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CV in English: examples and how to write strong CV bullets

A good bullet is one short line: action verb, what you did, result with a number. Build one below, then check it.

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Build and check a bullet

1. Build a bullet

Tense

Action verb

Lead and manage

Build and launch

Improve and reduce

Sell and negotiate

Analyze and research

For example: delivery time, or a team of 5 designers.

For example: by 30% in six months.

Your bullet

Pick a verb to see the bullet.

2. Check a bullet

One bullet at a time.

Write or paste a bullet to see the checks.

A checklist, not a grader. It looks at words only, so read the bullet yourself too.

The pattern

  1. 1

    Verb

    Start with an action verb. Past tense for old jobs, base form for your current job.

  2. 2

    What

    Say what you did, in plain words.

  3. 3

    Result

    Add a number: a percentage, an amount, a size or a time.

The checker is a checklist, not a grader. It counts words and looks for a verb, a digit and a few weak phrases. It cannot tell if your bullet is true or interesting.

Full stops are optional. Most CVs leave them out, so choose one style and keep it.

Action verbs by job

Lead and manage

  • led (lead)
  • managed (manage)
  • coordinated (coordinate)
  • trained (train)
  • mentored (mentor)

Build and launch

  • built (build)
  • launched (launch)
  • designed (design)
  • developed (develop)
  • created (create)
  • implemented (implement)

Improve and reduce

  • improved (improve)
  • reduced (reduce)
  • increased (increase)
  • streamlined (streamline)
  • grew (grow)
  • cut (cut)

Sell and negotiate

  • negotiated (negotiate)
  • sold (sell)
  • won (win)
  • secured (secure)
  • delivered (deliver)
  • closed (close)

Analyze and research

  • analyzed (analyze)
  • researched (research)
  • audited (audit)
  • identified (identify)
  • forecast (forecast)

Weak and strong

Weak / Strong
WeakStrong
Responsible for the sales teamLed a sales team of 8
Worked on the websiteRedesigned the company website and cut load time by 35%
Helped with customer emailsAnswered 40 customer emails a day
I managed the budgetManaged a budget of 50,000 dollars

The numbers above are examples. Use your own, and only true ones.

Practice

Multiple choice cloze

Choose the best option for each CV bullet.

  1. 1. a sales team of 8 people.
  2. 2. customer response time by 40% in one quarter.
  3. 3. Current job: a team of 6 designers.
  4. 4. Previous job: 3 new markets in two years.
  5. 5. Increased newsletter sign-ups .
  6. 6. Cut monthly costs 15% by renegotiating supplier contracts.

0 of 6 checked

Key word transformation

Turn the weak line into a strong bullet. Complete the second line with the key word, unchanged.

  1. 1. I was in charge of a team of five.

    MANAGED
    of five.

  2. 2. I was responsible for cutting costs by 10%.

    CUT
    by 10%.

  3. 3. I helped with the training of 20 new staff.

    TRAINED
    new staff.

  4. 4. I was in charge of the launch of a new app in 2023.

    LAUNCHED
    in 2023.

  5. 5. I was responsible for improving sales, which went up 18%.

    INCREASED
    by 18%.

  6. 6. My job was to negotiate contracts with 12 suppliers.

    NEGOTIATED
    with 12 suppliers.

0 of 6 checked

Word formation

Change the word in capitals to fit the gap.

  1. 1. Her main

    was doubling the sales.ACHIEVE

  2. 2. She is highly

    and meets every deadline.RELY

  3. 3. Strong

    skills helped the team grow.LEAD

  4. 4. She got a promotion for her

    .PERFORM

  5. 5. He is very

    and finds new solutions.CREATE

  6. 6. Good

    is key when you work with clients.COMMUNICATE

  7. 7. A careful

    of the new system saved 200 hours.IMPLEMENT

  8. 8.

    in Excel is required for this role.PROFICIENT

0 of 8 checked

Questions

How many bullets should each job have?
A common rule of thumb is three to five for recent jobs and fewer for old ones. Keep the strongest.
Past or present tense in a CV?
Past tense for jobs you left. For your current job, use the base form (Manage, Lead) for what you do now and past tense for finished results.
What if I do not have a number?
Look for a size, a frequency or a time: team of 5, weekly reports, in two weeks. If none fits, describe the result clearly.
Do I write I in a CV?
No. Leave out I and my. Start each bullet with a verb.

Keep going

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