It’s one thing to say, “I made my company money,” and another to share the amount of money your efforts earned your organization. That’s what it means to quantify your skills. Providing data about your accomplishments can give prospective employers a better picture of your previous work and impact. Providing numbers as a part of your resume and cover letter can also set you apart in a competitive job market. Here is how to quantify your skills.
How to Quantify Your Skills For Prospective Employers
Keep Track of Your Work
It’s much easier to recall details if you keep track of your work. Keep a journal where you can include the successes of your job, including specifics such as time saved, money earned, or processes you’ve improved. This will help you whenever you’re ready to update your resume.
Gather Your Data
If you’ve not kept track, you’ll have to gather the data around your job. Think back to your career successes and try to consider your impact. Determine the cost, influence, and experiences you can share on a resume or cover letter with as much detail as possible. These should be accomplishments that showcase your value.
Use Ranges if You Can’t Be Precise
It’s okay if you can’t remember specific numbers or details. It’s okay to use ranges rather than exact numbers. As long as your ranges are realistic, this will not be a problem for future employers. This can be the case with revenue, hours saved by improving a process, or other successes you’ve had in your job.
Know the Key Metrics
If you’re wondering what to include, there are some metrics companies like to see.
- Money: this can be any financial numbers that you had a hand in influencing
- People: this can be how many people you managed or supported in your roles
- Time: this can showcase your time management skills and how you directly saved time for your company
- Rankings: this can be any ranking that’s important to your industry, such as how you improved your company’s website ranking on search engines
Ensure Your Information can be Verified
The final piece of this puzzle is ensuring that the information you provide can be verified. The hiring company will conduct reference checks, and if your details are too far out of reality, your previous employer may call you on it. Ensure your data is in the correct range so someone will be happy to vouch for you.
Do you want more helpful resume tips and help with your job search?
Contact the team at Recruiting in Motion today.
