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I haven't dug into the topic of resume writing in a while and it's one of the biggest challenges that my clients face. Many people struggle to know what information to keep on the resume, what to remove and how to "quantify" their accomplishments. If you struggle with this, it's okay! It's very common. I'm fortunate in my business right now to have a handful of staff writers who are dedicated to supporting my clients with this process.

Here's the approach I take when I work with clients on resumes. When thinking about your accomplishments, think in terms of these four measurements of success: Money, People, Time and Quality. These are the four most common ways that employees contribute to the business and they are likely to be where your accomplishments lie. Most employees either make (or save) the company money; hire or train staff; save time and improve efficiency or improve quality and processes.

Be as specific as you can and quantify results when possible, using percentages, dollar amounts, etc. Don't worry, quantifying with a number won't always be possible, but that's okay! As long as you are demonstrating a specific outcome, that's what matters.

Here are a few brainstorming questions to get you started with your own resume. Enjoy!

Money: Did you increase sales, and if so by what percentage or amount? Did you generate new business, bring in new clients, or forge affiliations? Did you save the company money? If so, how much?

People: Did you hire, train, or mentor employees that were successful and/or got promoted? Did you have direct reports reports of what? If so, how many employees and what were their titles? Did you have to exert influence or get buy-in from leadership for a new process, or idea?

Time: Did you design or institute any new system or process? If so, what were the results? Did you bring a major project in under budget, and if so, how did you make this happen? Did you suggest or help to launch a new product or program?

Quality: Did you exercise quality/process control in any way? Did you perform safety or compliance checks? Audits? Did your job require knowledge of applicable laws or regulations?

Hate the writing process? Don't have time? Let us help you. Contact me and I'll pair you up with one of my staff writers who will do the heavy lifting for you!
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