain the change and what evidence supports the comparison.
What if I do not have metrics?
Look for verifiable scope: types of customers, frequency of work, size of a dataset or a deliverable you completed. Check records if they are available and appropriate to use. Do not invent a percentage because an example online includes one.
Illustrative nonnumeric bullet: “Wrote a handover checklist covering opening tasks, stock checks and escalation contacts for new shift leads.”
Illustrative metric pattern: “Reduced [measured issue] from [verified baseline] to [verified result] over [period] by [your action].” Use it only after replacing the brackets with evidence. If several changes contributed, explain your role rather than claiming sole credit.
Confidential figures can be omitted. Describe the work at an appropriate level instead of disclosing private customer, patient, employee or commercial information.
How much technical language belongs?
Use the terminology a reader needs to understand your expertise. Name relevant tools and methods accurately, but explain an unusual internal abbreviation. A list of fashionable terms is weaker than an example of their use.
Illustrative vague version: “Leveraged innovative solutions to drive operational excellence.”
Clearer version, if accurate: “Created a shared order tracker so the service and warehouse teams could see delivery updates in one place.”
The second version lets the reader judge the work. It does not require them to guess what the adjectives mean. If the job posting uses a relevant term, connect it to an actual task instead of repeating it without evidence.
What about tense and consistency?
Use past tense for completed work. Present tense can describe ongoing responsibilities in a current role. Keep related entries consistent, and avoid switching perspective midsection. Read each bullet aloud: if you would struggle to explain the sentence in a conversation, simplify it.
A final language check
- Does the opening verb describe my actual contribution?
- Can a reader identify the task, object or problem?
- Are any numbers traceable to records or a defensible explanation?
- Have I removed empty adjectives and unexplained abbreviations?
- Do team outcomes remain distinct from my individual work?
- Can I explain every claim without relying on the wording alone?
Next: choose evidence that fits your role
Continue with What language fits my role?. Related guides: tailoring and AI assistance.
Use the Bullet Converter to explore an alternative phrasing, then keep the version that best represents the real work.