Skip to main content
John Chambers College of
Business and Economics
About | Directory | WVU Home

Craft Compelling Bullets

Utilizing the STAR Method 

STAR stands for: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Using this format to create bullet points will help you to better showcase your achievements and organize your resume to make it easier to read. 
 
Situation: What situation or challenge did you face? 
Task: What task were you involved in? What was the goal? 
Action: What actions did you take to achieve the task? How did you contribute to your team? 
Result: What was the outcome? How did it benefit the company 
 
Below is an example of how to effectively use STAR. 
 
Situation: Employee productivity was down 20% from last quarter. 
Task: Increase productivity by 20% or higher in six months. 
Action: Implemented development programs to upskill employees and train them on more efficient workflow strategies. 
Result: Productivity increased by 45% in six months. 
 
Put all together, and a bullet point may look something like this: 
 
  • Improved manufacturing productivity by 45% in six months by upskilling employees and introducing new workflow strategies. 

Task vs. Accomplishment  

Focus on your accomplishments/results and how you were valuable to past employers instead of your responsibilities.    

  • Before: 
    • Responsibilities included implementation of policies and procedures, training of new employees, interfacing with subordinates and vendors. 
  • After: 
    • Collaborated with vendors and colleagues to increase product turnover by 15% and sales by 23%. 
    • Trained 14 new employees, 5 of whom were rapidly promoted.
 

Open-ended vs. Measurable 

Use quantifiable and measurable information in your bullets. For example, # of employees supervised, $ amount of budget managed, # of workshops taught or projects coordinated, $ amount saved by your efforts. 
 
  • Before: 
    • Managed a team of people at the store.
  • After: 
    • Managed a team of 30 café team members to ensure high-demand items were in stock for customer purchases.
 

Vague vs. Specific 

Create bullet points that are specific. Ambiguous bullet points leave employers unsure of what you accomplished and how you benefited the company/place of work. 
 
  • Before: 
    • Answered customer questions.
  • After: 
    • Created a positive customer experience by utilizing problem solving skills to answer customer questions.
 

Subjective vs. Objective 

Make sure to write your bullet points objectively and not subjectively. It is best practice to clearly state what you are trying to explain. 

  • Before: 
    • Instead of “Experienced public speaker.
  • After: 
    • Delivered 45 presentations to groups of 50-60 prospective WVU students & families regarding the Chambers College, major-specific content, tutoring, and campus life.