Writing eye-catching resume bullet points for your management resume aren’t a want. But, an ABSOLUTE need.

This is where many managers go wrong when writing their resumes.

HR managers and recruiters look for managers who make things happen.

In fact, you may too. If you’re a manager who recruits and hires, then you’re looking for the “movers and shakers” too. Right?

So, how do you go about adding eye-catching bullet points to your resume?

First, know that resume bullet points are more often reserved for achievements.

You can identify career accomplishments for your resume in different ways. Start by looking at your past performance reviews. Ponder your most notable projects, tasks, clients, and so on. List awards and recognition you received as well.

In short, to add pizzazz to your resume bullet points is to put context to your accomplishments. The successes you produced for each employer. Using the below STAR formula works great:

STAR

• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Results

An example of a STAR statement/resume bullet point would be:

Recruited to revitalize and manage an underperforming sales territory characterized by significant account attrition. (Situation) Tasked with reacquiring accounts that had left the company within the last six months. (Task) Developed contact list for lapsed accounts and initiated contact with decision-makers at each company. (Action) Reacquired 22% of former customers, resulting in $872,000 in revenue. (Result)

Quantifying your accomplishments also helps you stand out from others who do the work you do.

Second, realize that every bullet point in your resume needs to start with an action verb.

Actions verbs are easy to identify. They are verbs that reflect action. So, a few example action verbs would include:

• Isolated
• Directed
• Challenged
• Streamlined

These same power words are within the body of your bullet points as well. For example, “Generated double-digit increases in new product revenues. Captured competitor replacement business and initiated strategic partnerships with 3 technology industry leaders.”

Adding a few accomplishment-specific action verbs go a long way too.

For example, consider starting out your bullet points with one of these actions verbs:

• Accelerated
• Amplified
• Astonished
• Captivated
• Combatted
• Delighted
• Energized
• Exposed
• Guaranteed

Third, don’t settle for “okay” resume bullet points for your resume.

Consider the below content examples when writing achievements for your resume:

• [Okay]  Introduced BI/analytics platform to the global sales team. Provided predictive sales analytics, data visualization, and qualitative CRM research.
• [Better] Introduced BI/analytics platform to the global sales team. Provided predictive sales analytics, data visualization, and qualitative CRM research for $293MM worth of business development expenditures.
• [Best] Introduced BI/analytics platform to the global sales team. Provided predictive analytics, data visualization, and qualitative CRM research for $293MM worth of business development expenditures. Increased revenue by 23.1% in the first 90 days and expected to generate an incremental EBITDA of up to $39.7MM in the next year.

Okay, let’s say you’re not a great manager.

What?

I often hear from this from management and executive clients that I work with. “My company is a bit small and doesn’t enable me to produce big results. How can I add great resume bullet points to my resume that will impress recruiters when I don’t have many achievements to brag about?

This can be a concern for some. And, rightfully so.

I have a great way of handling this…

Ask yourself: What has my company accomplished with my help?

Just because you didn’t initiate X [project, cost savings, etc], doesn’t mean you didn’t contribute to the success of X.

So, let’s say your company recently expanded its sales to the East coast. But, the sales team hasn’t really done much since the launch. Maybe you didn’t make the decision for the expansion. Yet, you’ve helped with the implementation.

For this, an achievement might look like this:

Supported corporate market share growth — focused on the East coast, which includes Pennsylvania, Massachussets, and Maryland. Worked with sales to put $12.8M into the sales pipeline and identify 250+ potential clients. Expected to add nearly $2M in revenue in 2016.

See what I mean? It’s not necessarily what you’ve initiated, but what you’ve helped your team, department, or company accomplish.

Use the above STAR formula to help you flesh out eye-catching resume bullet points

Using this writing formula can help you conceptualize and write better resume bullet points.