How To Write Resume Sentences (Formula + Examples)

You’re sitting there with the cursor staring back at you, trying to write your resume. You know it’s important to get the words right. You just have one question: “How do I start my resume sentences?.”

Figuring out how to write resume statements effectively can be challenging. It’s different from other writing styles. You’re trying to market yourself, which doesn’t come naturally to a lot of people. 

The good news is you don’t need to excel at writing to make an impressive resume. In this guide, learn how to start and end resume sentences and how a resume builder can help you beat the blank page. 

Need a resume rewrite? Try Teal's free AI resume builder.

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Understanding resume sentences

Resume sentences are the lines of text you include in bullet points and summaries to showcase your work experience and resume achievements. Your resume has to distill your professional experience with limited space. So every sentence has to pack a punch and get your point across. 

That’s why writing resume bullet points in sentence fragments makes more sense than full sentences. It’s a different type of writing than you learned in school. But with sentence fragments, you can get right to the point and save space, making it easier for a potential employer to skim for the information they need. 

So instead of writing, “I organized events and worked with 10 staff members to increase donations by 35%,” you could write:

• Produced fundraising events, increasing donations by 35%
• Collaborated with 10 staff members to plan quarterly development events

In this example, the pronoun “I” is gone. The achievement gets broken in two and the start of the sentence has an action verb. Constructing sentences this way can maximize visibility and avoid long sentences that might get overlooked. 

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To understand more about the overall structure of a resume, check out this guide on the about me resume section.

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How to start resume sentences

How you start your resume sentences matters. It’s how you get a hiring manager to keep reading. That’s why action verbs are the best way to start sentences on your resume.

Action verbs have power behind them and help you communicate your position in a precise way. When you use them, you start with your accomplishments and achievements. 

Compare “Led a global marketing team” and “I worked with a global marketing team.” Which one sounds more compelling? The action verb communicates your leadership qualities and abilities. Writing something like, “I worked on multiple projects” doesn’t tell a prospective employer much. Everyone works, so it’s not unique to your job experience. 

Action verbs are more effective at conveying your skills and strengths. When highlighting your achievements in your experience section, a solid resume bullet point formula:

Success Verb + Noun + Metric + [Strategy Optional] + Outcome = Formula

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How to start resume bullet point sentences for achievements section

This formula is best used in the achievements section of your resume. If you’re tight on space, add these as bullet points under each job you’ve held under your Work Experience section. After all, you should pepper your achievements throughout your resume to easily use this formula throughout. 

Here’s a breakdown of each part of the formula:

• Success verb: An action verb that accurately describes your skills
• Noun: A person, place, or thing
• Metric: A number used to show how something gets measured
• Strategy: The plan you made to accomplish the task (often addresses how you did it)
• Outcome: The results

Here are some examples showing the formula in action:

• Increased sales by 20% by launching new products resulting in $500,000 in revenue
• Analyzed customer data and reduced complaints by 25% by shifting the refund policy
• Supervised an SEO project increasing traffic by 33% by changing content strategy
• Managed a team of five employees increasing overall productivity
• Reduced operating expenses by 18% after changing software programs
• Fostered a team environment increasing productivity by 18%
• Implemented new ideas boosting customer satisfaction by 15% after facilitating a focus group
• Recruited clients leading to 60% more in revenue
• Mediated interpersonal challenges between employees, reducing complaints by 50%
• Led a team of 30 employees and reduced errors by implementing new training

Using this formula, you can kickstart your sentences with an action verb. That action verb immediately gives a hiring manager or recruiter a glimpse into your skills and abilities. The metrics provide hard data about what you achieved, while the strategy shows how you did it.

The end of your sentences should be the outcome. You could also use the XYZ method and end your sentence with how you achieved your accomplishment. The XYZ formula is “Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z].”

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How to start full sentences on a resume (for professional summary)

Unlike your work experience section where bullet points and sentence fragments are the norm, your professional summary should use full sentences. Additionally, a professional summary has a different construction. So if you’re wondering “How do I start resume sentences,” here’s a formula for your professional summary:

Adjective + job title + years of experience + skills + achievements 

Examples of full sentences on a resume

Skilled marketing professional with 10 years of experience in SEO, email marketing, and social media to increase brand visibility and conversions. 

Dynamic sales professional with 2 years of experience with cold calling, lead engagement, and increasing conversions, leading to a 25% boost in revenue. 

Compassionate public health professional with 8 years of experience working with diverse communities and increasing overall health outcomes by 35%. 

Flexible human resources manager with 5 years of experience managing benefits, vendor relationships, and recruitment for the organization. 

You can also vary your sentences so they don’t feel robotic or all look and sound the same using several methods like:

• STAR is short for situation, task, action, and result. 
• SAR is short for situation, action, and result. 
• PAR is short for project, activity, and results. 

These formulas can give you a structure for how to write sentences in a way that tells the story. But to spice things up a bit and personalize them to your liking, vary the order. For example, this guide on the STAR method shares the different ways to use this formula:

• [Situation] [task] [action] [result]
• [Task] [action] [situation] [result]
• [Action] [task] [result] [situation]
• [Result] [task] [action] [situation]

You can change things around to your style. The most important part is hitting all the key points. 

In addition to these formulas, you can use Teal’s Resume Builder to help craft bullet points and summaries in seconds using AI. Then revise and edit them to make sure they’re accurate and highlight your top qualities and achievements. Once everything is set, take the job description and put it into Teal, and find relevant keywords that match your experience.

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For more inspiration, check out resume summary examples.

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How to end resume sentences

Have you ever watched a great movie or read an exhilarating book that had an impact on you for hours afterward? You want to inspire the same kind of feeling at the end of your resume sentences.

You want the person reading your resume to feel like they can imagine you in the role just by reading your resume. So end your sentences with results or outcomes or the strategy you used to achieve your accomplishment. 

Going back to the formula above, the outcome should be at the end of the sentence. This completes the sentence on a positive note and leaves a lasting impression. 

Some ending examples could include:

• …resulting in 30% more efficiency 
• …reducing costs by 15% 
• …increased engagement by 50% year over year

As noted above, the “Z” in the XYZ formula is “by doing” which recommends ending sentences with what actions you took to get that result.

Some resume sentences ending this way include:

• …by creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• …by redesigning the website to make it mobile-friendly 
• …by implementing a new project management system 

Whatever way you choose to end your sentences, make sure you’re showing your value and the solutions you can provide. Instead of just listing tasks, you’re putting everything into context and showing your credibility. Describe and explain your achievements and why you’re the best fit for the job. 

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Should resume sentences have periods? 

In punctuation, you use a period to separate one sentence from another. It’s a way to break up thoughts and have them come to an end. But should resume sentences have periods? 

The general rule is to use periods on your resume if there is a full sentence. So if you’re writing a complete sentence in your professional summary, it makes sense to have periods to break up each thought. 

When you’re using sentence fragments in bullet points, you can skip the periods. The bullet points are the separating factor here and each line is a condensed version of a full sentence. 

The major thing is to be consistent with the types of sentences and punctuation. So for example, include periods after full sentences in the professional summary. In bullet points, use sentence fragments and no periods. You don’t want to have one full sentence as a bullet with a period and the others be sentence fragments without a bullet point. Commit to a style for consistency. 

Learn more about the importance of resume punctuation.

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Common mistakes in resume sentences

While every job seeker's resume sentences will be different, there are some common mistakes people make. These can devalue the work you put into your resume and take you out of the running. Your goal when submitting your resume is to get noticed and land an interview. 

To give yourself the best possible opportunity, avoid these common resume sentence mistakes:

• Spelling and grammar errors. Your sentences communicate a message about your job history and professional experience. Spelling and grammar errors can stick out like a sore thumb and can hurt your chances of moving forward. Run a resume spell check and review your grammar before finalizing your resume draft and submitting it. 
• Inconsistency. For clarity and legibility, your resume formatting should be consistent. For example, capitalizing all of your job titles, not using periods in sentence fragments, and using the same date format throughout your resume. If capitalization, format, and punctuation are inconsistent, it can look unprofessional and off-putting. 
• Writing full sentences. Your resume bullet points should be short and sweet. Writing full sentences in this area of your resume isn’t recommended. Instead, write sentence fragments to save space.
• No metrics. While your resume is mostly language-based, don’t forget to use some numbers to quantify your achievements. For example, percentages, number of hours saved, an amount of money raised or saved, etc. 
• Not using language from the job description. The job description for a role describes the type of person they’re looking for to join the company. When applying for a job, your sentences should match the vocabulary used in the job description when appropriate to show you’re the right candidate for the job.

Teal’s Resume Builder takes the hassle out of formatting your resume. You can easily add or remove certain aspects of your resume and create different versions for different positions. 

Plus, the AI achievements tool helps you write resume bullet points that convey your strengths and talents. Here is an example of how the tool works with your existing resume to recommend additional achievements that you can rework and revise for your situation. 

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Using Matching Mode, compare the job description and your resume and get a score to see if you’re on target using the right keywords.

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Write better resume sentences with achievement formulas

Every word on your resume is taking up precious real estate. That’s why the way you craft your resume sentences is key to your success. It’s not something you simply want to throw together and hope for the best. Be intentional and start each resume sentence with action verbs. Bonus points if they match the job description.

If you feel stressed about resume writing, you don’t have to start from scratch. Teal’s Resume Builder is a powerful tool to help you format your resume, write captivating achievements, and match the job description. Sign up for Teal for free to get started.

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