The One Thing Every Employer Wants to See On Your Resume

It’s tough out there in the job market. And it may be getting tougher if you are following the news. You are elbow-to-elbow with the competition, jostling for attention. To make matters worse, some companies are still hunting for that darned purple squirrel and slowing down the hiring process for everyone. 

Your goal is to grab the hiring manager’s attention without embarrassing yourself and land the interview — you can take it from there.

With such a competitive environment, it is no surprise that hiring managers only spend an average six seconds on each resume. You know your resume needs to stand out if you want to get noticed.

Your resume and LinkedIn profile are airtight — really as close to perfect as you can get them. Your work history is solid, your credentials are impressive and your references are ready to sing your praises.

But for all of your effort, your resume might still be missing the one thing that employers really want to see.

At Aha! (product roadmap software) we are growing really fast and receive a lot of resumes. In fact, we are now reviewing about 50 resumes every day for open positions. But only a few highlight that one thing we are really looking for. What is it?

Results.

Many job seekers use descriptors like “conscientious,” “self-motivated” or detail-oriented” to share the details of their career. But resumes that focus on results tell a different story altogether.

To be effective, a resume must be more than a recitation of every job you have held the last 10 years.

If you want to make that indelible first impression on a hiring manager, you must show movement and real progress, and quantify your accomplishments with real, hard data.

Here is an example. You could say that you “successfully trained the customer success team to improve customer communications.” Or, you “created 25 template responses and trained the customer success team, reducing average response time to under two hours.” See how the details can make all the difference?

Here is why sharing results is the best way for you to stand out. Results will demonstrate:

Past success
The best predictor of future success is past success, and that is what hiring managers are on the hunt for. When you include this evidence, they will be confident that you have the experience and potential to excel in a brand-new role.

Goal-first mentality
A results-driven resume shows that you understand the company’s goals and you work to achieve them. When you make sure that your resume is crisp, short on fluff and filler, and loaded with valuable data, you will stand out as a serious candidate.

Confidence
The resume is no place to be shy about your accomplishments throughout your career. You are smart to use this opportunity to toot your own horn, presenting yourself as a person who is comfortable in their own skin and takes pride in their accomplishments.

Ambition
When you share the results of your hard work, you paint a picture of a no-nonsense professional who understands the value of time and will not waste it. It shows that you know how to get things done and that you understand what matters most.

Credibility
With every resume they review, a hiring manager must decide whether they trust it to be the truth or not. A willingness to share results will make you more genuine and help establish that trust with a hiring manager.

Now that you know what hiring managers really want to see, take a fresh look at your own resume through their eyes.

What jumps out at you in those important six seconds?

If you do not see results, start over. Think about what is most important to share, and if necessary, take time to research your own accomplishments. Then draft a brand-new resume that lays out the details that hiring managers really want to see.

Your results-focused resume will present a more accurate snapshot of who you are and what you can do — and clear the way for others to see that too.

What do you think about focusing on results?

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ABOUT BRIAN AND AHA!

Brian seeks business and wilderness adventure. He has been the founder or early employee of six cloud-based software companies and is the CEO of Aha! -- the world's #1 product roadmap software. His last two companies were acquired by Aruba Networks [ARUN] and Citrix [CTXS].

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