How to Write Job Duties for Resume

Many get the same way about what to include here. They unearth the former posting, steal the responsibilities, update to past tense, and then turn the page. While it’s Yes correct, it’s also pretty much indistinguishable from everyone else who’s held this role.

The problem isn’t a lack of clever phrasing. Instead, you only have to add one extra bit of information to each of your bullet points – what resulted from it? Read on to discover how to list jobs on resume so a hiring manager can easily understand the extent of what you were responsible for, your achievements, and the value you brought to the new role. It also discusses two situations that most guides ignore: roles without easily measurable results, and temp or agency jobs.

Duties, responsibilities and accomplishments: What’s the difference?

These words get used interchangeably, but separating them makes writing easier.

Once you see the difference, figuring out how to write responsibilities in resume gets easier. A weak bullet stops at the duty. A strong one usually blends two or three of these into a single line.

Why a plain list of tasks gets skimmed past

You didn’t think we were going to leave you hanging, did you? First of all, recruiters do not read your resume front to back on the initial pass. An eye-tracking study on the job search site Ladders in 2018 shows the average first pass is just 7.4 seconds, and recruiters prefer to read resumes that are made up of punchy, declarative bullet points, not paragraph after paragraph. Some recruiters have questioned the how the 7.4 seconds statistic was derived, and some roles will require heavier analysis, but the rule remains: that first scan is light, and job titles and the first word of each bullet point are the winning words.

That’s why it’s more effective to state “Processed biweekly payroll for 120 employees” than to write “Responsible for processing payroll.” The first gives the skimming employer with a verb to sink in and a quick scale and scope of something in that opening moment. For more on how a recruiter’s eye soars a resume, see our article on resume scanning patterns.

How to Write Duties and Responsibilities in Resume, Step by Step 

1. Use the first position you desire, not the present one. Use the language from the task announcement and list 5-8 requirements. They determine which duties you list and what the language is that you use to describe those tasks.
2. Describe in detail what you did in the previous weeks. You may refer to a typical week. Who were your customers? What tools, materials, or media did you use? How many? To jog your memory, look up the occupational summaries at ONET OnLine, the Department of Labor’s website. Break down the task statements and draw from them. ONET is about jobs, not you, so your experience is valid, still!
3. Keep only what matches. Choose the responsibilities for resume that line up with the posting. For recent, related roles, aim for three to six bullets .
4. Each bullet should be written as an action you performed, plus scope and/or results. The basic formula, as we call it, is [action verb] + [details of what you did, like volumes, media audiences, etc.] + [result or why you did it].
5. Position the most appealing bullet at the beginning. Group your material based on the requirements of the new position rather than your own experience, and order the groups by emphasis.
6. Change to the present tense and cut down on fluff. Write in the past tense and only include what you were at the time. Remove all “Responsible for, ” “Duties included” and “Helped with” sections and start with a verb.

Before-and-after examples

These examples show how to describe jobs on a resume for roles common in administrative, healthcare, accounting and IT work. The numbers are illustrative; use your own.

Notice that none of the “after” versions use inflated language. They’re just more specific.

What if your job doesn’t come with numbers?

Many good jobs won’t have sales or growth targets. Receptionists, legal secretaries, property assistants and file clerks will still have evidence, and sometimes companies don’t list job duties in detail, rather they use it in bullets to get the idea also it will just be in a different form. Consider:

Volume: calls files patients units invoices, requests/Day/week

Scale: total number of people, offices, properties, or accounts assisted.

Accuracy and timeliness, timely submissions, defect free audits, accurate, and up-to-date records.

Trust working with sensitive/for-a-matter files, making sure a new employee gets up to speed, becoming the employee people turn to for a particular system.

Improvement: the end of a process you streamlined, the output of a template you built, a big backlog you eliminated.

It’s okay to say something like “about 40 calls a day, ” as long as you can give a good explanation in an interview. An arbitrary number isn’t, and it will just run into the ground on one follow-up question.

How to list temp, contract and agency jobs

If you’ve had experience with a staffing agency, two honest options are:

For several short assignments, list the staffing agency as your employer with the total dates of your work, then include each individual assignment below with a bullet point or two. This approach demonstrates consistent employment, rather than making your resume appear as though you have frequently changed jobs.

For bulkier assignments, set out the role and client first and the arrangement in brackets. E.g. Paralegal (contract through [Agency name]), [Client firm], 2024-2026.

Whichever path you choose, make sure to include all of the same names and dates that a recruiter would find if they looked you up. And if you’ve got shorter assignments that don’t seem useful for the position you want, you can put them together with the longer assignments without bullets.

Mistakes that quietly weaken your experience section

Using the same words you used in the job description. It describes what a recruiter is looking for in the position, not what you actually did in the role.

• Doing the same duty in a number of jobs. Had the two employment dates of jobs that overlapped, then list different parts of the work for each.
• Trying to list responsibilities for every task. A bullet about restocking printer paper knocks a better bullet off the page .
• Keyword stuffing. Use the same words used in the posting when they apply to you. Applicant tracking systems and people are both searching for the same things.
• Bullet points should be brief, easier for hiring managers to scan and make it easier to discuss during an interview.

Want a recruiter’s eyes on your resume?

At NRI Staffing, our recruiters review resumes every day for administrative, legal, healthcare, IT, accounting, property management and government roles. If you’ve rewritten your job duties and want to put the new version to work, browse our current job openings or submit your resume and a recruiter will see how your experience lines up with the roles we’re filling. If you’re curious what happens after you apply, our hiring process page walks through each step.