Your Resume Needs to Prove It!

Often times we have candidates call in wondering if anyone has seen their application. You sent your resume in, why won’t anyone look at it? Would you like to know how to get your application seen by the right people? Make sure you have listed your “quantifiable accomplishments”.

Without the numbers, many resumes read like a job description in reverse. They’re a listing of all of the things that an employee is supposed to do, but where do you show that you actually accomplished the job? Resume screeners, without any substance to look at, will quickly skip to the next candidate.

A resume must project, clearly, what you have accomplished in each and every position. Employers don’t care what you were supposed to be doing. They care about what you’ve gotten done, and what you can do. When you show the proof of your success with quantifiable data the results are your quantifiable accomplishments. A successful role in any job includes how much you’ve improved in that job. For example: If you work in sales, how much improvement in sales or margins have you made? This statement could take the form of “X to Y by When”.

Here are some examples to get your resume started:

  • Increased sales from $2.5 million to $4.5 million in 2 years.
  • Reduced operating expenses from 12% of gross margin to 8% in 18 months.

Quantifiable accomplishments don’t stop there. Employers also want to know that you can solve problems. Every job has problems to solve. Let’s say you managed an unprofitable division.

Examples of problems solved could include:

  • Reduced repair costs by 30%
  • Reduced average COGS from 70% to 54%
  • Improved daily revenue per employee by 28% from $2,320 per employee to $2,970

Do you notice the use of numbers? They’re what make these examples quantifiable. If you are an employee and you don’t know your numbers, you should make it your mission to get to know them. One of the very first questions that will be asked in an interview is how much you’ve done. But, first you have to get to the interview, so your numbers need to be in your resume.

There is a need for caution, though. Don’t embellish your numbers. Many employers will check and verify where they can. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. That means if you make it to the interview, you must be able to back those numbers up.

Keep your quantifiable accomplishments in mind as you edit your resume. When you have the new and improved version ready, head over to our job search page to get your resume to the top of the list. To learn more about how we help top talent in the industry visit our Network page by clicking here.