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When many people sit down to write their resume, they think, “what did/do I do at my job?” It can be tempting to simply jot down a laundry list of responsibilities to show employers the various tasks that you were in charge of. After all, they’re probably looking for some of these same duties in the roles you are applying for.
However, employers want content that has meaning. They don’t want to just see what you did or do. They want to know the scope of your work and what impact it had. Maybe you process invoices, but are you taking care of five per day, or 50 per day? It can change how you’re viewed and the impression you give potential employers.
Your resume shouldn’t be a list of responsibilities. It should be filled with action- and results-oriented statements. You can use your responsibilities as a starting point, but then beef up each point with more contextual information. Try to include metrics as a way to quantify your experience and the results you achieved.
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- Instead of “Managed a team of customer service representatives,” try “Managed a team of 15 customer service representatives in efficiently fielding more than 200 calls per day.” This shows employers not only how many people you were supervising, but the volume of work as well.
- Instead of “Created new template for records,” you could say “Designed new template for records improving processing time by 50% and reducing errors by 15%.”
- Instead of “Oversaw vendor relations,” elaborate by saying, “Generated $50K in savings by negotiating more competitive rates with vendors.”
Make each statement count. Don’t just tell what you did – show why it mattered and how it made a difference. You want a prospective employer to see your potential and what you can bring to their company and the open position. Stand out from the competition by quantifying your accomplishments whenever possible and going beyond listing the basics that every other applicant will have – or skills that are expected.
You can still highlight these responsibilities, just in the broader context of what you achieved or how you accomplished it. If you have bullet points that you can’t clarify why they matter, they’re probably fluff. Focus on quality of content rather than quantity. If you can fit everything on one or two pages, there’s no need to go on to a third.
