Quantify Accomplishments
Last week, I browbeat folks with the following post: Like bad porn, 95% of all resumes show the same. Seen one bad porno, you’ve seen ’em all. It’s the same with most, not all, resumes. Look at one; you have seen them all. Why is this? Most people add adjectives to the job description and paste them into their resumes. The way you differentiate yourself is to quantify accomplishments on your resume. Today, we talk about specific examples of how to effectively play the numbers game with your resume and quantify achievements.
So, how do you quantify accomplishments? For this exercise, we will use the job posting for Acme Bank’s Teller position, as it is a role that everyone can relate to. Notice the job description doesn’t quantify any of the responsibilities with numbers. (just like most resumes)
Typical Job Description
Acme Bank is seeking a Bank Teller to assist customers by processing account transactions.
Responsibilities:
- Provides account services to customers by receiving deposits and loan payments; cashing checks; issuing savings withdrawals; recording night and mail deposits; selling cashier’s checks, traveler’s checks, and series e bonds; answering questions in person or on the telephone; referring to other bank services.
- Record transactions by logging cashier’s checks, traveler’s checks, and other special services; prepare currency transaction reports.
* Reconciles cash drawer by proving cash transactions; counting and packaging currency and coins; reconciling loan coupons and other transactions; turning in excess cash and mutilated currency to the head teller; maintaining a supply of cash and currency. - * Maintains customer confidence and protects bank operations by keeping information confidential.
Skills/Qualifications:
Customer Service, Attention to Detail, General Math Skills, Verbal Communication, Integrity, Selling to Customer Needs, People Skills, Financial Skills, Financial Software, Thoroughness, Documentation Skills
I am perfect for this job
The job descriptions appear familiar, and you are familiar with the format. Anyone with bank teller experience should feel, “I can do that job.” Everyone should recognize the above format, and unfortunately, the typical resume often mimics the job description.
Acme Bank
Teller
- Provided excellent customer service
- Maintained confidential information.
- Assisted clients with cashing checks, recording deposits and withdrawals, and referring clients to other banking services.
- Worked at the drive-thru teller station
- Reconciled cash drawer
Blah, Boring, and unimaginative
The resume above lists what EVERY bank teller is responsible for at ANY BANK. We don’t have a sense of scale or grandeur without the numbers. We don’t know how big or fast you were at your job. It is a resume that ANY bank teller applicant can claim, regardless of experience.
Differentiate yourself
Candidates who quantify accomplishments within their resume distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. Quantifying your resume can demonstrate scale and level of experience that sets you apart from the competition.
If you are not receiving any calls regarding your resume, it may not stand out as much as it could. Add numbers to quantify accomplishments on your resume.
The quiet truth
You may be fully qualified.
You may even be the best candidate.
But if your resume introduces friction early, it won’t reach the stage where qualifications are debated.
This post describes a few of the signals recruiters notice instinctively. In Before the Interview, I explain the broader system behind those signals: how resumes are actually read, what they compete with, and why interpretation happens the way it does long before anyone talks to you.
Understanding that system changes how you write, not just what you write.
Want to go deeper on this topic? Check out the book, “Before the Interview, An Insider’s View of How Resumes Are Interpreted Before Anyone Talks to You.“
See you at the after party,
HRNasty
nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.
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