How To Quantify Your Accomplishments On A

Resume
Don Goodman
July 6, 2015
Resume

Many of the job hunters I work with tell me their accomplishments arent really quantifiable. They
just arent in jobs where they can say, Saved the company $4 million a year If you have
those numbers at your fingertips, by all means use them. If youre like most of us, you need
other ways to quantify your accomplishments on a resume.
Related: Top 15 Words HR NEVER Wants To See On Your Resume
For example, your company may require a 40-hour week but you regularly work unpaid
overtime to help out another short-handed department or contribute to a special project. Your
job description may include interacting with customers, but you were chosen to fly out of state
for a customer meeting. Compare your performance to the goals set by the company itself.
When you report how you exceeded those goals, you have quantified your accomplishments.
You can also quantify accomplishments by measuring your company against other companies
and measuring your position in the company against that of your co-workers. If youre applying
to a large corporation, your job in an international company with $5 billion in sales gives you an
advantage over a candidate who works for a local company selling $1,500 a week.
Consider, too, how you rank against your peers.

Do you have seniority in your company, is your output higher than the company or industry
average, or did you win an award for your performance or have you received more promotions
in a shorter time?
You dont have to lead an effort to take credit for its success; your contribution should be noted
in your resume. Perhaps your most important contribution is a matter of attitude.
Consider your soft skills (the ability to meet deadlines, work in a team or independently,
communicate complex ideas, placate customers). Relate an occasion where those skills made a
difference to your company.
Testimonials are another way to quantify your accomplishments. If internal or external
customers thanked you for your help, ask them for a written testimonial that describes your
actions and the results.
Your bosses may have indicated your value to the company by assigning you a project,
including you in client or executive meetings, recommending you for training or asking you to
make a presentation. Give these indicators of success prominence in your resume.
Your accomplishments are varied and so are the ways to quantify them. If you feel hesitant to
quantify your achievementsor you arent even sure you have achievementsgive me a call.
Ill help recruiters understand how highly you rate.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Don Goodmans firm was rated as the #1 Resume Writing Service in 2013, 2014, and
2015. Don is a triple-certified, nationally recognized Expert Resume Writer, Career Management
Coach and Job Search Strategist who has helped thousands of people secure their next job.
Check out his Resume Writing Service. Get a Free Resume Evaluation or call him
at 800.909.0109 for more information.

RESUME WORDS EMPLOYERS WANT TO SEE:

1. Achieved: 52 percent
2. Improved: 48 percent
3. Trained/Mentored: 47 percent

4. Managed: 44 percent
5. Created: 43 percent
6. Resolved: 40 percent
7. Volunteered: 35 percent
8. Influenced: 29 percent
9. Increased/Decreased: 28 percent
10. Ideas: 27 percent
11. Negotiated: 25 percent
12. Launched: 24 percent
13. Revenue/Profits: 23 percent
14. Under budget: 16 percent
15. Won: 13 percent
Whats great about these terms is that they communicate action and show that youve
actually DONE something. We use these phrases and many more just like them to
differentiate our clientsand you would be amazed at how rapidly it increases their
resume response rate.
FURTHER READING:
3 Secrets to Interview-Winning Cover Letters

Heres a list that more than 2,200 hiring managers just compiled of 15 words they NEVER want
to see on your resume:

Best of breed

Go-getter

Think outside of the box

Synergy

Go-to person

Thought leadership

Value add

Results-driven

Team player

Bottom-line

Hard worker

Strategic thinker

Dynamic

Self-motivated

Detail-oriented

Chock full of vague soft skills that could apply to most candidates in the job market. Im sure
now you can see how hard it becomes to stand out in a crowd. You can still give the employer
the soft skills theyre looking for; just wait until the interview to discuss them. Instead, invest time
showing how your experience and skills are a great match! Focus on keywords, quantifiable
achievements, and unique successes.

Hiring managers wantneedwords that jump off the page and captivate them.
Here are a few examples of my favorite action words:
Captivated
Championed
Directed
Exceeded
Pioneered
Formulated
Generated
Intensified
Leveraged
Masterminded
Maximized
Mentored
Optimized
Orchestrated
Re-engineered
Spearheaded
Structured
Proliferate
Recaptured
Rejuvenated
Truthfully, the list could go on.
Dont believe me?

Phrases To Delete From Your LinkedIn Profile

However, with a little ingenuity, you can pull the lackluster phrases out of your profile and
replace them with powerful writing that conveys your personal style and energy. Here are some
of the worst offenders lurking among LinkedIn profiles, along with suggestions for alternative
wording:
1. ACCOMPLISHED PROFESSIONAL

If this is really true, then show (dont tell!) your readers about it. This phrase is likely to prompt
more annoyance from employers than appreciation.
Instead, consider using a sentence or phrase that speaks specifically to your achievements,
such as, Sales rep honored for closing 147% of quota during 2009 and 2010, or, IT Director
heading multimillion-dollar outsourcing contracts at major banks.
In addition, you can add accomplishment data (right in the Summary) that cuts to the heart of
what you do and why youre good at it, with sentences like, Sales manager honored for
coaching 3 Top Producers, or, Operations manager promoted for increasing production line
efficiency.
2. RESULTS-DRIVEN

Most companies plan on hiring someone who fits this description, and they weed out anyone
who doesnt perform to their expectations. Its almost to your detriment to point this out in your
profile.
You might try adding information that actually PROVES your drive for results, with mention of
how youve earned a promotion in just six months, or the ways in which your performance has
outpaced that of your peers.
3. EXCEPTIONAL COMMUNICATOR

The trouble with this phrase is its not only tough to prove, but that the person using it often
misspells one or more words (really).
Since your LinkedIn profile gives you plenty of opportunity to demonstrate your writing skills,
youll have the opportunity to convey complex concepts or perhaps distill a major project into a
short description both of which would speak louder about your communications skills than this
phrase ever will.
4. PROVEN SUCCESS

Well, employers would hope so. After all, why mention your success unless you have some
proof to back it up?
Heres where youre better off noting some metrics, as in, Exceeded quota for 7 out of past 8
years, Brought company to 87% market share, or, Met 100% of project budget constraints
despite limited resources.
These achievements can help online readers understand the scope of your work and the
reasons behind your career progression.
5. EXPERIENCED

Ahem of COURSE you are.

Even worse, Successful experience, is so redundant youre wasting space and LinkedIn
keyword optimization by even thinking of these phrases.
One way to replace this word is to simply specify the number of years youve worked in the
industry.
However, be careful here, 15 years of experience in sales, doesnt quite have the same ring
as, Generated 23% average over-quota revenue throughout progressively challenging sales
roles.
6. RESPONSIBLE FOR

Just like a resume, there is no reason to clutter the landscape of your profile with a phrase that
is largely assumed.
Rather than use this phrase, you can just skip to the relevant facts, Managed $500K budget,
Supervised staff of 10, and save everyones time.
7. MICROSOFT WORD SKILLS

Theres no advantage to listing basic skills that nearly all candidates possess. Unless you are
seeking an entry-level role requiring clerical duties, employers will be more surprised if you dont
have these skills, than if you take the time to list them.
Youre much better off researching target jobs and noting the skills (keywords) required for the
position, then using these terms to show your competency.
To summarize, back up and take a long look at your LinkedIn profile. Are you committing the
same mistakes that have been appearing on resumes for years?
If so, its time to refresh your approach and provide specific details on the high points of your
careerinformation others can readily relate to (and even use to hire you) from your LinkedIn
profile.