Writing achievement bullet points

7-day study plan

1. Day 1Understand the STAR Method
   Read

   The STAR method is the gold standard for transforming a boring list of duties into a powerful story of success. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. While you won't write the whole story on your resume, you use this framework to extract the most important information. The goal is to focus heavily on the Action and the Result because that is what recruiters care about most. Think of the Situation as the context and the Task as the challenge you faced. The Action describes exactly what you did to address the challenge, and the Result shows the positive outcome of your effort. Indian students often make the mistake of only listing the Task, such as 'Member of the School Cultural Committee'. This tells an employer nothing about your specific contribution or your effectiveness as a leader. Let us look at a concrete example. Imagine you were part of your school's annual fest. The Situation was a lack of funds for the event. The Task was to secure sponsors. Your Action was contacting local businesses with a new proposal. The Result was securing five sponsors and 20,000 Rupees. Instead of saying 'Collected sponsorships', you would use STAR to eventually write: 'Secured five local corporate sponsorships totaling 20,000 Rupees by designing and presenting a new value-proposition deck'. To use this method, start by drawing four columns on a piece of paper labeled S, T, A, and R. Spend today just thinking about one specific event and filling those columns. Do not worry about the final sentence yet; just get the facts down. This ensures you have a logical flow and a clear outcome for every point you decide to put on your resume later.

   Do

   Learn about Situation, Task, Action, Result and how it applies to bullet points.

   Check yourself

   • Can I explain what each letter in the STAR acronym stands for?
   • Did I identify a specific challenge and a clear result for one past experience?

   Day done
2. Day 2Identify Your Experiences
3. Day 3Brainstorm Actions
4. Day 4Quantify Your Impact
5. Day 5Draft Bullet Points
6. Day 6Refine for Clarity
7. Day 7Practice with New Examples

Revision notes

• Start each bullet point with a strong action verb (e.g., 'Developed', 'Managed', 'Led').
• Focus on accomplishments and results, not just responsibilities.
• Quantify your achievements whenever possible with numbers or percentages.
• Use the 'STAR' method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) mentally to structure your thoughts.
• Tailor bullet points to the specific opportunity you're applying for.
• Keep them concise and to the point, typically one to two lines.
• Avoid generic statements; be specific about your contributions.
• Proofread carefully for impact, grammar, and consistency.

Global case studies

Go deeper

• Khan Academy: Resumes, Action Verbs, and Quantifying
• MIT Career Guide: Writing Strong Bullet Points
• TED Talk: The Power of Vulnerability (about telling your story)