Impact Formula: Verb + Context + Metric

The Universal Syntax

Every strong resume bullet point follows the same structure. It's not creative writing. It's not storytelling. It's proof architecture.

The Formula:

Action Verb + Context + Metric = Impact

I've reviewed 50,000 resumes. The ones that land interviews follow this formula religiously. The ones that get rejected skip the context or the metric—usually both.

Here's why this formula works: recruiters don't have time to interpret vague claims. They need evidence, fast. When you write "Improved team efficiency," I have to guess what that means. When you write "Reduced sprint cycle time by 30% (from 10 days to 7 days) for a team of 12 engineers," I know exactly what you delivered.

For a complete breakdown of how experience translation works, see our Ultimate Experience Translation Guide.

Step 1: Choose the Right Action Verb

Your verb sets the tone. It signals your level of ownership and seniority.

Weak Verbs (Avoid These):

These verbs position you as a passenger, not a driver. They suggest you were present but not accountable.

Strong Verbs (Use These):

Match your verb to your actual role. If you were a team lead, use "Led." If you built a system, use "Built." If you improved a process, use "Optimized." Precision matters.

Step 2: Add Context and Constraints

Context is what separates junior from senior performance. It answers the scale question: How big? How complex? Under what constraints?

Without Context:

• "Managed a development team"
• "Delivered a project on time"
• "Improved customer satisfaction"

These tell me nothing. A team of 2 or 20? A $10K project or $10M? Satisfaction from 50% to 55% or 70% to 95%?

With Context:

• "Led 8 full-stack engineers across 3 time zones"
• "Delivered a $2.5M migration project 6 weeks ahead of schedule"
• "Improved customer satisfaction from 72% to 91% (3,200 survey responses)"

Now I can benchmark your performance. I can compare you to other candidates. I can picture the complexity.

Types of Context to Include:

Context Type	Example
Team Size	"Led a cross-functional team of 15 (5 engineers, 6 designers, 4 PMs)"
Budget/Revenue	"Managed $4.3M annual budget with zero overruns"
Timeline	"Delivered MVP in 90 days (vs. 6-month industry standard)"
Scope	"Across 12 global markets and 4 product lines"
Volume	"Processing 2.5M transactions/day with 99.97% uptime"
Stakeholders	"Coordinating with C-suite, Legal, and 8 external vendors"

The more constraints you operated under, the more impressive your results become.

Step 3: End with Measurable Results

This is where most resumes fail. You did the work. You added context. But then you stop before proving the impact.

Claims Without Metrics:

• "Improved system performance"
• "Enhanced user experience"
• "Streamlined operations"
• "Increased revenue"

These are promises, not proof. Every candidate claims these outcomes. Show me the numbers.

Proof With Metrics:

• "Reduced API response time by 62% (from 850ms to 320ms)"
• "Increased user engagement by 34% (MAU from 180K to 241K)"
• "Cut operational costs by $780K annually through process automation"
• "Grew MRR by 127% YoY ($2.1M to $4.8M)"

Now I believe you. I can verify these numbers during reference checks. I can compare them to benchmarks. I can assess whether your impact justifies the salary you're asking for.

Metric Types That Work:

The Formula in Action

Let me show you how weak bullets transform when you apply this formula.

Example 1: Engineering

Before: "Worked on improving system reliability."

After: "Reduced system downtime by 89% (from 45 hours/month to 5 hours) by implementing automated failover across 6 microservices handling 2.3M requests/day."

What Changed:

• Verb: "Worked on" → "Reduced"
• Context: Added service count (6 microservices) and traffic volume (2.3M requests/day)
• Metric: Specific downtime reduction with before/after numbers

Example 2: Marketing

Before: "Managed social media campaigns."

After: "Grew Instagram engagement by 340% (from 12K to 53K monthly interactions) by launching 4 influencer partnerships and 15 UGC campaigns across 8 months."

What Changed:

• Verb: "Managed" → "Grew"
• Context: Added campaign types (influencer + UGC) and timeline (8 months)
• Metric: Specific engagement growth with absolute numbers

Example 3: Operations

Before: "Improved warehouse efficiency."

After: "Reduced order fulfillment time by 41% (from 2.8 days to 1.65 days) by redesigning layout across 85,000 sq ft facility and retraining 23 staff members."

What Changed:

• Verb: "Improved" → "Reduced"
• Context: Added facility size and team size
• Metric: Time reduction with precise before/after numbers

Example 4: Sales

Before: "Responsible for client relationships."

After: "Expanded contract value by 215% ($940K to $2.96M) across 18 enterprise accounts by identifying upsell opportunities and negotiating multi-year renewals."

What Changed:

• Verb: "Responsible for" → "Expanded"
• Context: Added account count (18 enterprise) and strategy (upsell + renewals)
• Metric: Revenue growth with dollar amounts

Common Formula Mistakes

Mistake 1: Action Without Context

"Led a team to deliver a major project ahead of schedule."

This sounds impressive until I ask: How big was the team? What made the project "major"? Ahead of schedule by a day or a quarter?

Fix: "Led 12 engineers to deliver a $4.2M payment system 8 weeks ahead of schedule, processing $18M in transactions within 6 months of launch."

Mistake 2: Context Without Results

"Managed a cross-functional team of 25 across 4 departments and 3 countries."

Impressive scale, but what did the team accomplish? Coordination alone isn't an achievement.

Fix: "Led 25-person cross-functional team across 4 departments and 3 countries to launch unified CRM, reducing customer response time by 56% and increasing NPS from 42 to 71."

Mistake 3: Metrics Without Action

"40% increase in user retention during my tenure."

Was this your work or market conditions? Did you drive the change or just witness it?

Fix: "Increased user retention by 40% (from 65% to 91%) by redesigning onboarding flow and implementing 8 automated engagement campaigns."

Mistake 4: Vague Metrics

"Significantly improved team performance."

"Significantly" is not a number. Neither is "substantially," "considerably," or "dramatically."

Fix: "Improved team sprint velocity by 38% (from 52 to 72 story points/sprint) by implementing pair programming and automated testing."

How to Find Your Metrics

Most people tell me: "My role doesn't have metrics." Wrong. Every role has metrics. You just haven't looked hard enough.

If you can't measure it directly, measure the proxy:

Role Type	Common Proxy Metrics
Admin/Support	Response time, error rates, tickets resolved, satisfaction scores
Creative	Engagement rates, conversion lift, campaign ROI, brand reach
HR/People	Time to hire, retention rates, training completion, eNPS scores
Operations	Cycle time, defect rates, capacity utilization, SLA compliance
Strategy/Consulting	Recommendations implemented, client retention, cost savings identified

Questions to Extract Metrics:

1. How many people/accounts/projects did you handle?
2. What was the budget, timeline, or volume?
3. What improved after your work? (Time, cost, quality, revenue)
4. What got faster, cheaper, or more reliable?
5. How did your work compare to the previous baseline?
6. What would have happened if you hadn't done this work?

Ask your manager. Check your performance reviews. Pull analytics dashboards. Your metrics exist—they're just buried in spreadsheets and meeting notes.

Verification Test

Run every bullet through this filter:

Does it answer all three questions?

1. What did you do? (Action verb)
2. At what scale? (Context and constraints)
3. With what impact? (Measurable result)

If you can't answer all three, rewrite the bullet. If you deleted the context or the metric, would the bullet sound generic? If yes, add more specificity.

Quick Test:

Take your weakest bullet. Remove the company name. Remove the dates. Could this bullet appear on 50 other resumes in your field?

If yes, it fails. Make it specific enough that it could only describe YOUR work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I can't disclose exact numbers due to NDA?

Use ranges or percentages. Instead of "$4.8M in revenue," write "High seven-figure revenue growth." Instead of "reduced costs by $2.3M," write "reduced annual costs by 35%." Show magnitude without exposing proprietary data.

Should every bullet follow this formula?

Yes. Even "softer" accomplishments need proof. "Improved team morale" becomes "Increased team engagement scores from 6.2 to 8.4 (out of 10) based on quarterly surveys of 18 team members."

What if my metrics aren't impressive?

Small metrics beat no metrics. "Reduced error rate by 3%" is better than "improved quality." Context makes small numbers meaningful: "Reduced error rate by 3% in a system processing 800K transactions/day, preventing $240K in potential losses."

How do I write bullets for ongoing responsibilities?

Focus on improvements you made, not duties you perform. Don't write "Manage customer support queue." Write "Reduced average ticket resolution time by 28% (from 18 hours to 13 hours) by implementing priority triage system."

Can I estimate metrics if I don't have exact data?

Use conservative estimates with qualifiers. "Reduced processing time by approximately 40%" or "Saved an estimated 15+ hours/week in manual work." Avoid wild guesses—you'll need to defend these numbers in interviews.

Should I include multiple metrics in one bullet?

Yes, when they tell a complete story. "Launched mobile app to 45K users in 90 days, achieving 4.7-star rating and 68% 30-day retention, 22 percentage points above industry benchmark." For achievements with multiple dimensions that need more space, consider using sub-bullets—see Resume Bullets: When to Use Sub-Bullets for the complete framework.

What if my role is new and I don't have results yet?

Focus on process and early indicators. "Designed onboarding framework for 200+ new hires, reducing time-to-productivity by 25% based on first 30-day cohort (n=47)."

Final Thoughts

This formula isn't magic. It's discipline. Every bullet you write should prove that you deliver measurable value under realistic constraints. That's what separates candidates who get interviews from those who don't.

Recruiters spend 6 seconds scanning your resume. Give them proof, not promises. Action + Context + Metric = Evidence they can't ignore.

Now go rewrite every bullet on your resume. Apply the formula. If a bullet doesn't follow it, delete it or fix it. Your resume is proof of value—make every word count.