To stand out, you need to articulate how that work moved the needle for the company.
What metrics did your actions impact?
How did your efforts drive the business forward?
At the core of every successful business are priorities that drive growth, efficiency, and success. Companies care about results, not responsibilities.
They want to see how you’ve helped them generate revenue, save costs, enhance brand awareness, or improve customer satisfaction.
So, to ensure your contributions are recognized and valued, document your achievements in a way that reflects these priorities.
Think About What Your Work Means for the Business
Instead of listing tasks or responsibilities, frame your resume around the impact of your work. For example, if you managed a process for 100,000 employees, ask yourself how that helped the company. Did it reduce costs? Improve employee satisfaction? Speed up operations? Your resume needs to translate your work into the language of business impact.
Start by identifying the key metrics that matter to your organization. Then, focus on how your actions improved those metrics.
Dig Deeper
You may have to start asking who, why and how questions. Meaning, I did XYZ. Why did I do that? Was it to solve a problem, seize an opportunity, or drive growth? Who did it help? Did you support a specific department, improve client relationships, or enhance team efficiency? How did it help? Did your work lead to a revenue increase, cost savings, process improvement, or enhanced customer satisfaction? Dig deeper!
Example:
Original Resume Bullet Point
Managed a project to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system.
This bullet point doesn’t provide any insight into the significance of the work.
Let’s expand on it by answering the “who, why, and how” questions:
Why did I do this? The company was struggling with disjointed customer data across multiple systems, leading to inconsistent customer service experiences and missed sales opportunities. The goal was to consolidate this data into a single CRM system to improve customer interactions and drive sales growth.
Who did it help? This project primarily helped the sales and customer service teams by providing them with a 360-degree view of customer interactions, which empowered them to offer more personalized and effective service. It also helped the marketing team by enabling more targeted campaigns.
How did it help? By implementing the new CRM system, the company reduced customer churn by 15% in the first year, increased upsell opportunities by 25%, and improved customer satisfaction scores by 30%. This resulted in an additional $500,000 in annual revenue.
Revised Resume Bullet
Generated $500,000 in revenue, reduced customer churn by 15%, and increased upsell opportunities by 25% through implementing a state-of-the-art CRM system.
The RECHARGE Framework
Consider what the CEO cares about. Align your achievements with the company’s overall strategy and demonstrate your role in that success. To help you focus on what truly matters, use the RECHARGE framework. This framework captures the core areas that companies prioritize and provides a structure for you to document your achievements in terms that resonate with hiring managers and decision-makers
R – Revenue Generation Did you directly or indirectly help the company make more money? This could include anything from driving sales growth to optimizing pricing strategies.
E – Enhanced Brand Awareness Did your efforts help the company get noticed or build a stronger reputation? Whether it’s through marketing campaigns, partnerships, or public relations, think about how you contributed to making the company more visible and attractive in its market.
C – Customer Engagement How did you help the company keep customers engaged and satisfied? This could involve initiatives to increase customer retention, loyalty programs, or creating engaging content.
H – Happy Clients Did your work lead to improved client satisfaction? Reflect on projects or initiatives that enhanced the customer experience, led to positive client feedback, or resulted in customer referrals. Remember, happy clients are repeat clients.
A – Accelerated Growth Did your actions help the company grow faster? Whether you were involved in expanding to new markets, launching new products, or increasing market share, highlight how your work contributed to scaling the business.
R – Radiant Team Did you help build a more effective and collaborative team? Contributions in this area could include developing training programs, improving team dynamics, or fostering a culture of innovation and accountability.
G – Resource Optimization Did you help the company use its resources more effectively? Think about how you eliminated redundancies.
E – Efficient Processes Did you streamline or improve any processes? This could include automating tasks, reducing cycle times, or implementing new systems. Efficiency improvements free up resources for other priorities and add value to the organization.
Aligning Your Resume with Business Priorities
When you step back from the daily grind, it becomes clear that everything you do should directly contribute to improving these key areas. Whether you're preparing for a job search or looking for a promotion, your resume should reflect this understanding. You don’t just perform tasks—you drive results that matter to the business.
Focus on What Companies Value
By using the RECHARGE framework, you ensure your resume speaks directly to the core metrics your company truly values. Talk about what you achieved and how it drove business outcomes. The key is to show that your work wasn't just about completing tasks but about achieving results that moved the business forward.
This is how you stand out!
Dorothy Mashburn is on a mission to help close the gender pay gap by helping women of color (and allies!) advance their careers and negotiate their value. If you need help with your job search, book a complimentary mini-coaching call here.
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