ResumeHow to write work experience points
Most resumes describe a job. Good ones describe what the person did in it. The difference is in how each point is built.
The four-part point
Build each point from these parts. Not every point needs all four, but most can have three.
- Action word: what you did. Prepared, sold, repaired, trained, designed.
- Task: to what. Monthly GST returns, walk-in customers, CNC machines.
- Scale: how much or how many. 12 clients, 30 a day, six machines.
- Result: what improved. Pending invoices down from 60 to 15.
Worked on bank reconciliation.
Reconciled five bank accounts every month and cleared 40 old unmatched entries.
Good in customer dealing.
Resolved about 20 customer complaints a week; repeat complaints fell by half in six months.
Involved in recruitment activities.
Screened about 200 resumes a month and conducted first-round interviews for support roles.
Teaching science to students.
Teach science to five sections of Classes 8 to 10, about 180 students; all 72 of my Class 10 students passed the board examination.
Finding your numbers
People often say "my work has no numbers". Almost all work does. Ask yourself:
- How many per day, week or month? Calls, bills, entries, customers, parts, students, tickets.
- How many people? Team, clients, vendors, visitors.
- How much money? Sales, budget, collections, savings. Use ranges or percentages if exact figures are confidential.
- How fast? Time taken before and after.
- How good? Error rate, pass percentage, ratings, rejections, returns.
- How did you compare? Rank in the team, target against achievement.
If you do not know a figure exactly, estimate carefully and say "about". Never invent. You may be asked how you measured it, and an honest "I counted from the register for a typical week" is a good answer.
When there is truly no number
Describe scope and trust instead: what you handled alone, who relied on your work, what you were chosen for.
- Handled the cash counter alone on weekends, including closing and deposit.
- Chosen to train new joiners on the billing software.
- Prepared the weekly stock report sent to the owner.
Order of points
Put the point most relevant to the job you want first, not the task you spent most time on. If you are an accounts executive applying for a role that stresses GST, your GST point goes first even if data entry took most of your day.
How many points
Four to six for the current or latest job, two or three for earlier ones, one line for jobs long ago. Each point one line, two at most. If a point runs to three lines, it is two points or it needs cutting.
Tense and style
- Present tense for the current job ("Handle", "Prepare"), past tense for earlier jobs ("Handled", "Prepared").
- No "I" at the start of points.
- No full stops needed at the end of points, but be consistent.
- Write numbers as digits: 12 clients, not twelve clients. They catch the eye.
- Use the same form for all dates: Jun 2023 to Mar 2025.
Words to avoid
"Responsible for", "duties included", "worked on", "involved in", "helped with" all hide what you did. Replace them with the real verb. If you only helped, say what your part was: "Prepared the data sheets for the monthly review".
A full example
Accounts Executive, a hardware trading firm, Ahmedabad (Jun 2020 to Mar 2023)
- Handled purchase, sales and bank entries for about 800 invoices a month
- Reconciled 5 bank accounts and 150 party ledgers every month
- Prepared stock statements for the bank and followed up debtors, reducing dues over 90 days by about a third
Three points, each with an action, a scale and, in the last, a result. A full list of verbs by kind of work is on the action words page.
Questions people ask
How many bullet points should each job have?
Four to six for your current or most recent job and two or three for earlier ones. Quality matters more than count.
What if my job had no measurable results?
Give the scale of the work (how many, how often) and signs of trust, such as tasks you handled alone or were chosen for.
Should I use past or present tense?
Present tense for work you still do, past tense for jobs you have left.
More guides
Sample resumes
General guidance. This page gives general suggestions on writing a resume, reviewed in November 2026. Employers differ: if an advertisement or application form asks for a particular format or detail, follow it. Every name, employer and college in our examples is invented. Nothing here promises an interview or a job.