One of the most important things you can do to your resume to increase the response is to add the achievements you’ve made in your career with specific numbers attached. But a lot of people have a hard time coming up with a good amount of achievements, much less adding numbers to them.
So to help you remember your greatest hits, first, put yourself in a quiet room with no distractions (like TV, email or phone), where you can be undisturbed for at least an hour. Then ask yourself,
what are you most proud of in each position you’ve held? (Tip: think of each position separately – it will help to generate specific memories.)
Also, use the “PEP” formula: Profitability, Efficiency, Productivity. How did you contribute to each of those? And be sure to dig out your old performance appraisals – they can be a great source of golden nuggets of quantifiable results.
Other questions you can ask yourself about each of your past positions are:
- How did you make this job your own? How did you do things differently than others did it or would have done it?
- How did you expand the company's business? You don't have to be in Sales or Marketing to expand the business - you could have contributed to customer loyalty, brand awareness or increasing the company's image.
- What did your supervisors or co-workers say about you?
- How did you leave your employer better off than when you started?
A good six-figure or executive resume has 8 to 12 achievements with numbers to back them up. A great resume has 15 to 20 – I work with my clients until we have at least that many. This ensures you have not only enough for a stellar resume, but you have enough to fill a long job interview full of compelling, impressive stories.
Also, don't forget to put these achievements on your LinkedIn profile. It will make you more attractive to the recruiters and employers that are searching for someone like you!
If you'd like some help in your job search, be it just resume preparation and building a robust online profile, or starting a complete six-figure search from scratch, just reply to this email to set up a conversation, or call our office at (816)600-2478.
