How Many Bullet Points on a Resume? (Tips & Examples)

Recruiters aren’t reading your resume with a magnifying glass — they’re in skim mode. Using bullet points is one of the best ways to keep their attention as they wade through every candidate’s professional background. 

But using bullet points doesn’t give you the green light to ramble your way into paragraph territory. The whole purpose of bullet points is to keep things concise, relevant, and to the point (aka, a winning resume). So, how many should you have, and when have you gone overboard?

Let’s break it down. This guide will cover: 

• How many bullets should be on a resume? 
• How to write good resume bullet points?
• How to include bullet points in each resume section?

Check out our free AI Resume Builder to refine your bullet points and get suggestions on improving your resume. 

How Many Bullet Points Should You Have On a Resume?

The general rule is to use 3 to 5 bullet points per job, but there’s some flexibility. You can go as low as 2 or as high as 7 — as long as each point is relevant and adds value.

In general, the more relevant the job, the more bullet points it should have. If a past role is super connected to the position you’re applying for, feel free to highlight more accomplishments. And if a job isn’t as relevant, you can get away with fewer points. 

Not every task or responsibility deserves a bullet point. Focus on achievements, results, and skills that align with the job description. If you’re short on space, prioritize your most recent and impressive work over older, less relevant details.

And whatever you do, don’t overload your resume just to hit a certain number. Too many bullet points can make your resume harder to skim, and recruiters usually spend just a few seconds on each one. Quality beats quantity every time. 

How to Write Resume Bullet Points?

Short answer:

When writing resume bullet points, highlight your achievements and impact, not just your duties. Start by using action verbs to describe what you did, then quantify your results whenever possible. Keep bullet points concise and focused — ideally one line, but two lines are acceptable for more complex achievements. Tailor your points to the job you’re applying for by matching them to the required skills and responsibilities. Avoid vague or generic statements; instead, outline your unique contributions. Aim for 3 to 5 bullet points per job, prioritizing recent, relevant experience to catch the recruiter’s attention. 

Choose the right formatting and length

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can write chunky paragraphs just because you’re using bullet points — that defeats the purpose. You want them to be easy to read and impactful, not long-winded or overwhelming.

Each bullet point should fit on a single line, but you can push to two lines if it adds real value (not just extra filler). Vary your sentence length and structure to break up the text. A mix of short statements and slightly longer details helps create contrast and make your resume easier to skim. 

If you don’t have much work experience, don’t try to cram your bullet points with irrelevant details to make them appear longer. Instead, you can take your font size up to 12 points and use a wider resume font (like Helvetica or Verdana) to fill some of that white space. 

Learn more about making your resume look good: The Best Resume Format: 20+ Examples

Keep your bullet points relevant 

Keeping your bullet points relevant comes down to focusing on what matters to the employer. As cool as it is, the tech recruiter doesn’t care about your time as an escape room game master. Don’t list every task you’ve ever done — focus on skills and resume achievements that align with the job you’re applying for.

How do you know what recruiters are looking for? Check the job description and company website. Pay attention to the responsibilities sections and look for skills and requirements that align with your experiences. Once you know the skills they value, tailor your bullet points to reflect them (just don’t stretch the truth to fit their mold — that could backfire).

Your most recent jobs should get the most attention — they’re usually more relevant and deserve more bullet points. As you go further back in your work history, you can start reducing the number of points — sometimes leaving them out completely if the job isn’t as relevant. 

When deciding what to include, ask yourself:

• Does this directly relate to the job I’m applying for?
• Is this something that would impress the hiring manager?
• Does it showcase an achievement, skill, or impact?

If the answer is no, leave it out. Use that space for something more valuable, like a major accomplishment or a certification that strengthens your application. 

Find out more: Hacks to Tailor Your Resume to a Job to Any Job Description

Focus on results-oriented bullet points and impact 

Your bullet points need to do more than list what you were responsible for — they should show the impact you made. Hiring managers don’t just want to know what you did; they want to see how well you did it.

Instead of writing generic buzzwords and duties, focus on accomplishments. Think about times you improved a process, solved a problem, or contributed to a team’s success. Employers want to know you can deliver results, not just turn on autopilot each day. 

Get noticed by using strong action verbs and making each bullet point unique to you. Anyone in hospitality can serve drinks, but can they create new recipes and serve over 100 customers a day? That’s what captures a recruiter’s interest. 

Whenever possible, use numbers and data to back up your achievements. If you increased sales, gained more clients, or led a successful project, prove it with measurable results. Don’t have exact numbers? Use specific examples to show what you’re capable of doing. 

Here’s what makes a great bullet point:

Weak: Managed social media accounts.
Strong: Increased social media engagement by 45% in six months by developing targeted content and campaigns.

Use the STAR or SMART method

I’m no stranger to staring into the abyss of a blank page — especially when there’s a job at stake. But you don’t need to freestyle everything. Following tried-and-tested formulas can help you structure your bullet points and stop you from rambling. 

Do you want your bullet points to be more memorable? Try using the STAR method. It’s a common interview technique, but you can also use it to outline your experiences, show what you did, and explain why it mattered.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the STAR method:

• Situation: What was the context or challenge?
• Task: What was your responsibility?
• Action: What steps did you take?
• Result: What was the positive outcome?

Here’s an example of the STAR formula in action: 

Basic: Managed a team of customer service reps.
STAR-based: Led a team of 10 customer service reps (S), tasked with improving response time (T). Implemented a new ticketing system (A), reducing response time by 35% (R).

Another useful approach is the SMART method. This formula helps you avoid vague, generic bullet points and instead highlights your impact in a way that grabs an employer’s attention.

Here’s an overview of the SMART method with some examples:

• Specific: Focused and clear (Increased monthly sales by 15%)
• Measurable: Includes numbers or concrete details (25% increase in revenue)
• Achievable: Something realistic that you accomplished (within 6 months)
• Relevant: Connected to the job you’re applying for (used SEO marketing strategies)
• Time-bound: Shows the timeframe or deadline (by the end of the first quarter)

Learn how to use the SMART method outside of your resume: How to Write SMART Goals?

Consider a resume builder to refine your bullet points

I get it — not everyone’s a natural when putting their skills into words. Selling yourself isn’t easy. Luckily, there are plenty of tools and technologies that can help us out. 

Resume makers can suggest ways to rewrite your bullet points, making them clearer and more results-driven. While they can’t work magic, a solid resume builder will take the job description and your skills and experiences to create strong sentences.

Here’s what you need to consider when using an AI resume builder: 

• Focus on action verbs: Choose strong action verbs from the AI suggestions to begin each bullet (e.g., “led,” “increased,” “managed”). This helps your bullet points sound less generic and more impressive. 
• Be specific: Include numbers or percentages when you can to quantify your impact. AI tools often suggest ways to make your statements more results-focused, but you’ll need to edit the details to reflect your own accomplishments. 
• Tailor to the job: Use the job description as a guide for what you need to emphasize. A good builder will ask you for the job ad so it can help you highlight the right skills or keywords for the role.
• Optimize for clarity: AI tools can suggest concise and direct phrasing, making sure your bullet points are easy to scan for both recruiters and ATS systems.

Remember: AI can’t do all the heavy lifting. I recommend editing and tweaking to make sure the final product reflects your unique contributions. 

Check out our AI Bullet Point Writer to generate ATS-optimized bullet points that align with industry standards and your chosen field. 

How Long Should Bullet Points Be On a Resume?

Generally, you should aim for one line per bullet point. If you need more space, you can stretch to two lines, but try not to go beyond that. You don’t want your resume to look like a series of chunky paragraphs.

That said, there are exceptions to the rules. The aim is to highlight your most impressive skills and achievements relevant to the job. If that means your bullet points occasionally go over two lines, so be it. Just make sure every word counts, and it’s not just unnecessary waffle. 

Your resume doesn’t need to detail every inch of your professional story. Employers want to know what you can do for them. Each bullet point is about proving your value and showing why you’re qualified.

Resume Bullet Point Examples 

Using bullet points keeps your resume easy to read, but to really catch a recruiter’s attention, those points need to mean something. Each section of your resume has its own approach if you want to make a solid first impression.

Let’s break down how to use bullet points in each section, with examples to give you a clear idea of what works.

Work experience section

Your work experience section is where your bullet points really matter. It’s the most detailed and important part of your resume, which means it needs to be easy to read while packing a punch.

Under each job, list your key duties, but focus more on what you achieved and how your contributions helped the company. Adding specific numbers or results helps to create a more concrete picture of your potential. You want to prove you didn’t just do the job — you excelled. 

While the amount of bullet points largely depends on how relevant they are, here’s a rough guideline of how many to include based on your experience level: 

• Entry-level: Around 2–5 bullet points per job.
• Mid-level: Aim for 4–6 bullet points, especially if you have more diverse experiences.
• Management level: Add 5–10 bullet points, depending on the depth of your role.

Overall, your most recent job should always have the most bullet points since it’s the most relevant. Here’s how to include bullet points in your work experience section: 

Marketing Manager | Velocity
Austin, Texas | June 2024 – Present
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• Increased social media engagement by 30% in six months through creative content creation and viral ad campaigns.
• Managed a team of 5 with weekly brainstorming sessions and performance reviews.
• Led a rebranding initiative that resulted in a 15% increase in brand awareness.
• Managed paid search campaigns with a monthly budget of $30K, achieving an average return on ad spend (ROAS) of 400%.

Digital Marketing Assistant | ABC Inc.
San Antonio, Texas | March 2022 – May 2024
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• Developed and executed email marketing campaigns, leading to a 20% increase in open rates and a 15% rise in conversion rates.
• Implemented email marketing campaigns, contributing to a 5% boost in sales conversions.
• Conducted market research and competitor analysis, contributing to the launch of a new product line that generated $500K in sales within the first quarter.

Education and training section

Your education section usually takes a backseat to your work experience and doesn’t need as many (or any) bullet points. For experienced professionals, you only need to add a simple line with your college, location, and degree. 

But if you’re new to the workforce, you can add more to this section to compensate for the lack of work experience. For recent graduates or students, using bullet points can help you highlight key achievements, such as: 

• GPA (3.8 or higher)
• Honors and scholarships
• College extracurriculars 
• Relevant coursework 
• Specialized certifications
• Notable projects 

These bullet points can give you an edge by showing you have relevant knowledge, accomplishments, and a healthy dose of ambition. But as always, keep it relevant. Your month-long stint in the Cheese club? Not appropriate for that IT position. 

Here’s how to add extra details to your education if you lack work experience: 

Bachelor of Science in Marketing | University of Austin
Expected Graduation: May 2025
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• Dean’s List for 2 consecutive years.
• Coursework: Digital Marketing, Consumer Behavior, and Data Analytics.
• Led a marketing project that increased event attendance by 20% for the university’s annual job market fair.

Don’t have much work experience? Find out more: How to Write a Resume With No Experience

Skills section

Your skills section is like a checklist for recruiters — it’s a quick way for them to see your expertise and to make sure you fit the requirements. The goal? Easy skimming. 

You can format your skills section in a few different ways: 

• Horizontal layout: If you’re tight on space and want a clean, professional look, try listing your skills in a single line. This is perfect for a minimalist style.
• Vertical list: This format works well for a two-column resume — just keep in mind that this layout may struggle getting past Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
• Categorized skills: Use bullet points to divide your skills into categories, followed by a horizontal line for relevant skills. This is the best option for more experienced professionals with a range of skills.

Aim for 5 to 10 skills directly relevant to the job you’re applying for, mixing hard skills with technical abilities. Avoid listing soft skills like “communication” and “teamwork” here — they’re too vague. Instead, demonstrate these through your work experience and education sections, showing how you’ve used them to achieve results.

Here’s how to use bullet points to categorize your skills: 

• Marketing Skills: SEO Optimization, Content Strategy, Social Media Management
• Software Skills: Google Analytics, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator), CRM Tools (HubSpot, Salesforce)
• Technical Skills: HTML & CSS, Data Analysis (Excel, SQL)

Learn more about the most in-demand resume skills: The Best Skills to Put on a Resume: Examples for All Jobs

Additional sections

Bullet points are mostly associated with your work experience section, but what if you don’t have a strong job history? Don’t worry — there are plenty of other ways to show your skills, drive, and knowledge.

Consider adding extra sections like certifications, volunteer experience, or languages to highlight how you meet the job’s requirements. But only include these sections if they truly add value or highlight a relevant skill that sets you apart. Don’t just fill space for the sake of it — every detail should work in your favor.

Here’s how to use bullet points in your additional resume sections: 

Languages:
• Fluent/C1 in Spanish (written and spoken).
• Intermediate/B2 in French.

‍Certifications
• Certified in Google Analytics.
• Completed Project Management Professional (PMP) course.

Find out how to add more weight to your resume: 25+ Resume Sections That You Could Use

Summary

Here’s a rundown of all you need to know about including bullet points on your resume: 

• Limit your bullet points to 3 to 5 per job, depending on their relevance and significance to the position. 
• Make sure your most recent job gets the most attention, with more detailed bullet points describing recent achievements.
• For older roles, use fewer bullet points or omit them if the experience isn’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.
• Keep bullet points concise — ideally one line, but two lines are acceptable for more complex details.
• Use action verbs at the beginning of each bullet point to demonstrate impact (e.g., managed, created, increased, led).
• Focus on achievements rather than just duties to show the value you brought to each role.
• Quantify achievements when possible to provide context (e.g., increased sales by 15%, wrote 50 social media posts a week).
• Avoid generic statements like “team player” — show these qualities through your experience instead.
• Use the STAR or SMART formula to structure your sentences and provide the right amount of context and results. 
• Tailor bullet points to the specific job you’re applying for, highlighting the most relevant skills and experiences.

FAQ

How many bullet points are too many on a resume?

Typically, 3 to 5 bullet points per job is a good range — you don’t want to overwhelm the reader with too many points. If you’ve held a position for a while, or it’s particularly relevant to the role you’re applying for, you might go up to 7. 

Just don’t exceed 10 — more than that can look cluttered. If a job is older or less relevant, cut it down to 1-2 bullet points. Keep it quality over quantity to make sure you’re highlighting the most impactful points.

Should resumes use bullet points or paragraphs?

Bullet points are the best choice for a resume — they’re quick to skim and let you clearly present key details. Paragraphs might be harder to digest, especially when hiring managers are going through dozens of resumes. Bullet points let you get straight to the point and highlight achievements, while paragraphs can drag things out. 

How to write good resume bullet points?

Good bullet points focus on achievements, not just responsibilities. Start with an action verb (e.g., “led,” “increased,” “created”), then include numbers or specific examples to back up your claims. Instead of saying, “Managed a team,” say, “Led a team of 5, resulting in a 20% increase in sales.” Always focus on impact to show the company your potential. 

Do you use periods in bullet points on a resume?

If your bullet points are full sentences, you should use a period at the end. However, if they’re short, direct phrases, you can skip the period. As your work experience section should include full sentences for each bullet point, I recommend ending each with a period. 

How should you format your resume bullet points?

Bullet points should be aligned with the job title, company name, and dates, making sure there’s clear space between sections. Use consistent indentation and spacing to make everything easy to read. Don’t overdo the formatting; use bold or italics for emphasis when needed, but the bullet points should speak for themselves. Most importantly, keep them short and focused.

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