How to Write a Winning Resume by Adding Measurable Achievements

Introduction

Hello! It’s Kristine here with the Express to Impress podcast. This week, we’ll look at how to write a winning resume. Specifically, you’ll learn how to write a winning resume by adding measurable achievements.

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Now, let’s begin!

Why Employers Want to See Measurable Results in Resumes 

Many clients come to me and ask how to get an interview. They’ve submitted their resumes for dozens or even hundreds of jobs and haven’t advanced to the interview stage. One reason so many resumes get tossed aside by employers is that they look like job descriptions. There’s nothing special or impressive about them. To get interviews, you need to add a secret ingredient to your resume–measurable results, of course! It allows the employer to see the unique contributions you have made. Anyone with basic qualifications can carry out job responsibilities, but a great employee leaves their mark. 

Why are they so important? For starters, employers and recruiters typically spend less than ten seconds reviewing a resume. Of course, that doesn’t mean writing a strong resume isn’t necessary! However, to pass that ten-second screen, you’ll likely need to invest hours writing your resume and having someone review it.

Whether I am helping somebody improve their resume or prepare for a job interview, I ask them to tell me about what they’re proud of accomplishing in their careers. Many times, people tell me about an accomplishment in general terms. Then, I probe further to get to the heart of the matter.  I explain that I honestly don’t understand why what they told me is impressive as an outsider. I might then ask if they did something faster or more effective than their coworkers or ask another question to understand the scope of the achievement better. 

Employers also don’t know that what you’ve done is impressive unless you spell it out for them. So you have to give them the details and the scope of the accomplishment to help them understand its significance.

Of course, everyone has things to be proud of, so including measurable results is not only for people who work with numbers. Every person who has ever held a job can and should include quantifiable achievements in their resume.

Story

For the story section of the episode, I’d like to help you put yourself in the shoes of an employer or recruiter. 

Imagine there are 42 resumes to review for an open job position. These resumes are the cream of the crop because they earned high match rates in the company’s applicant tracking system. For a refresher on how applicant tracking systems work, I suggest you listen to the episode, Why You Should Write Your Own Resume.

The role needs to be filled ASAP, and there’s no way the company has time to interview 42 candidates. So, you decide to do a quick scan – just 10 seconds or less for each resume, to eliminate any resumes that are not as good as the rest. You pull up the first resume and work through a mental checklist. Here’s how that internal thought process could sound.

“Is the resume the right length for the person’s years of experience?” Yes. 

Alright then. How about the formatting. Is it consistent and professional? Check! Okay, next. How about spelling and grammar? Any obvious mistakes? Nope. Moving on!

Are there keywords from the job description? Yes, I see many of them. Okay, finally, do I see a lot of numbers and definitive results? No? Goodbye. Next resume!”

While the process may seem a bit harsh, it’s at least straightforward. A resume either fits the mold or gets tossed aside.

Now that you’ve considered the employer and recruiter’s perspective let’s look at some tips on how to write a winning resume rich with measurable results!

Tips

In the episode, “Why You Should Write Your Own Resume,” I provide a robust introduction on how to include quantifiable achievements in your resume with many examples. In this episode, I will expand on the topic. As a result, you will have a crystal clear understanding of what information you need to gather and add to your resume.

• First and foremost, you should include five or more measurable results in your resume.
• Next, be as specific as possible while remaining concise. (No accomplishment should take up more than two lines on your resume.)
• Include exact numbers or a range, frequency, scale, length of time, percentages, and dates.
• Choose measurable results from the money, people, tasks, and other categories. For money, that could be the number of units sold, cost savings, negotiating discounts with vendors, or something else. As for people, it could be the number of customers attracted, served, or retained, or the number of direct reports, people hired, or the size of teams led. For tasks, it could be time saved, process improvements, the number of tasks completed, or efficiency increases. Other measurable results could be the number of publications or awards received. 
• Finally, start each measurable result with a verb such as improved, reduced, increased, launched, saved, expanded, spearheaded, ignited, identified, upgraded, developed, established, generated, advanced, decreased, consolidated, or ranked. I find that when people consider a list of verbs, it helps them remember accomplishments.

Now let’s look at some examples of strong measurable achievements in a resume.

• Reduced labor costs by more than 20% in 2019 
• Increased sales from $1.1 in 2017 to $5.5 million in 2020
• Ranked in top 5% of employee performance for 4 years running 
• Achieved Feedback Score of 4.8 and received 2,200 100% feedbacks from June 2020 to June 2021
• Contributed to 5% in increased sales on Tuesday nights by creating and offering a new drink recipe
• Increased speed of home sales by 6%-10% for real estate agents, in part because of the enhanced interior design of homes
• Drove new contracts with 10 clients through providing excellent customer service and proof of design skills

Alright! Now you know how to write a resume with measurable results! And good news – this effort is excellent preparation for any annual reviews, salary negotiations, or interviews you may have! 

How to Write a Winning Resume

Recently, I joined the career coaching team at The Muse, which is a fantastic online career platform. I’ve relied on articles published on The Muse for years, and I am so thrilled to be one of their coaches. I offer resume review, resume and LinkedIn Review, Job Search Strategy, a 30-minute Career Q&A, Cover Letter Writing, and Interview Coaching. 

I recently had the chance to work with a client through The Muse who sought a job in the education sector. Here’s what she wrote about her experience working with me. 

Kristine is a wonderful professional! She helped me to update my resume and LinkedIn profile. Both my resume and profile are now polished and highlight my professional experience well. I’m so proud to present them to my future employers. Kristine is very patient, knowledgeable, and super helpful. Thank you!

If you would like to book one of my services on the Muse, please visit themuse.com/coaches/kristine-knutter. 

And of course, I have to mention to all the new Express to Impress podcast listeners that I offer a 90-minute online course with guidance and templates for resumes, cover letters, and e-notes. My “How to Write a Standout Resume” course is priced at just $49, and you can get 15% off by using the coupon code podcast15 at the checkout. After watching the videos, you will have a skill that will allow you to prepare your resume efficiently every time you decide to make a career change.

To learn more about my How to Write a Standout Resume video course and watch free lessons from it, visit my website at express-to-impress.com/courses. 

Tune in Next Week

That’s all for today! Thank you so much for listening to the Express to Impress podcast. I invite you to tune in next week to learn definitions for the idioms and phrases covered in this episode. If you found this episode helpful, please remember to share it with a friend! See you next time. Bye!

 

Music By Lucas Knutter