The Google XYZ formula is a simple way to write resume bullets that show results. Each bullet answers three questions: what you accomplished, how you measured it, and how you did it.
The formula
Accomplished [X], as measured by [Y], by doing [Z].
- X: the result or outcome.
- Y: the number, percentage, time, or other measure that shows the result.
- Z: the action or method you used.
Before and after examples
Customer support
Before: Responsible for handling customer support tickets.
After: Reduced average ticket response time from 24 hours to 6 hours, as measured by the help desk dashboard, by creating reply templates for the top 20 recurring questions.
Marketing
Before: Managed social media accounts and created content.
After: Grew newsletter sign-ups by 35% over six months, as measured by monthly subscriber reports, by testing three landing-page headlines and publishing a weekly guide.
Finance
Before: Helped with month-end closing.
After: Shortened month-end close from 10 days to 6, as measured by the close calendar, by automating bank reconciliation imports.
When you don't have a number
Many good results don't come with a clean metric. Use a measure that is real and checkable, such as a count, a timeline, or a scope:
- "Trained 12 new hires on the reporting tool, as measured by completed onboarding sign-offs, by building a two-hour workshop."
- "Managed a $150K vendor budget, as measured by the annual spend report, by renegotiating two contracts."
If you truly have no measure, write the scope instead of inventing one. Do not add numbers you can't defend in an interview.
Common mistakes
- Listing duties instead of results. "Responsible for" describes a job, not an outcome.
- Vague measures. "Improved efficiency" doesn't say how you know.
- Too many bullets per role. Four to six strong bullets are usually enough.
- Inflated numbers. Recruiters often ask follow-up questions about metrics.
Write your own bullets
- Pick one project from your last job.
- Write what changed because of it (X).
- Find a number, date, or count that shows the change (Y).
- Name the main action you took (Z).
- Combine them with the formula, then trim the wording.
Once your bullets are written, check them against a specific job with the AcuRole audit, which shows which requirements are still missing.