Three Ways to Quantify Your Resume

When it comes to listing job responsibilities from former jobs on your resume, it's easy to fall into the trap of simply stating what you did. Instead, make your qualifications and experience stand out as professional and strong by quantifying your resume. Adding numbers to show your effectiveness shows your next boss that you are results-oriented with an eye for accomplishment.

Quantify Money on Your Resume

Because businesses always care about the bottom line, any achievements you can point out that show how you made money for your former companies will make an impression. Perhaps you saved money for your department by creating cost-saving measures or changing vendors. If you work for a nonprofit, perhaps you were involved in raising money or increasing the numbers of donors. Any specifics you can use to quantify your resume are valuable because they show not only that you created monetary value for your company, you also paid attention to the quantifiable aspects of your job.

Quantify Time on Your Resume

Since "time is money," as the saying goes, any accomplishments you can quantify on your resume that show your awareness of efficiency will highlight your value to the company. If you have a history of meeting tight deadlines, highlight those specific numbers on your resume to let a future employer know how well you work under pressure. If you created time-saving procedures or established policies that allowed work to be done in less time than in the past, make sure to include all the specifics.

Quantify Other Amounts on Your Resume

For almost every job responsibility you can think of, you can find a way to quantify it on your resume. If you trained new employees in retail procedures, make sure to mention how many employees you trained and how many procedures you taught them. If you designed websites, mention how many pages each contained and how many special features were involved. If you were involved in the expansion of your department, talk about the percentage of growth, the number of new hires and the specifics of the increased productivity. Include numbers on your resume for every accomplishment you list to catch a potential employer's attention. The mere fact that you have taken the time to count up your achievements is a sign to an employer that you are both detail-oriented and focused on the big picture, a combination that is often irresistible to job recruiters.

One of the bonuses that comes with quantifying your resume is your own increased confidence in your talents, skills and accomplishments—confidence that will stand you in good stead as you go on job interviews. Take some time to rework and quantify your resume with as many specifics as you can muster, and don't be surprised when employers react well to your new resume.

(Photo courtesy of Simon Howden / freedigitalphotos.net)