How to Showcase Unquantifiable Achievements on a Resume

𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗢𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲? Don't let your achievements fade from memory! Here's how to reconstruct your professional contributions after moving on. When approaching this challenge, I recommend focusing on time, resources, and scope. 1️⃣ Recalculate Using Time-Based Patterns Work backward using your routine responsibilities and time frames. Example: "Knowing I reviewed ~50 high-risk cases daily in a 260-day work year = approximately 13,000 reviews annually, preventing potentially harmful content from reaching millions of users." 2️⃣ Leverage Past Performance Reviews Even partial memories of performance discussions provide valuable data points. Example: "My manager consistently noted I exceeded quality targets by 10-15% — a specific range I could reference even without the exact documents." 3️⃣ Connect With Former Colleagues Strategically Reach out with specific questions rather than vague requests. Example: "Instead of asking 'What was my impact?', I asked my former team lead: 'Do you recall if our policy update reduced escalations closer to 30% or 40%?' This jogged his memory of the exact 36% reduction." 4️⃣ Translate Qualitative Wins to Quantitative Estimates For process improvements or qualitative achievements, estimate reasonable impact. Example: "After implementing my training program, team onboarding time decreased from approximately 4 weeks to 3 weeks — a 25% efficiency gain affecting 20+ new hires annually." 5️⃣ Research Industry Benchmarks Can't remember your numbers? Look up industry averages. If a typical agent resolves 150 tickets/week and you consistently performed above that threshold, highlight this comparison. 𝘗𝘳𝘰 𝘛𝘪𝘱: When exact figures aren't available, use conservative ranges and qualifiers like "approximately," "over," or "more than" to maintain credibility while still showcasing your impact. Remember to structure your accomplishments using this framework:  • Problem you solved  • Tools/methods used  • Quantifiable before/after results  • Key lessons learned This approach not only strengthens your resume but also prepares you for interview discussions. What creative ways have you reconstructed your professional impact after leaving a role? Share your experiences below!

Are you struggling to find numbers/metrics for your resume? Here are some tips that might help: ✅ STEP 1: Consider your past jobs Make a list of your tasks, responsibilities, and outcomes from each role. Then consider the following questions: • How was success measured at your job? What metrics were used to indicate success? (Did you have personal metrics? Did your team have metrics?) • What was your department trying to achieve? (How did your department support the overall goals of the company?) • Ask your coworkers and former colleagues for their ideas too. EXAMPLES: Reduced turnover, increased click-through rates, shortened wait time, project completion rates, percentage of pitches closed, number of customers helped/number of resolved complaints, size of the budgets/projects, amount of money raised, increase in sales/profit, and reduction in cost/waste. ✅ STEP 2: Ask, “How many, how much, how long, how often?” Look at your list from STEP 1 then ask, “How many, how much, how long, how often?” An estimate or range is ok, it doesn’t have to be precise: NO: “Answered phone calls at the front desk” How many calls? YES: “Managed 100+ phone calls/day, relaying messages for 25 employees” If you saved money or time, that is an important quantifiable measure: NO: “Started a new filing system” YES: “Initiated a new filing system, efficiently saving 10 hours/week in administrative duties” You can also measure this over time: “Taught 200 undergraduate students across four classes” “Closed $1M in sales in two years” Use action words with your quantifiable measures: “Created,” “eliminated,” “saved,” “increased,” “generated,” “dispatched,” “mobilized,” “spearheaded,” “transformed,” “mentored,” “oversaw.” ✅ STEP 3: Find your SAR stories Look at your list of accomplishments from STEP 1. Write a short story using the SAR format: SITUATION, ACTION, RESULT helps you structure a story in a short, impactful way. (It’s also helpful to answer open-ended job interview questions like: “Tell me about a time when …” “What do you do when …” “Give me an example of …”) • Situation: Describe the situation you were in, the problem you needed to solve, the challenge to overcome • Action: What did you do and how did you do it? • Results: What were the outcomes and the IMPACT (on the company/you)? Here are some prompts to help you brainstorm SAR stories: • Successes, impact, when you made a difference • Issues you recognized and addressed • Opportunities you recognized and acted on • Disasters you helped avoid or quickly clean up • Problems you solved • Processes you improved • Situations when you reduced something: expenses/waste • Situations when you improved something: profits/workplace/morale I'm rooting for you. 👊 ♻ Please repost if you think this advice will help others. ***** Hi, have we met? I'm Emily and I'm on a mission to get the #greenbannergang back to work, one actionable step at a time. #jobsearch #jobhunt #jobseekers #resume

I've most certainly lost count of how many AE resumes I've reviewed, but one thing has become crystal clear: how you frame your accomplishments matters. Here are 4 common resume phrases to reconsider, and how to transform them for maximum impact: 1️⃣ Ditch the passive  🚫 Responsible for... This tells hiring teams what you were supposed to do, not what you achieved. ✨ Instead: Lead with dynamic action verbs showcasing your ownership and concrete results. Think 'led,' 'architected,' 'drove,' 'implemented,' etc followed by a measurable outcome. Such as: 🚀 Led a sales team of 5 to exceed targets by 18% in H1'24 2️⃣ Move beyond vague claims  🚫 Team player 🚫 Detail-oriented These are qualities you demonstrate, not just state. ✨ Instead: Provide specific examples where you embodied these traits. Such as: 🚀 Collaborated with marketing on a targeted campaign that increased MQL -> SQL conversion by 22% (Shows teamwork and results) 3️⃣ Replace buzzwords with evidence  🚫 Results-driven 🚫 Go-getter Your entire resume should scream 'results-driven'   ✨ Instead: Let your achievements speak for themselves by quantifying your impact directly. Such as: 🚀 Increased ACV by $17K within 6 months by introducing a value-based selling methodology 4️⃣ Substantiate your skills 🚫 Great communicator 🚫 Self-starter Anyone can say these. Show us how you applied these skills. ✨ Instead: Describe situations where your communication led to a positive outcome or your initiative solved a problem. Such as: 🚀 Proactively developed a new cold outreach cadence that improved reply rates by 27% and was adopted team-wide Focus on tangible actions/measurable results - it’s one of the elements of your resume that catches our eye! ('Ours' meaning 'us recruiters' - not Elise and I!)

When it comes to your resume, simply listing responsibilities isn’t enough. Hiring managers and recruiters want to know how you’ve made a real impact. 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚. Instead of saying you “managed a team” or “supported customer service,” show what came from your efforts. Did you lead your team to achieve something great? Specifics matter more than generalities. For example, you could say, “𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀, 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲.” ➡ Translate your experience into meaningful outcomes. Think about how your work helped the company grow or become more efficient. Whether you improved processes, brought in new business, or made something run smoother, focusing on the impact is what sets your resume apart. For instance, “𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.” Use action words to describe what you did - words like 𝗹𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, or 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 will catch attention. But follow that up with the effect of your work. What changed because of your contribution? That’s what recruiters want to know. Like, “𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆.” Every job is a bit different, so make sure your resume reflects the accomplishments most relevant to the role you’re applying for. For example, if the role involves leadership, highlight a time you led a successful initiative: “𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.” When you highlight the value you’ve contributed and the impact you’ve made, it becomes clearer to recruiters and hiring managers where your strengths lie. Think of your resume as more than just a list of duties - it’s an opportunity to show the difference you’ve made. What story does your resume tell? #Hiring #Jobs #Jobseekers #Insights #Recruiters #Recruiting #Tips #JobSearchTips #JobSearch #HiringManagers #ResumeTips