Resources.
Action-verb prompts, the universal bullet formula, before/after rewrites, and anti-patterns to avoid. Copy a template, swap in your specifics, paste back into the editor. No AI involved — the wording stays yours.
The universal bullet formula
Every strong resume bullet follows this shape. If a bullet is missing one of the four parts, it's weaker than it could be.
[Action Verb] + [Specific Task] + [How / Tool] + [Impact / Result]
Worked example:
Designed a modular 3-driver Bluetooth speaker in SOLIDWORKS, iterating enclosure geometry across 4 prints to hit 80 dB at 3 ft.
- Action Verb: "Designed" (past tense, specific)
- Specific Task: "a modular 3-driver Bluetooth speaker"
- How: "in SOLIDWORKS, iterating enclosure geometry across 4 prints"
- Impact: "to hit 80 dB at 3 ft"
Action verbs by category
Pick a verb that matches the actual work. Vary them across your resume — repeating "Led" or "Built" on every bullet reads lazy.
Building / engineering
DesignedEngineeredBuiltPrototypedFabricatedShippedDeployedImplementedArchitected (avoid — AI-tell)ConfiguredAssembledProgrammedRefactoredOptimizedDebuggedDiagnosedIntegratedAutomated
Analysis / research
AnalyzedResearchedModeledQuantifiedMeasuredEvaluatedSurveyedForecastedTestedValidatedBenchmarkedAuditedInvestigatedCharacterizedIdentifiedCalculated
Leadership / coordination
LedCoordinatedDirectedManagedMentoredTrainedCoachedSupervisedOrganizedFacilitatedHostedOnboardedDelegatedAlignedDroveOwned
Business / impact
GrewNegotiatedLaunchedClosedPitchedSoldSourcedSecuredEarnedGeneratedReducedSavedCutImprovedIncreasedDecreased
Creative / production
ProducedDirectedArt-directedWroteEditedPublishedComposedFilmedPhotographedIllustratedDesigned (visual)StoryboardedCuratedBranded
Service / operations
ServedResolvedTriagedHandledProcessedFulfilledMaintainedInspectedOperatedInstalledRepairedCalibratedInventoriedStocked
Avoid these AI-tell verbs
Recruiters are getting better at spotting AI-generated resumes. These verbs are the most common giveaways — use the plainer alternatives instead.
| Avoid | Try instead |
|---|---|
| Architected | Designed / Built / Split |
| Spearheaded | Led / Started / Drove |
| Orchestrated | Coordinated / Ran |
| Pioneered | Started / Built first / Created |
| Streamlined | Sped up / Cut steps / Simplified |
| Empowered | Helped / Taught / Trained |
| Curated | Picked / Chose / Selected |
| Elevated | Improved / Raised |
| Transformed | Rebuilt / Replaced |
| Revolutionized | Rewrote / Changed |
| Leveraged | Used |
| Utilized | Used |
| Delivered (filler) | Shipped / Sent / Completed |
Before → After rewrites
Before
Responsible for managing inventory and helping with customer service in a fast-paced retail environment.
After
Tracked 800-SKU storeroom in Lightspeed, cut weekly stockouts from 12 to 2 by adding reorder-point alerts.
Replaces 'responsible for' with concrete verbs. Names the tool. Quantifies the improvement.
Before
Worked on a research project at the lab to analyze data and contribute findings.
After
Analyzed 4,200 patient-trial samples in R; co-authored finding on dose-response curve published at SfN 2024.
Replaces 'worked on' with specific verb. Names the scale, tool, and the venue/output.
Before
Led a team that did marketing for a small business and increased their sales.
After
Led 3-person team running paid + organic social for a 12-location bakery, growing online orders 28% over 4 months.
Specifies team size, channels, business type, and a measurable result with a time window.
Before
Helped customers with a wide range of issues and provided excellent service.
After
Resolved 60+ daily customer tickets across billing, shipping, and returns; maintained 4.8/5 CSAT over the quarter.
Quantifies daily volume and categories. Replaces 'excellent service' with a measurable rating.
Common anti-patterns
- "Responsible for…" — replaces what you DID with what you were supposed to do. Always rewrite as an action verb.
- "Helped with…" — undersells your contribution. Specify what you actually built / ran / fixed.
- "Various" / "a wide range of" — lazy phrasing. Name the actual things.
- "Excellent", "robust", "innovative" — empty adjectives. Replace with the metric or specific that earned the adjective.
- Trailing "…" — never end a bullet with an ellipsis. Either say it fully or cut it.
- Two-paragraph bullets — keep each bullet under 22 words. If you need more, split into two bullets.
- Repeated opening verbs — "Led" three bullets in a row reads canned. Vary them.
Quick reference: lengths & limits
- Bullet length: 15-22 words (one rendered line in Redense's LaTeX template).
- Per-item bullets: 2-4 bullets. More than 4 reads padded; fewer than 2 reads abandoned.
- Section heading: use the recognized names (Experience, Projects, Education, Skills, Awards, Leadership). Custom names confuse ATS parsers.
- Project tags: 2-5 comma-separated tools ("React, TypeScript, GraphQL"), not full sentences.
- Date format: "May 2024 -- Present" or just "2024". Avoid "Junior year" or "Last summer" — they don't parse.
Got a writing tip we should add? Tell us.