---
name: work-experience
description: How to write high-impact, quantified bullet points for professional experience. Covers STAR/CAR frameworks, metric integration, role tailoring, and British English conventions.
metadata:
  tags: ["cv", "work-experience", "bullet-points", "star-method", "ats", "british-english"]
---

# Work Experience Writing Skill

Use this skill when writing the **Professional Experience** section of a CV. This is the evidence section — every bullet point must prove the candidate can do what the profile claims.

## Role of This Section

Professional experience transforms raw job history into a persuasive narrative of delivery and impact. The recruiter reads this section to answer: "Has this person done this kind of work before, and did they do it well?"

## Principles

1. **Impact first, responsibilities second.** Every bullet should communicate what the candidate achieved, not just what they were asked to do. Start with the result or the action, not the job description.
2. **Quantify wherever possible.** Use numbers, percentages, timeframes, scale indicators. "Improved reporting speed by 30%" beats "Improved reporting processes". When exact metrics aren't available, use directional language: "Reduced manual effort across..."
3. **Tailor bullet selection to the JD.** The candidate may have 6 bullets per role in their knowledge base. Select the 3–5 most relevant to the target job. Rephrase bullets to echo JD language.
4. **Reverse-chronological order.** Most recent role first. Each role: employer, location, job title, dates, 3–5 bullets.
5. **British English.** "optimised" not "optimized", "specialising" not "specializing", "utilisation" not "utilization".

## Frameworks

### STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)

For complex achievements:

```
[Action verb] + [what was done] + [context/scale] + [measurable result]
```

Example: "Designed and deployed a RAG pipeline serving 500+ daily queries, reducing response latency by 40%."

### CAR (Challenge, Action, Result)

For problem-solving bullets:

```
[Challenge context] + [action taken] + [result achieved]
```

Example: "Addressed reporting delays across 3 product teams by automating dashboard refreshes, cutting turnaround from 2 days to 4 hours."

### Responsibility Bullets (use sparingly)

When a role needs baseline context before achievements:

```
[Action verb] + [core responsibility] + [scope/scale context]
```

Example: "Built and maintained FastAPI backend services supporting 10+ product features."

## Bullet Point Rules

- **Start with a strong action verb:** Designed, Engineered, Led, Built, Optimised, Delivered, Coordinated, Implemented, Automated, Deployed
- **One achievement per bullet.** Don't chain "Built X and also did Y" — split them
- **4–6 bullets per recent role, 2–4 per older/less relevant role**
- **No paragraphs.** CVs are scanned, not read. Bullet points only
- **No personal pronouns.** "Led deployment of..." not "I led the deployment of..."
- **Present tense for current role, past tense for previous roles**

## Role-Level Tailoring

The same role should be described differently depending on the target job:

| JD Focus | Emphasise These Bullets |
|---|---|
| AI/ML Engineering | Pipelines, models, RAG, evaluation, deployment |
| Backend Development | APIs, databases, services, integration, performance |
| Platform/Infrastructure | Cloud, Docker, CI/CD, scaling, monitoring |
| Strategy/Consulting | Stakeholder engagement, solution design, enablement |
| Leadership/Management | Team coordination, mentorship, delivery, process |

## ATS Optimization

- Use the exact tool/technology names from the JD in bullet context
- Include measurable outcomes even where ATS may not parse them — they matter more for human readers
- Bullet format: flat list with `*` prefix (consistent across all roles)
- Avoid nested bullets or sub-headings within experience entries

## Do's and Don'ts

| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Lead with action verbs + results | Lead with "Responsible for..." or "Duties included..." |
| Quantify with numbers or directional scale | Use vague claims ("significantly improved", "greatly enhanced") |
| Select bullets based on JD relevance | Copy-paste all bullets from the knowledge base |
| Use British spelling consistently | Mix British and American throughout |
| Rephrase bullets to echo JD language | Use completely generic bullet text across applications |
| Keep 3–5 bullets per role | Exceed 7 bullets for any single role |
| Use past tense for previous roles | Mix tenses within a single role |

## Quality Gates

- [ ] Every bullet starts with a strong action verb
- [ ] At least 60% of bullets include a quantifiable or directional result
- [ ] Bullets selected/edited for JD relevance (not all knowledge base bullets included)
- [ ] Reverse-chronological order, consistent date formatting
- [ ] British spelling throughout
- [ ] No first-person pronouns
- [ ] 3–5 bullets per recent role, proportionally fewer for older roles