Even job seekers with sterling track records and impeccable credentials will struggle to top the competition if they fail to effectively translate their achievements onto paper or into talking points for interview purposes.
When it comes to getting your resume noticed or trouncing other candidates during interviews, numbers count.
Show How Many, How Much and How Often
Your career experience and accomplishments come to life when you detail them with numbers and statistics. For example, which sounds more impressive?
- “Developed social media campaign to promote new retail product line” or
- “Developed social media campaign for new retail product line that resulted in 10 percent increase in sales over a five-month period.”
If you can’t produce exact numbers, estimates are acceptable as long as you can justify them.
Here’s another example:
- “Answered phones at reception desk” versus
- “Managed switchboard with 10 incoming lines, effectively receiving and rerouting an average of 500 calls per day.”
Ask yourself how many, how much and how often you made value-added contributions to the success of your employer’s business and contributed to improved results. These are your selling points as you enhance your resume or ace your next job interview.
Use Action/Benefit Statements
Look at your resume as a marketing tool to persuade perspective employers that you’d be a perfect job fit. Describe specific action you took when faced with challenging situations or opportunities and the improvements that occurred as a result. These could include increases in revenue, reductions in cost, streamlined processes or systems, or improved morale, employee engagement or productivity.
- Start statements with active verbs. Use words like “managed, spearheaded, directed” and “implemented” – and then quantify the results whenever possible. If you can’t get the numbers, use the most specific wording possible. For example: “Developed and implemented a new sales training program that resulted in a 37 percent increase in new business in a single fiscal year.”
- Say it with numbers, percentages or dollar amounts. These statistics reflect how well you have performed against others at your level and how much measurable value you have added to the success of an organization. In essence, they set you apart from the competition.
The importance of quantifying your experience cannot be overstated as you take steps to realize your career goals and aspirations. To learn more about resume writing, interview prep and other key steps and resources, read our related posts or contact the expert recruiters at PrideStaff Modesto today.
