How To Add Quantified Results To Your Resume

Join Isaiah as he delivers a crash course in quantifying the skills, experience, and academic achievements in your PhD resume

In this week’s episode…

• First, Isaiah breaks down exactly why using quantified results in your industry resume is crucial to job search success
• Next, he explains how to incorporate quantified results into your resume’s existing bullet points
• Finally, Isaiah wraps up by explaining different ways you can turn accomplishments into measurable results

Quantified Results Give Context To The Skills And Experience On Your Resume

Quantifiable achievements on your resume make the decision to hire you an easy one. 

They make you stand out as a candidate and highlight your accomplishments in a memorable way. 

Don’t believe me? 

Eye tracking studies have actually proven that employers’ eyes pause at length on numerals.

When you use these numerical values, you help make your name and what you’ve accomplished more impactful. 

Quantifiable results provide specific, measurable, time-bound accomplishments to hiring managers that demonstrate you understand the importance of prioritization and performance. 

PhDs Can Easily Adapt And Elevate Their Current Resume With Quantified Results

If you already have bullet points in your resume, you’re halfway there. 

Now you just need to look for a way to make those accomplishments measurable by adding numerals. 

For instance, rather than saying that you “worked on a grant,” you could say that you “helped earn 1.2MM in grant funding.” 

This gives employers a clear idea of the scale and impact of your achievements. 

These numbers don’t have to be sky-high to count. 

You can do research that “resulted in 2 publications” or even just “2 discoveries.” 

If you have a choice between quantifying with words or numbers, always choose numbers. 

Saying you “doubled” productivity jumps off the page less when compared to “increasing productivity by 100%.” 

Make It A Habit To Make Note Of Your Accomplishments Over Time

If you don’t have a resume started at all, you can begin building your quantifiable achievements by making a list of things you’ve accomplished. 

They can be professional or personal wins, so long as they are relevant to the job you are applying for. 

You should be making a note every time you complete a project, report, or experiment, while the results of that activity are still fresh in your mind. 

If not, you’ll find yourself trying to rack your brain for pertinent details a year after you graduate or have moved on to another job. 

If that’s the case you find yourself in, specific numbers might be a little hard to come by. 

Consider using ranges if you can’t nail down exact numbers. 

You can say you generated 5 to 6 times the data previously acquired, for instance. 

Some key metrics that employers are interested in hearing more about include financial wins, people that you’ve managed or clients you’ve helped, and rankings. 

But numbers on their own aren’t compelling enough. 

So ask yourself questions like, what were the challenges you overcame? In what way did you overcome those?

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** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.