Do you think your resume is getting lost in a sea of applications? Are you worried your resume isn’t presenting your career in the proper light? If you want to make your resume stands out for all of the right reasons, you need to make sure you are doing one thing — quantifying your accomplishments.
What is Quantification?
Quantification is the act of expressing your accomplishments with various metrics. Most commonly, this means using solid numbers, percentages, and dollar amounts. This allows you to present hard evidence regarding your previous experience and abilities.
For example, “Lowered overall marketing costs,” doesn’t sound as impressive as, “Lowered marketing costs by 40%.”
Why Should You Quantify Your Accomplishments?
Most resumes present as a series of letters blending together on a page. Numbers, however, grab attention. They stand out visually against the rest of the text and give hiring managers something definitive to present. It puts your experience into perspective and provides an indication of the value you are bringing to a company.
Every hiring decision made within an organization relates to the bottom line. The more efficient you are at your job, the more likely your contributions will lead to greater success for the company as a whole. By providing precise numbers, you are giving them a way to analyze how your skills can benefit the company in a way that matters.
What to Quantify?
When identifying key areas to quantify, focus on facts that can be expressed as numbers. Specifically state the number of years of experience you have or the amount of time you managed a project. Mention dollar amounts and percentage changes in expenses or gains. This provides a clearer picture as to the nature of your contributions.
What to Avoid?
When working with numbers, it may be tempting to exaggerate your accomplishments. While it is one thing to round up a metric in a reasonable way, such as changing 40.74% to 41%, it is something else to change it to 45%. You need to make sure that any values you provide can be supported by facts. This includes information your references can corroborate or documentation you can provide.
You also shouldn’t just write numbers down and forget them. During an interview, you may be directly asked about these metrics. It is worth the time it takes to commit them to memory. That way, you can make sure any conversation about this information flows naturally. This can help you seem more credible, as well as more confident in your abilities.
Your Bottom Line?
While quantifying your resume can help a company relate your experience to their bottom line, it can also provide you with more negotiating power when it comes time to discuss yours. Since you can demonstrate your value in a meaningful way, you will be in a better position to translate that value into a higher salary or better benefits.
If you are looking for more ways to improve your resume, The Squires Group has the knowledge and expertise to help. Contact them today and see what they can do for you.
