Resume Tips: 4 Ways to Quantify Your Resume Accomplishments
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Adding numbers to your resume claims can give your application a boost on several levels and provide a narrow edge that can put you a step ahead of your competitors. Numbers make everything more concrete and easy to visualize, and while abstract claims can be easy to forget, a few hard numbers can bring your claims to the forefront of your reader’s thoughts and keep them there long after your competitor’s claims are forgotten. Resume details also tend to blur together when hiring managers are sifting through fifty applications at a time, and a memorable, concrete claim can set you apart in a field of applicants who make abstract assertions that can’t be proven or measured. So here are a few resume accomplishment tips that can help you turn vague, forgettable statements into hard-hitting, quantified facts.
Start by drawing a red circle around every adverb in your resume. Adverbs are words that end in Ðly, such as quickly, expediently, successfully, nearly, profoundly, and cheerfully. Go back through each of these and find a way to quantify the adverb or remove it altogether. How quickly did you complete that project or receive that promotion? Break down your revision into clear weeks, months, or years.
If you processed more forms per hour, closed more sales, generated more product ideas, or worked longer hours than an average employee in your position, include those averages. A bit of context will make your claim easier for your readers to understand.
If your team completed a complex merger or a successful product rollout, a few numbers will help your readers visualize your contributions. How many people were on this team? How extensive was your leadership role? How long did the project take? Exactly how much revenue did this project generate? And how rare is this accomplishment?
Too many resume use the words success and successfully to paint a relatively marginal accomplishment in broad non-specific strokes. But if you’re a successful employee or you lead a successful division, use numbers to describe what this means. At the same time, if you see success in your future, explain exactly where you’re headed and how this vision will come to pass. For a more successful resume, use our simple-to-use resume builder tool.
