Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book,
Top Notch Executive Resumesidentified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves:
Resume content lacks results. Hiring decision-makers want to see the results you attained
for past employers, what you accomplished, the value you added, and how you made a difference
in your past jobs. They want to gain a sense of the complexity and significance of what you’ve done.
Some recruiters recommend a bulleted list of key projects indicating accomplishments and results.
As many achievements as possible should be measurable, especially quantifiable. One recruiter advises metrics
or results for at least 40 percent of your bullet points for each job. “Anytime you can quantify your accomplishments,
you give them more credibility,” said another. Among measurable items employers want to see are sales volume
(and ranking in comparison with peer and compared to previous periods, percent of quota), number (and titles)
of direct reports, number of people you’ve hired, size of teams you’ve led, your position within the team,
amount of money you’ve saved, success in completing projects, initiatives that result in revenue-generation, process-improvement, and cost-containment.
See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves
1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and
executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.
