Do You Put Periods After Bullet Points On Resume

How To Make Friends At Work

Sometimes if you’re a new employee just starting with a company, you’ll be assigned a work buddy to familiarize yourself with the job and work environment. There’s nothing wrong with this. It could be that your supervisor has a particular person they want you paired with based on job responsibilities who could help you ease into and adapt to your new role.

If you’re assigned a work buddy, that’s one less thing you have to worry about. But if you’re not assigned a buddy, look at it as an opportunity.

Some of the best friendships are the ones that are formed organically. Be open to getting to know all of your co-workers. Be friendly. Ask questions about their jobs and lives. Try to make a connection.

Tips For Writing Resume Bullet Points

Each bullet point you write should be simple and concise. As you build your resume, make sure each bullet point is relevant to the position youre applying for and provides value. Try to avoid including periods at the end of your bullet points. If you decide to keep periods, make sure they are consistently used after every bullet point.

How Do You Put Bullets On A Resume

How to Write Resume Bullets

• Start all bullets with action verbs.
• Use the correct verb tense.
• Give enough detail.
• Be concise.
• Try to write bullets that are between 50 and 175 characters in length .
• When writing achievement bullets, start with the P-A-R process before turning it into a single, concise bullet.

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When To Use Bullet Points In A Resume

You should use bullet points on your resume in your work experience section to list your duties and accomplishments. How many bullet points per job on a resume? This depends on how many jobs you include and how much space you have for each, but between 2-4 is a good number. Remember you need to keep your resume as short and concise as possible.

You can also use bullet points in other sections such as your skills, education, and accomplishments. In general, if theres a choice between writing resume bullet points or paragraphs it is generally better to choose bullet points.

Even Commonly Ignored Details Can Make A Difference When Youre Writing To Impress And Succeed

Regardless of the type of writing you do, refreshing your grammatical skills on a regular basis can contribute to your ability to impress your readers. Learning the ins and outs of grammar can truly help you write and revise with more confidence and strengthen any writing you do, making it more clear, consistent, and compelling.

Many readers and writers assume all bullet points should end with a punctuation mark , but I argue thats not always the case. Let me first say that if you write for an entity that insists you use commas or semicolons at the end of each bullet point in a series until the last, which ends in a period, I feel for you. While this practice is common in legal documents, its unnecessary and looks old-fashioned and clunky. If you are not under the constraints of outdated style limitations when it comes to formatting bullet points, I suggest following two easy-to-remember rules. Keep in mind that both can be applied in a single document.

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Ultimate Guide: Cv Punctuation And Grammar

by Lis McGuire | Oct 10, 2016

A recent survey from Match.com reported that while 71% of the 5,000 single respondents were judging potential dates on their teeth, 69% were fretting about their grammar. Dating or not, your punctuation and grammar can invite a positive or negative first impression, especially when it comes to presenting your CV.

Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors can send your CV straight to the bin, so if you want that job, you have to get it right. Its not enough to rely on the spelling and grammar check in Microsoft Word you need to be 100% confident that your spelling, punctuation, and grammar makes the grade. So, lets explore some of the key punctuation and grammar rules and how they work in the context of your CV.

Spaces After A Period

The current convention is to use one space after a period, not two. Same goes for colons.

I know, I know.

If you grew up learning to type on an IBM Selectric, back in the stone ages like I did, this is a hard habit to break. But, if you keep using two spaces, you’ll look as antiquated as the typewriter.

Every time I start a project, I get this tiny moment of panic. It doesn’t last long, but even now, after years in this business, I still notice that it happens.

It has a long and technical name, but in portfolio school, we just called it “fear of the blank page.” It’s that anxiety-inducing few moments right before getting started on something. I may have had 253 ideas buzzing around my head after a client meeting, and I am excited to get started on the project, but inevitably, and just for a short moment, this blank page panic happens when I sit down to get started.

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Three Years Experience Or Three Years Experience

This correct answer is three years experience. In this case, you are using a possessive formthe experience you gained during those three years belongs to that time period. Therefore, it is the experience of three years, or three years experience.

Note: You can also avoid confusion by replacing the apostrophe with the preposition of. Try saying something like I have three years of experience in business sales.

One Final Thought Before You Leave

One more thing before you go. Allow me to provide an answer to the age old question: Do you put periods after your bullet points on your resume? And the resounding answer is YES! Put a period after every single bullet point.

Here is a resume punctuation pro-tip: If you make the wise decision to add periods on you bullet points, make sure you put periods on ALL of your bullet points! Do not miss any. Either add them to all of your bullet points or go ahead and throw punctuation out of the window.

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Inconsistent Punctuation And Capitalization

• Date range: Dashes, hyphens, and the like can be tricky, especially when youre using a platform that kicks in auto-formatting from time to time. Ensure that all dashes in your date ranges are the same type of dash . Also take a close look to confirm that there’s a like number of spaces before and after each dash.
• Bullets: If you use bullets, select one style of bullet . Whether its a dash, a dot, or a triangle, pick one and stick with it.
• Capitalization: While degree programs should be lowercase , it’s acceptable to capitalize when you’re listing one on your resume . For example, BA in Ethnomusicology. Capitalization of job titles is a bit more tricky. For the full break down, check out The Chicago Manual of Style. If you choose to capitalize your job title, degree, or other proper nouns, be sure that you’re committing to one grammatical standard for consistency.
• Periods: If you use periods at the end of one sentence, use a period at the end of every sentence.
• Pro Tip: I highly recommend the use of periods as it also denotes a more complete statement. Avoid forcing an HR manager to wade through a bulleted list of incomplete details. Descriptive statements offer a more colorful picture of what you accomplished and how you grew.

Introducing A List: Do You Need A Colon

When a vertical list follows a full sentence, introduce it with a colon.

There are two main methods available:

• Qualitative interviews with key staff members.
• Quantitative surveys involving all stakeholders.

You can also use a colon after a partial sentence.

Available methods include:

• Qualitative interviews with key staff members.
• Quantitative surveys involving all stakeholders.

However, you can omit the colon when a list follows a partial sentence.

Available methods include

• Qualitative interviews with key staff members.
• Quantitative surveys involving all stakeholders.

This is ultimately a matter of stylistic preference. But if you are using a style guide, you may want to check it for guidance on which style to use.

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Parentheses And Exclamation Marks

Although it is not wrong to use parentheses or exclamation marks, it is better to avoid them in your cover letter. You might be burying an important thought by putting it in parentheses, or the sentence might be more cumbersome to read. It would be better to rewrite your thought without using parentheses. It is considered poor writing to use exclamation marks, and they are a distraction you dont need in your cover letter. You should never use two or more exclamation marks to create even more emphasis as might be common in informal writing, because that is incorrect usage. Keep in mind what F. Scott Fitzgerald said about them: Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.

References

Realize Your Office Mates Aren’t Your Parents

I say this tongue-in-cheek, but the subtext to this statement is really important: you are now on your own and you cannot expect anyone to pick up your slack. Everything you do from this point forward is business, and not bound by any bonds other than your employment agreement.

It’s pretty scary to be suddenly put out in the “cold” after having warm, supportive environments at home and school. The working world doesn’t operate that way. You either sink or swim. You are judged by your actions and you should always do the right thing and never expect someone to be there to catch you when you fall. That’s called life, and over the course of your career, you are going to make mistakes and you’ll have to learn from them. That’s called experience. And the more experience you gain, the closer you’ll be to reaching your career goals.

If you’re a recent college grad just starting out in your career, follow these seven tips to survive in your first job. Remember: the beginning is the hardest part. You’ve got this!

Need more help with your career as a recent grad?

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Do Your Resume & Linkedin Profile Look The Same

If you’re reviewing your resume and LinkedIn profile and realize that there are some inconsistencies in your work history, be sure to fix them before you apply for your next job. You want to impress hiring managers, not confuse them!

Need help with your resume and LinkedIn profile? Sign up for our today!

During this bootcamp, you will learn:

To Capitalize Or Not To Capitalize Bullets

Speaking of capitalization, another common source of confusion is capitalization in bullet points. Rules surrounding bullet punctuation are flexible. This means that you can choose whether you want bullets capitalized or not, as long as you do it consistently.

However, the one exception is that when each bullet is a complete sentence, you must capitalize it and end with a period.

My time managing the companys social media account led to company-wide results:

• Attendance at fundraising events increased by 50%.
• The companys Instagram account reached two thousand followers.
• Donations for 2019 were three times as high as the previous year.

If the bullet points are not complete sentences, you are free to choose whether you want to capitalize the first word.

Note: Whether you choose to capitalize bullets or not, its important to do it consistently. Either every bullet in the resume should be capitalized, or every bullet should be lowercase.

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Extra Spacing Between Words

ATS are picky about keywordsreally picky. A few of the top ATS, including Bullhorn and Greenhouse, will not even recognize multi-word keywords if the words are separated by extra spaces.

For example, product marketing will be recognized as a complete skill but product marketing will not because there is an extra space hiding between the words.

The solution is simple: double and triple check your spacing, especially between multi-word keywords, before submitting.

Bachelor Degree Or Bachelors Degree

This one is a little more confusing. If you are mentioning the full and official name of your degree, you should capitalize the title and leave off the apostrophe. So, you would write:

• Bachelor of Arts in English Literature
• Master of Architecture

However, if you are not listing the full official name of your degree, then you should use all lowercase and include the apostrophe.

• After obtaining my bachelors degree in chemistry, I interned at a local company.
• While obtaining my masters degree, I was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.

Note: On the education section of your resume, list the official name of your degree . On your cover letter, for brevitys sake, you dont have to use the official title every time.

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Why Do Resume Bullet Points Matter

Isn’t it ironic that bullet points are often the last thing that we put attention and effort into when crafting our resumes. There is no shortage of websites devoted beautiful looking resumes or custom designed resumes sure to catch the eye of a recruiter. But there are not many web sites that focus on resumes that flow well and the content to demonstrate your experience. After all, that is one of the reasons I started preparedresume.com.

Therefore, resume bullet points are not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when we imagine a great resume, right? Even though bullet points are often an afterthought, they are the most important thing on your resume. Forget about your job titles and the companies that you have worked for previously. Impactful and strong bullet points are the thing that you are going to get you that job. So, how can you craft the perfect bullet points? Thats what we are going to talk about next.

Second Detail Duties And Responsibilities In Your Work Experience Section

Once youve found job postings that interest you, you can begin making your resume. You can write your work experience section by including your previous and current job positions. Underneath each job title, you should include three to five bullet points listing your job duties and responsibilities. Try to make each bullet point detailed and specific with information relevant to the experience and skills mentioned in the job posting.

Your first bullet point beneath your work experience should be the most relevant to the position. For example, if youre applying for a social media specialist role, you should list responsibilities related to social media skills, like mentioning that you created social media posts to publish on various outlets. Try to explain the results each work responsibility brought in, if possible.

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How To Punctuate And Capitalize Bullet Points

Everyone loves a vertical list. Theyre easy to read. They look good. Why wouldnt you want to add a list to your work? The tricky thing is punctuation. Do you need a colon to introduce a list? Should each point start with a capital letter and end with a period? So many choices to make!

To help, weve prepared a guide to punctuating and capitalizing bullet points.

Tips For Writing Effective Resume Bullet Points

Keep these guidelines in mind as you boil down your duties, achievements, and skills:

• Craft bullet points tailored to the job. Select duties or achievements that match the qualifications for the job. Then, include two to four bullet points for each job or educational or volunteering experience you list. Avoid repeating yourself by restating the same responsibilities in different variations. List the items that are the most relevant to the job you want before items that are less consequential.
• Keep it simple. By virtue of their format, bullet points on a resume demand brevity. Each one should include a concise phrase or sentence.
• Use impactful language. Use vivid action verbs over mundane ones whenever possible to give the reader a more realistic sense of what you did.
• Skip the periods. Remember: Bullet points are often fragments rather than complete sentences. But if you choose to use a period for one phrase, use one for every bullet to maintain consistency and make your resume look more uniform and professional.
• Use a conventional bullet style, such as circles, hyphens, or small squares. Avoid other symbols that might look too confusing or might render incorrectly on a recipient’s device. Style issues make it hard to evaluate the substance of your resume.

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The Purpose Of Your Resume & Linkedin Profile

For job seekers, the purpose of your resume and LinkedIn profile is not to get you a job. It’s to get hiring managers and recruiters to call you.

Optimizing your resume and LinkedIn profile is the key to getting your job application in front of the right people. Your resume should be optimized with the right keywords so it can get past the ATS, and your LinkedIn profile should be optimized so it comes up in search results when a hiring manager or recruiter is looking to hire professionals with specific skills or experience.

If you do these two things, your job application will end up in the hands of the hiring manager. But, that’s not enough you need to stand out against the other job applicants.

The best way to stand out in the screening process is to quantify your work experienceon both your resume and LinkedIn profile. But, you don’t want to give too much information away. You want to include just enough information on your resume to make hiring managers and recruiters say, “This person looks qualified. They have the right skills and experience, and also some impressive accomplishments. But I want to know more. Let’s give them a call.”

See how that works? The purpose of your resume and LinkedIn profile is to land you an interview. It’s to get employers to call you back. And it all comes down to optimizing your resume and LinkedIn profile and quantifying your work history on both.