Transform the duties and accountabilities on your resume into value-driven achievements 

Your resume isn’t a list of duties performed in your jobs.  It’s a tool that shows a prospective employer what you accomplished so they can imagine what you can do for them when you are hired.  Below is a list of common roles followed by typical resume bullet points I often see from job seekers, and examples of how to transform them to frame your impact.  

Why? If everyone says they ‘managed social media accounts’ or ‘saw 25 patients a day’, how will the hiring manager understand you did it better than the rest of the applicants in the pile? 

For each bullet you have on your resume:

• Ask: What was the result of my work? And what concrete details can I provide?
  
  
• Ask: Why did it matter to the organization?
  
  

And follow this formula: [Action] → [Result or Improvement] → [Why it mattered or how it contributed to the bigger picture]

Marketing Coordinator / Specialist

Boring:

• Managed social media accounts
• Created email campaigns
• Supported marketing events
  
  

Transformed:

• Increased social engagement 48% YoY by optimizing content strategy across LinkedIn and Instagram
  
  
• Boosted email open rates 20% through A/B testing subject lines and segmentation, leading to 200 new customer accounts
  
  
• Helped drive 500+ leads from trade shows by coordinating logistics, social media and promotions, and follow-up retargeting campaigns
  
  

Sales Representative / Account Executive

Boring:

• Made cold calls to prospects
• Managed a sales pipeline and territory
  Closed deals with new clients
  
  

Transformed:

• Generated $950K in new revenue in 12 months by developing tailored outreach strategies for mid-market clients in hi-tech industry
  
  
• Maintained a 34% close rate, 15% above team average, through consultative selling approach within the Northeast territory
  
  
• Reduced sales cycle by 3 weeks on average by using ‘up-front contracts’ learned in Sandler sales training to proactively addressing common objections in early-stage conversations
  
  

Operations Coordinator / Manager

Boring:

• Oversaw daily operations
• Handled vendor communication
• Tracked performance metrics
  
  

Transformed:

• Improved on-time delivery rate from 82% to 97% by restructuring vendor scheduling and process flow
  
  
• Reduced supply chain costs 12%, saving the company $1.2M, by renegotiating vendor contracts and streamlining order fulfillment
  
  
• Built real-time KPI dashboard in OmniDash to monitor operational performance, leading to increased team accountability and organization clarity

Customer Support / Success

Boring:

• Handled customer issues
• Processed returns and refunds
• Escalated support tickets
  
  

Transformed:

• Resolved 95% of support tickets within 24 hours, contributing to a 20-point jump in CSAT and positive customer reviews
  
  
• Developed self-service FAQ and video tutorials that reduced ticket volume by 30%, leading to an estimated 10 hours a week in time saved per team member
  
  
• Retained $250K in ARR by proactively managing at-risk enterprise accounts and aligning support teams with client goals
  
  

Product Manager

Boring:

• Gathered product requirements
• Led cross-functional meetings
• Wrote user stories
  
  

Transformed:

• Launched new SaaS feature used by 40% of users within 90 days, driving $400K in new and upsell revenues
  
  
• Increased feature adoption 3X by leading beta testing, gathering user feedback through XYZ channels, and iterating in collaboration with product development
  
  
• Cut development sprint cycle time by 5 days through improved planning and stakeholder alignment
  
  

HR / People Ops

Boring:

• Onboarded new hires
• Maintained employee records
• Managed benefits enrollment
  
  

Transformed:

• Reduced new hire ramp-up time by 12 days with redesigned onboarding experience and training plan
  
  
• Improved retention of first-year employees by 18%, resulting in 42 new hires retained, by analyzing exit interviews and implementing improved feedback loops
  
  
• Led transition to new ACME benefits provider, saving $35K annually while improving employee satisfaction scores
  
  

Healthcare – Nurse (RN, LPN, BSN)

Boring Bullets:

• Administered medications and treatments
• Documented patient care
• Worked with interdisciplinary teams
  
  

Transformed Bullets:

• Delivered compassionate care to 20+ patients per shift in a fast-paced telemetry unit, contributing to a 92% patient satisfaction rating
  
  
• Reduced medication errors by 32% by implementing a double-check protocol and training peers on usage
  
  
• Played a key role in reducing hospital readmissions by more than 50 patients through patient education and discharge planning collaboration
  
  

Bonus Tip: Frame impact around patient outcomes, efficiency, and collaboration.

Tech – Engineering (Software, Mechanical, etc.)

A. Software Engineer

Boring Bullets:

• Wrote code in Python and JavaScript
• Participated in code reviews
• Fixed bugs and maintained systems
  
  

Transformed Bullets:

• Developed API infrastructure used by 5+ internal teams, reducing integration time from days to minutes and saving an estimated $15k monthly in staff time
  
  
• Decreased application load time by 30% through front-end optimization and refactoring using XYZ
  
  
• Led bug triage process for 15+ staff engineers that cut critical incidents by 50% and improved deployment stability
  
  

B. Mechanical / Systems Engineer

Boring Bullets:

• Designed mechanical components
• Prepared technical reports
• Collaborated with manufacturing team
  
  

Transformed Bullets:

• Designed HVAC component that reduced energy consumption by 18%, contributing to LEED certification for client facility and estimated savings of $25K annually
  
  
• Improved ABCD system reliability by redesigning fluid system under high-temperature conditions resulting in XYZ
  
  
• Promoted to Team Lead after creating new QA protocol that cut product failure rates by 30% during pre-launch testing
  
  

Bonus Tip: Engineers should quantify improvements in efficiency, cost savings, performance gains, or reliability even if working behind the scenes.

Let me know any questions or if you’d like ideas for other types of roles.  Follow this guide and you’ll strengthen your appearance on paper for your next application.

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