I’m reprinting the below essay with the permission of its author, Claire Kittle Dixon, who wrote it for her must-read e-newsletter, Talent Update.
1. Quantify Your Accomplishments
Whenever possible, use numbers to explain what you’ve done. Doing so will provide employers with much needed context about your work. For instance, instead of this:
✔️ Supervised interns.
✔️ Recruited college students to the internship program.
✔️ Set intern schedule.
Do this:
✔️ Supervised 100 interns per year over the course of three internship programs (spring, summer, and fall).
✔️ Recruited potential interns by traveling frequently and connecting with 1,000 students per year at conferences and events.
✔️Organized and scheduled 50 lectures per semester with 30 different speakers.
After all, there’s a big difference between supervising three interns and supervising 100, and between organizing five lectures and organizing 50! Providing these numbers illustrates the depth and breadth of your experience.
2. Specify Results
You’ve heard people talk about outputs versus outcomes. In addition to providing relevant numbers (outputs), make sure to include specific results (outcomes) when possible. For instance:
✔️ Increased the competitiveness of the program over four years, taking the average GPA from 3.2 to 3.8 and improving the average SAT score by 20%.
3. Highlight Times You Went Above and Beyond
In addition to using numbers, you should explain the ways you exceeded expectations and/or went beyond your job description. For instance:
✔️ Took ownership of the research, selection, and implementation of a new donor database to increase efficiency and functionality.
✔️Identified previously unknown vulnerabilities in our technology security protocols, and led the development and implementation of new, more secure system.
✔️Recognized a lack of engagement with students and recent graduates on our social media platform, and created a plan that’s resulted in a four-fold increase in engagement of that demographic.
If you can create a resume that addresses these three items, you’ll be on your way to rock-star status.
