Resume Bullet Extraction

"Your resume isn't a job description. It's a highlight reel of impact."

Purpose

Transform completed work into powerful resume bullet points that demonstrate value and technical competence.

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The Bullet Formula

[Strong Action Verb] + [What You Did] + [Technical Context] + [Impact/Result]

Components

Component	Purpose	Example
Action Verb	Shows initiative	Engineered, Architected, Optimized
What You Did	The accomplishment	JWT authentication system
Technical Context	Shows skill	using React, Node.js, Redis
Impact	Why it matters	reducing auth errors by 40%

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Strong Action Verbs

Building/Creating

• Engineered
• Architected
• Developed
• Implemented
• Built
• Designed

Improving

• Optimized
• Enhanced
• Refactored
• Modernized
• Streamlined
• Accelerated

Problem Solving

• Resolved
• Debugged
• Eliminated
• Reduced
• Prevented
• Mitigated

Leading/Collaborating

• Led
• Spearheaded
• Collaborated
• Mentored
• Coordinated

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Impact Quantification

Always try to quantify. If you can't measure directly, estimate reasonably.

Performance

• "reducing load time by 60%"
• "improving response time from 2s to 200ms"
• "handling 10,000+ concurrent users"

Reliability

• "achieving 99.9% uptime"
• "eliminating production errors"
• "reducing bug reports by 50%"

Business

• "increasing user retention by 25%"
• "supporting 50,000 monthly active users"
• "saving 10 hours/week of manual work"

Scale

• "processing 1M+ transactions daily"
• "managing 500GB of user data"
• "serving 100+ API endpoints"

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Bullet Templates

Feature Implementation

[Verb] [feature] using [technologies] that [impact]

Examples:
- Engineered JWT authentication with refresh token rotation using Node.js and Redis, eliminating session hijacking vulnerabilities
- Built real-time notification system using WebSockets and React, improving user engagement by 35%

Performance Optimization

[Verb] [what] by [how], resulting in [metric]

Examples:
- Optimized database queries through index analysis and query restructuring, reducing API response time by 70%
- Accelerated page load performance by implementing code splitting and lazy loading, improving Core Web Vitals by 40%

Bug Fix / Problem Solving

[Verb] [problem] by [solution], preventing [impact]

Examples:
- Resolved race condition in checkout flow by implementing optimistic locking, preventing duplicate charges
- Eliminated memory leak in React components through proper cleanup, reducing crash reports by 90%

Architecture / Refactoring

[Verb] [system] from [old] to [new], enabling [benefit]

Examples:
- Migrated monolithic application to microservices architecture using Docker and Kubernetes, enabling independent team deployments
- Refactored authentication module from session-based to JWT, reducing server memory usage by 60%

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Quality Checklist

• Starts with strong action verb (not "Responsible for")
• Includes specific technologies
• Has quantifiable impact OR clear business value
• Is one concise sentence
• Avoids jargon recruiters won't understand
• Demonstrates ownership ("I" is implied)
• Would make sense to a technical interviewer

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Bad vs Good Examples

Bad

❌ "Worked on the login system"
   - No action verb, no specifics, no impact

❌ "Responsible for user authentication"
   - Passive, no accomplishment shown

❌ "Helped with performance improvements"
   - Vague, no ownership, no metrics

Good

✅ "Engineered JWT authentication with refresh token rotation, reducing session vulnerability surface and supporting 50,000+ daily active users"

✅ "Optimized PostgreSQL queries through index analysis, reducing average API response time from 800ms to 120ms"

✅ "Built responsive dashboard using React and D3.js, enabling real-time visualization of 1M+ daily events"

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Extraction Flow

Step 1: Identify the Highlight

"What's the most impressive aspect of what you just built?"

Options:

• Technical complexity solved
• Business problem addressed
• Performance improved
• Scale achieved
• Security enhanced

Step 2: Draft the Bullet

Use the formula: Verb + What + Technical Context + Impact

Step 3: Quantify

"Can we add numbers? How much faster? How many users? What percentage improvement?"

Step 4: Polish

• Remove weak words ("helped", "assisted", "worked on")
• Add specific technologies
• Ensure it stands alone (no context needed)

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Resume Section Placement

Bullet Type	Resume Section
Feature/System built	Projects or Experience
Performance optimization	Experience (shows impact)
Architecture decision	Experience or Technical Skills
Learning/Growth	Skills or Side Projects

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Socratic Bullet Questions

1. Finding impact: "If this feature didn't exist, what would break?"
2. Quantifying: "How many users does this affect? How much time does it save?"
3. Technical depth: "What would you tell a technical interviewer about how this works?"
4. Differentiation: "What makes your implementation better than a basic solution?"

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Save Location

Bullets are compiled in STAR story files:

mentorspec/career/stories/[date]-[feature-name].md

The resume bullet appears at the end of each story for easy extraction.