How to Write a Winning Resume

We've talked previously about how your career is your most valuable financial asset, offering you many financial benefits. You can make the most of it by getting a college degree and managing your career to its full potential. Doing this well can earn you millions of dollars in extra income throughout your lifetime. Part of managing your career means that you'll need to change jobs from time-to-time -- and to do this, you need a great resume.

But many people leave out what I consider the key to a great resume: quantifiable proof of accomplishments. In other words, what have you accomplished and to what (numerically substantiated) extent? For instance, here are a few examples of resume listings that work and don't work from my perspective:

• Doesn't work: Helped company save money.
• Works: Led cost-cutting task force that saved company $475,000 in three months.

• Doesn't work: Responsible for good sales growth results.
• Works: Spearheaded sales team that achieved 11% annual sales growth for five consecutive years.

• Doesn't work: Implemented new marketing program that led to increased consumer response.
• Works: Developed innovative marketing initiative that delivered 23% increase in customer retention versus previous program.

You see? The suggestions that "work" have quantifiable accomplishments (not to mention more proactive language.) Each "works" option says the same thing as the "doesn't work" option -- but it gives more detail (and takes more credit) regarding the results. Which person would you rather hire? I think the answer is clear.

I was reminded how important it is to write a winning resume when I found this piece on Career Journal. Their experience is similar to mine:

The way to sell yourself in a resume is to cite strengths and abilities that companies need from someone in the job you want and support them with your accomplishments.

"People want to know what you can do for them, and the way they can judge that is by what you have done for others," says Mr. Weitzman. "Basically, your resume must answer the employer's question, 'What can you do for me?'"

For each job you've held, tell readers what improvements you made for your employers.

The only thing I would add is this: the more specific you can be, the better off you'll be. Give them facts that show what you can do, and they'll beat a path to your door.

Of course this assumes that you actually do have accomplishments that will blow their socks off. If you don't, you need to get to work in your current position to get some "wins" under your belt so when you do look for a new position, you'll have plenty of examples to draw from as you write a winning resume.

Comments

[John]

Good timing on this post. I was looking for some resume writing advice....thanks.

[English Major]

What I always wonder about the "quantifiable achievements" resume strategy is: what about those of us who work in unquantified fields? I can legitimately say that I work hard and do my job well, but there simply aren't figures to back it up. Besides, I think even if I presented figures, the companies I'd be interviewing with wouldn't know what to do with them. "What do you mean, 'cut production delays by 31%'?"

[FMF]

What sort of field doesn't have at least something that can be quantified?

[Lord]

That is the weakness of this. It is usually not that results are not quantifiable but that the employee has no access to the results, and all too frequently neither does anyone else since no one thought to measure it. The other weakness is that the numbers are largely irrelevant, being cast in the form to produce the largest, smallest, or otherwise most notable number. So that $475,000 amounted to 0.01% of sales seasonally unadjusted? Hopefully reviewers have since grown past being awed by such fictions.

[mjh]

Great advice, but I'd warn resumer writers be careful in their quest for "proactive" language", which is easy to overdo and leave the resume sounding overblown and jargonistic, and draw more attention to your communication skills (or lack of) than your achievements.

In your examples, I would suggest "spearheaded" is overblown, and would prefer to read "led" in its place. And "initiative" is not a synonym for "programme": to many, such as myself it is an example of shallow business-speak.

Of course some recruiters will be users of such language, but many companies and federal agencies are actively implementing "plain English" policies.

[FMF]

A couple comments:

1. I'm in business, so maybe these suggestions are more applicable to business people than others.

2. I have used these techniques throughout my career and seen almost a 10% average annual increase in my salary since 1988. Something's working. ;-)

[Max]

this is excellent advice

I have found attempting to step inside the employer's head is the most effective tactic

as long as you're not a total schlub it's really not what you say it's how you say it

[Jerry]

These are great tips. I help my friends with their resumes quite often and do the things you mentioned out of habit so I'm glad to know that I was on track. Your resume is all they have to get to know you. It's your insurance for making the right impression. You have control of that. If you stick with the facts but presented in a way that shows results it will lead people to view you as someone who can achieve his/her objectives.
Jerry

[Kris]

Another candidate here who would find it hard to attach numbers to accomplishments. I edited books for major publishers, but have no access to their sales data.

[FMF]

Kris --

How about something like:

"Delivered 10% more manuscripts in 30% less time and with 5% fewer errors that the average editor."