When employers look at your resume, they're looking for clues about
not only what you've done, but how well you did it. To help them out, you should quantify at least some of your accomplishments.
Quantifying simply means putting a number on something.
For example, let's say you were an administrative
assistant in your last position. Look at these three resume quotes and notice the difference it makes to quantify accomplishments.
1. "Responsible for filing."
Typical.
No accomplishments mentioned, let alone quantified.
2.
"Devised and implemented a more efficient filing system."
Better (now we're talking value).
3. "Devised and implemented a more efficient filing system, decreasing
filing time by over 65%."
Best (accomplishment is quantified with a number - in this case, a percentage).
(See box below for help with the math.)
Making an estimate is
not an excuse to lie about accomplishments; you should be able to explain your estimate, and it should be obvious to anyone
you explain it to that your estimate is reasonably accurate.
Don't
be afraid to estimate, but don't go nuts either. Not every single bullet point on your resume needs to be quantified.
Choose the accomplishments you want to stand out. Your very best bet is good numbers you can back up with actual data from
your last job.
If you slept your way through your last job and
can't think of a single thing you did to make a difference, you can still use numbers to give your resume some extra "oomph."
Were you responsible for locking up at night? How much equipment was there where you worked? Try this on for size: "Responsible
for the security of over $25,000 worth of video production equipment." People respond emotionally to numbers, so use
them.
Be creative when thinking about quantifying. Think about:
- Time ("Turned a two-hour procedure into a 20-minute task"),
- Dollars ("... with sales topping $35,000 per month"),
- People ("Managed staff of 45 ..."),
- Products ("produced 140 widgets per hour"), and
- Anything else that you can think of to count.
Just make sure you know exactly how you came up with your numbers, and be prepared
to back them up in an interview.
If you're starting to think
you need to be more mindful about keeping track of your activities on the job, you're absolutely right; don't wait
for a job search to do your soul searching about what you've accomplished.
