Using Data in Your Resume

Updating your resume? How to quantify your experience to stand out.

Whether you’re planning a job search or just want to be ready, it’s a great time of year for a resume refresh. So today we cover how data plays a key role on your resume by showing results, not just activity.

Strong formatting, action verbs, and keywords matter, but your quantified experience shows impact and makes your resume unmistakably yours.

This does take a bit of upfront thinking and effort. But once you’ve done that work, you have those accomplishments to use forever.

WOW with Trend Numbers

Trend data are especially powerful on resumes. They grab the reader’s attention quickly, and there is a clear before‑and‑after: a starting point, an action, and a measurable change. Hiring managers notice that clarity and impact.

Express trends as percentages (XX%), factors (2X, 3X), or strong action verbs (“doubled,” “tripled”). We generally favor percentages, but a thoughtful mix keeps your resume easier, and more interesting, to scan.

Examples of increased trends that work well on resumes include: revenue, sales, clients, leads, margin, products or features shipped, market share, average account size, and volume-based outputs like events or campaigns.

• Increased revenue 3x to $10M, while improving contribution margin from 5% to 18%.

• Doubled qualified leads in 7 months.

• Expanded average account size by 45% and improved client satisfaction scores 40%.

• Processed 55% more invoices with the same headcount by implementing process and technology improvements.

In rapid-growth situations, increases can reach the hundreds - or even thousands - of percent. In those cases, use factors instead (for example, 10x instead of 1000%) for faster, easier scanning.

Quick math reminder: if something grew from 10 to 12, that’s a 20% increase, not 120%. If you doubled a result, that’s 100% growth, not 200%.

Decreasing trends can be just as impressive. These usually show up where you improved efficiency, reduced errors, or saved time or money. For example:

• Reduced time-to-market 50%, from 6 months to 3 months.

• Decreased accounts receivable by 23%.

• Cut an average of 5 hours from monthly operations report production, a 33% time savings.

• Slashed error rates by 5X in 4 months.

If you don’t know the exact percentage, it’s okay to estimate as long as it’s a realistic reflection of your results. For example, if something increased, but you’re unsure whether it was 95% or 105%, use “2X,” “doubled,” or “approximately 100%.” If something decreased by roughly 30–35%, you can reasonably say “reduced by one-third.”

Add Flair with Scope and Ranking Metrics

Not all strong metrics are trends. Quantifying the scope of your responsibilities or your rank / standing adds context and credibility, especially when growth percentages aren’t the whole story.

Here are several effective ways to do this:

1. Scope of responsibility (team, budget, portfolio, footprint)

• Managed facilities for 80 buildings totaling 1.5M sq ft.

• Responsible for a $50M client portfolio.

2. Output measured by units or counts

• Launched 5 new products in 6 months.

• Built and scaled a team of 100+ developers.

3. Rankings, ratings, or relative performance

• Top 3 ranked salesperson for 5 consecutive years.

• Maintained employee satisfaction ratings of 96%+ annually.

• Moved ABC program from #7 to #1 in XYZ Industry Rankings over two years.

4. Company or industry awards

• Winner of the company’s annual Rocket Award (1 of 2,500 employees).

• Winner of 3 Webby Awards for Best User Experience.

5. Scope of a problem solved (often expressed as a percentage)

• Reduced unresolved customer complaint backlog by 50% in 2 months.
  (This is more informative than “Resolved 10 outstanding customer complaints,” which lacks context for how big the problem was to start.)

• Built an invoice collections process and recovered 43% of outstanding revenue.
  (In this case, the $430K recovered did not sound like a lot, but it was on a $1M revenue product making the impact meaningful.)

Unsure Where to Begin? Start Here

Staring at your resume and drawing a blank?

Begin with metrics commonly associated with your role or the role you want. In marketing, that might be engagement or leads. In product, time‑to‑market or product revenue. In sales, revenue growth or average contract value.

It also helps to prioritize metrics tied to company goals, such as: revenue, market share, or customer and employee satisfaction. Wherever possible, show how your work contributed to those outcomes. “Grew my product revenue 54% in 2 years.”

Finally, showcase metrics you’re genuinely proud of. You’ll sound more confident telling the story behind them. And yes, interviewers will ask about metrics on your resume so be ready to walk through each metric using the simple structure:

• What was the situation?

• What did you do?

• What were the results? (your metric)

Still struggling to find solid numbers? Revisit past performance reviews. That’s often where your strongest, most resume‑ready metrics may be hiding. And don’t forget to look at relevant job postings for ideas too.

My Role is Hard to Measure

You can quantify much more than you think. Here are some common situations and how to express them with data.

• In high‑throughput responsibilities like in accounting, operations, or copy editing, sometimes the focus is on getting the work done rather than measuring it. Look back and quantify aspects like on‑time delivery, accuracy, volume, or turnaround speed.

  • Delivered monthly reporting 100% on-time and correct.

  • Reduced average copy edit turnaround from 2 days to 4 hours.

• Perhaps you were part of a team that delivered a single, major outcome. Be explicit about your role and the team’s achievement.

  • Served as Operations Lead on a small team that launched a product that grew to 20% of company revenue in its first year.

• Creative roles can be especially tricky. Identify aspects of your role that make you proud or where others often compliment you.

  • For example, if you’re a graphic designer and effective listening is important. Maybe you consistently deliver work that requires only one small round of revisions while others need two or three. That’s measurable.

If you’re still unsure, ask a colleague or someone you trust to help brainstorm. Sometimes you just need an outside perspective.

You’ve Got This.

Resume writing is not likely high on your want‑to‑do list, but identifying your measurable achievements can be surprisingly gratifying.

One word of caution: as we look back on what we’ve accomplished, we are often too hard on ourselves. We compare ourselves to others.

“I grew my product revenue only 10% per year. That person grew 50% per year.”

“I managed a team of 8 people, but they managed 80.”

Don’t. Do. This. Avoid this common trap, and put your accomplishments in the right context. Context matters and hiring managers will recognize that.

Final example: A teen in my life recently tried out for a club sport and felt disappointed because he “only” made the third‑ranked team. When we looked closer, he’d competed against 140 athletes - many with years more experience - and finished in the top 35. Same result, very different perspective. Context matters.

Don’t let the absence of obvious metrics diminish your confidence in your contributions. Impact comes in many forms, and most of them can be measured with a little reflection and a little creativity.

Still struggling to frame a metric? Share it in the comments or send us a DM. We read and respond to every message.