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Metrics that make your resume stand out

When it comes to crafting a resume, many job seekers focus on the language and layout of their document, as well as the roles they had in their previous jobs. While these are important factors, they are not the only ones that matter. Hiring managers want to see concrete evidence of your achievements, and that is why resume metrics matter. Metrics are specific numbers that demonstrate the impact of your work. 

Here are some metrics you can include in your resume to get it noticed and increase your chances of getting the job. 

Revenue and Sales Figures

Revenue and sales figures can demonstrate your strategic thinking and business acumen, as you’ll need to understand the market and consumer behavior in order to achieve these results. So if you’ve generated significant revenue or driven sales growth in your previous roles, be sure to include these metrics on your resume.

Here's an example of how you can do it: "Developed and executed a new sales strategy, resulting in a 30% increase in annual revenue, totaling $2.2 million."

Cost Savings

Employers are always looking for ways to reduce expenses and improve efficiency. So, by demonstrating your ability to help them cut costs, you can set yourself apart from other candidates. For example, you could include initiatives you led that resulted in reduced expenses, or processes you streamlined that increased efficiency. You might say:

  •  "Identified and resolved billing discrepancies, resulting in a $25,000 savings in accounting errors over a 6-month period" or
  • "Streamlined production processes, reducing waste by 30% and saving the company $100,000 in annual costs". 

Social Media Engagement

If you're looking to land a job in industries where digital marketing is a priority (such as e-commerce, technology, or media), highlight things such as the number of followers gained, the percentage increase in engagement rates, and other audience growth metrics that showcase your ability to connect with customers and build brand loyalty. Including these metrics in your resume is a great way to demonstrate your analytical skills and ability to measure results in the competitive digital space.

So, try a simple statement like "produced and published high-quality content that increased website traffic by 20%, resulting in a 10% increase in sales over a 6-month period".

Project Completion Rate

Instead of just saying in your resume that you can work effectively under pressure, manage resources, and drive results, demonstrate your value to potential employers by using a statement like "successfully completed 95% of projects on time and within budget, managing a team of 10 professionals to deliver high-quality results". This is essential in project management, operations, or consulting roles, where the ability to deliver projects on time and within budget is a key performance metric.

Website Traffic

As a web admin or content marketer, you already know that increasing website traffic helps to increase brand awareness, which leads to more leads and sales. A potential employer who wants to hire someone who can help them grow their website traffic would therefore be impressed to see "successfully launched and managed a paid advertising campaign that led to a 75% increase in website traffic and a 30% increase in conversions" or "Generated a consistent stream of high-quality content that resulted in a 54% increase in website traffic and a 15% increase in engagement rates over the past year" in your resume instead of just "increased website traffic". 

Conclusion

The key takeaway here is that you should not just tell a potential employer why you are fit for the job when you have an opportunity to show it; and, quantifying your accomplishments is the easiest way to do so. So, if you were a customer service agent in your previous job, impress a potential employer by including metrics such as customer satisfaction ratings in your resume. Finally, ensure your metrics are relevant to the job you are applying for - you don't want to include a sales metric in an engineer's resume. 

Next steps

  1. Check out our job search workbooks to optimize your resume
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  3. Need additional support? Learn tech skills with EntryLevel to have a project for your resume

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Date originally published:
Feb 23, 2023
Date last updated:
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Metrics that make your resume stand out

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