Some career paths have extremely specific KPIs to hit and metrics to measure their success. Including those numbers is a breeze when it comes time to update LinkedIn and/or a resume. But what about more nebulous or creative roles?
When metrics aren’t part of your job, resumes can be overwhelming. But there are various ways to represent your work quantifiably, even if direct numbers aren’t available (and no, lying isn’t the strategy here).
1. Scope of work
One way to quantify the unquantifiable is to focus on the scope of your work. You can describe the scale of your projects, the budget you managed, the number of clients you served, the size of the team you collaborated with, things of that nature.
You can highlight the number of projects you completed in a specific time period, especially if they were delivered early or on time.
2. Frequency and volume
Another method that works for some careers is frequency and volume. It might be annoying to dig through all of your work, but as an example, you absolutely can spell out how many articles, blog posts, or pieces of content produced in a specific time period.
3. Efficiency and accuracy
Some roles may be more nebulous, so focus on streamlining processes which reduces turnaround time. You can ballpark it (without lying, of course).
You can also focus on reduction of error rates, accuracy in company work, or compliance with regulations.
4. Reach and engagements
If you have any part in the creation or execution of marketing, you can add metrics like social media follower counts, traffic, or engagement rates. Remember, you’re proving your impact.
5. People and dollars
Find ways to make head counts applicable – even if you’re not in management, perhaps you rolled out a project to be executed by X number of team members. Rank improvement in their performance or feedback when possible. How many people did you train or mentor?
Mention budget amounts managed or cost savings achieved, even if you didn’t manage them or make decisions.
6. Last ditch efforts
If after all that, there are no numbers to be squeezed out, you can note improvements in any performance, even with people. List any awards or recognition that came from a specific duty.
Lastly, customer feedback can always be slid in if it’s extremely concise.
Let’s dig in to specific examples:
Copywriter
- Content Volume: “Wrote and edited over 150 blog posts in one year.”
- Engagement Metrics: “Articles generated an average of 5,000 views each.”
- Project Timelines: “Consistently met 100% of deadlines for all content projects.”
- Audience Reach: “Expanded email newsletter readership by 25%.”
Customer Service Representative
- Customer Satisfaction: “Achieved a customer satisfaction score of 95% based on post-interaction surveys.”
- Call Volume: “Handled an average of 50 customer inquiries per day.”
- Resolution Rate: “Resolved 90% of customer issues on the first call.”
- Retention: “Contributed to a 10% increase in customer retention rates.”
Marketing Specialist
- Campaign Performance: “Managed marketing campaigns that increased lead generation by 20%.”
- Social Media Growth: “Grew social media following by 30% over six months.”
- Conversion Rates: “Improved conversion rates by 15% through targeted email marketing.”
Project Manager
- Project Delivery: “Successfully delivered 10 major projects on time and within budget.”
- Team Size: “Led cross-functional teams of up to 20 members.”
- Budget Management: “Managed project budgets totaling $500,000.”
By framing your achievements in terms of the impact, scope, and efficiency, you can provide potential employers with a clearer picture of your contributions, even in roles where traditional metrics are hard to come by.
