Lately I’ve had a lot of clients ask me how to quantify your achievements on your resume if you don’t have specific numbers to include. I talk a lot about integrating specific metrics and achievements, but people often get tripped up when it comes to metrics. The word “metrics” has the connotation of numbers, but the term is actually defined as “a method of measuring something, or the results obtained from this.” Metrics are just a way to quantify your achievements on your resume.
What kind of information should you include?
This will look different for everyone. Some people will have specific numbers to include, and if you do have this kind of metric to integrate, be sure to do so. Numbers are always fantastic to add to your resume if you have access to them, but sometimes this isn’t the case.
If you’re someone who focuses on strategic partnerships, it would be nice to include information about revenue created from the partnerships you built, yet if that’s not possible, focus on the actual partnerships. Who did you secure partnerships with? What did these partnerships result in? Did they help gain access to another part of the market? Did the partnership provide increased insight on a subject? If you don’t have numbers, it’s okay, but be sure to include other tangible results to show what you accomplished.
How to gather this information
Gathering data to integrate can be difficult, so it’s important to do your best to look back at your accomplishments in an unbiased nature. You might consider what you’ve done to be trivial, but think about how would you view it if someone else accomplished that same task. It’s easy to undervalue what you do, but try to be truthful with yourself and place value where it is deserved. Sit down and ask yourself the following questions:
- What projects have you worked on?
- What did you do in each project?
- What was the goal of the project?
- Did you achieve that goal? If not, what did you learn from the project?
- Who did you work on from the project?
- What did you (personally) gain from the project? Did you learn something new or further your knowledge in a specific area?
- What impact did you make? (this could be impact on your team, company, or clients)
Brainstorm ideas when you have time, and start making a habit of writing down notes about projects you’re working on or notable achievements you’ve made as they happen. The more you start to write information down as it happens, the more integrated it will become into your behavioral patterns. This will help you quantify your achievements on your resume and will help you when it comes to interviews, performance reviews, and your own personal assessments.
How to integrate this information into your resume
Writing an effective job description is an important part of creating a resume that articulates your value. The key is to show how you’ve gone above and beyond your role or what you’ve done that makes you an asset to the company. Anyone can say that they’re great at their job, but very few people can show it. Show what you’ve accomplished and how this provides value to your current and potential companies. This is not the place to use generic verbiage. Instead of saying that you are “results driven”, show your results!
Additionally, it’s important to understand that less than ideal results can still work in your favor. This goes back to the question of what did you learn from a project. If the marketing campaign didn’t deliver the engagement you were hoping for, share what you learned and how this helped you strategize for future campaigns. No one is perfect and projects don’t always turn out as expected.
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When you want to quantify your achievements on your resume, it’s about showing what you bring to the table as a candidate. Maybe you have great achievements to include, but even if projects didn’t turn out as you envisioned, show how you used less than ideal results to create strategic improvements for the future. All you can do is use what you learned to move forward in a positive way.