Finding the bullet-point balance for your resume

When you’ve worked at one company for more than a couple years, but you only have a few bullet points, you’re probably missing the boat. I’ve had hiring managers comment on the “lack of experience” or how, after 14 years on the job, “That’s all he has to say about it?”

Read the job description carefully and make sure you’re addressing the needs of the hiring company. Many resumes focus on what you did in your job rather than what you can do for your next employer.

While you’re writing your cover letter, you may want to elaborate on special skills that speak to the company, but those particular skills need to be on your resume as well. The reason for this is because some recruiters read cover letters, some don’t…same with hiring managers. Also, cover letters get separated from resumes.

Your bullet points should be in the order of importance according to the open position. Don’t put them in the order of your work day or the order of percentage of your workload.

Finally, items in your resume summary, but not in the text of your resume are easily discounted: they’ll think the skill is old, you only did it in college or you sat next to someone who did that job and you’re only listing it for the keyword.