When you’re writing a resume, you have two pages tops to prove to a hiring manager that you’re the right person for the job. Before you become overwhelmed, read the tips below.

1. Don’t just list job duties

Scrubbing toilets probably isn’t something you’ll want to include as the first bullet point in your experience at your high school job. In fact, for most job applications, it probably isn’t a bullet point you should include at all! Avoid listing specific tasks you would find in a generic job description. That information is usually already available.

Instead, focus on what you did well. If you must include your toilet-scrubbing background, consider the wording. What made you the best toilet scrubber around? Was it your attention to detail? Maybe you went above and beyond and also made sure to refill the soap dispenser. Listing only job duties on a resume becomes both redundant and unnecessary—instead, use that valuable space to sell yourself.

2. Only include it if you made an impact

If it’s not something you would call your mom or dad to brag about, it probably doesn’t belong on your resume.

You have very limited space on this document. Make sure what you include is valuable. Did you receive an award or honor at your last job? Surpass a sales goal? When writing your bullets, consider what really matters and make those few words count. Pick high-impact words with specific, powerful details.

Cluttering the page with too many minute details about the day-to-day of your job will distract a hiring manager from what makes you truly remarkable. Quantify that awesomeness with specific traits, numbers, and recognition.

3. Keep them short and sweet (and grammatically correct)

A bullet point should be no longer than a line or two. Any more than that, and you run the risk of your reader just glazing over what you might consider crucial details. Don’t get hung up on the verbiage of your bullets—choose high-impact, easy to understand words so that your reader doesn’t have to pull out a dictionary just to read your resume.

On that note, make sure your resume is grammatically correct and consistent. It goes without saying that you should always proofread your document for any grammatical errors, but you should also make sure your bullet points match. They should not be formatted as complete sentences, and should always follow a consistent verb tense based on whether the job held was past, or present.

Make Them Count

Worried about the impact of your bullet points? Try a resume builder to help you convert your work experiences, skills, and goals into meaningful snippets of information. If you’re applying for a new job in which you have little familiarity with resume creating, you may want to consider using a resume template instead. These resume examples can provide you with clear guidance on how you should format your next resume.