Some of us are “word” people and some of us are “number” people, but when writing your resume, you need to be both. Its arguable that metrics are as important—if not more important—than language. Regardless of the balance, it is absolutely essential to master the art of quantifying achievements on your resume.

Frankly, metrics are a kind of shorthand that hiring managers look for when scanning resumes.  Metrics present a snapshot of your career achievements and help determine whether you will be contacted for a job or not.

If you work in a sales or client services position, determining certain types of metrics probably comes second nature to you already. Dollar value of new business? You’ve got that covered! Number of media impressions for a public relations client? Done! But what about quantifying your impact on your team members or on the company as a whole?

Likewise, quantifying achievements on your resume does not come easily to everyone. If you work in a position that spends—such as accounting, HR, operations or IT—rather than one that generates revenue, it helps to take a step back and look at your resume through a different lens.

Here are some of the ways you can begin to think about your accomplishments in a more mathematical manner.

Projects: We all have projects and tasks at work. Some are short-term, and some are long-term.  Some are daily, and some are one-time only. Instead of simply listing them on your resume, think about how many projects you have completed. How many do you manage simultaneously? Do you complete them on or ahead of schedule? By what percent? If you can draw a connection between percent and revenue, even better. The objective is to demonstrate your commitment to efficiency without sacrificing excellence.

Revenue: Do you have an impact on your company’s revenue? Ultimately, we all do, although with many functional positions the metrics are more difficult to tease out. For instance, if you work in sales or client management, you have a fairly straightforward revenue proposition: your work clearly impacts the bottom line and you are well versed in the vernacular of new leads, closed sales, and client retention. But if you work in operations, you probably need to focus on how you have saved the company time or money. You can then translate the savings into dollars and/or percentage of revenue.

Awareness: If you work in a marketing or communications position, you have a leg up: your success at work is likely tied into metrics such as SEO rankings, customer inquiries, press mentions, or social engagements. But it is crucial to elevate the metrics beyond a laundry list and toward their impact on the bottom line. How has moving from Google’s “page 2” to “page 1” affected company revenue?

Team: How you interact with—and impact—your team members is something that all hiring managers want to determine about job candidates. How many people are on your team? Has it grown?  By what percent? How many of your team members do you manage? Are they in multiple locations? Today, more than ever, demonstrating your ability to successfully motivate team members remotely is key.

There are many metrics available when you focus and think about quantifying achievements on your resume. The goal is to first determine your career objectives and then utilize metrics on your resume to present your suitability for a position.

If you need support in quantifying achievements on your resume, contact San Francisco-based resume writer, Robin Kelley, at Resume Preferred to schedule an introductory call.

If you’re a senior executive and are seeking to capture and convey your value in the marketplace—and achieve the next level of career success—contact Leadership Career Consultant Amy Phillip.