When I review resumes, I see numbers everywhere. Percentages, dollar signs, timelines. People have heard that hiring managers love metrics, so they load up their resumes with as many as possible (Hell, I encourage metrics on resumes). But here’s the thing, most of those numbers don’t actually tell the story that matters. They don’t move the needle with hiring managers, and they don’t help you stand out.
Let’s talk about the metrics that really matter and how to use them to make your resume stronger and more relevant.
A lot of resumes are full of numbers that sound impressive at first glance: increased social media followers by 25%, processed 200 invoices per month, answered 50 calls per day. The problem is that these numbers don’t say much about impact. Did the social media growth lead to higher sales? Did processing those invoices improve accuracy or reduce turnaround times? Did those calls improve customer satisfaction or contribute to revenue growth? Without context, numbers like these are just background noise.
What really matters to a hiring manager is what you achieved and why it mattered to the business. To make sure your metrics count, ask yourself three questions. First, does this number show how you improved something? Second, can you connect it to a result the business cares about? And third, is it specific and relevant? For example, “increased sales by 10%” is fine, but “increased sales by 10%, generating \$1 million in revenue within six months” tells a much clearer and more compelling story. Instead of saying “managed a \$500K budget,” you could say “managed a \$500K budget, reducing costs by 15% while maintaining service quality.” Similarly, “trained 30 new hires” becomes stronger if you add, “trained 30 new hires, reducing onboarding time by 20% and improving retention rates by 10%.”
In short, metrics need context. A number alone doesn’t mean much. You have to show what the number means in terms of business results. Otherwise, it’s just filler on the page. Sometimes, it’s actually better not to use a number at all. Forcing a metric into a bullet point can weaken the message if it doesn’t connect to something meaningful. If you played a pivotal role in a project where the outcomes were qualitative—like leading a team through a crisis or improving a process that wasn’t yet measured—focus on describing the impact clearly. Instead of writing “reduced errors,” you might say, “led a process redesign that eliminated key bottlenecks and improved accuracy and speed.” That works even without a hard number.
Different roles and industries call for different types of metrics. In sales and business development, for example, focus on revenue impact, deal size, conversion rates, market share growth, and customer acquisition costs. Instead of “closed new business,” you might say “closed \$3.5 million in new business within Q1, exceeding targets by 25% and increasing gross margin by 10%.” In marketing and communications, tie your metrics to engagement and ROI. Instead of “ran campaigns,” a stronger example would be “launched a targeted campaign that increased lead conversion by 20% and drove \$500K in additional revenue in six months.”
In operations and supply chain roles, highlight efficiency gains, cost savings, production increases, or error reductions. Rather than simply stating “improved warehouse efficiency,” you could say, “redesigned warehouse layout, reducing picking errors by 15% and cutting average order fulfillment time by 12%.” IT and cybersecurity professionals should focus on how their work improved security, reduced downtime, optimized systems, or saved costs. Instead of “implemented new system,” you might use “led migration to cloud infrastructure, reducing system downtime by 40% and cutting hosting costs by \$200K annually.” In healthcare and life sciences, you’ll want to focus on patient outcomes, compliance wins, reduced errors, and improved efficiencies. Rather than saying “improved clinical trial processes,” it’s stronger to say, “streamlined clinical trial processes, reducing approval times by 25% and cutting costs by 15% without compromising quality.”
It’s also important to avoid “vanity metrics”—numbers that sound impressive but don’t reflect meaningful progress. These might include the number of social media followers, number of calls made per day, or hours worked. Unless you can connect these numbers to real outcomes—such as increased revenue, improved customer satisfaction, or reduced costs—they don’t add much value.
Here’s a simple exercise to improve your resume’s metrics. First, review your resume and underline every number. Then, for each one, ask yourself, “So what?” What did this number actually accomplish for the business? Finally, revise each bullet point to include context, results, or relevance. If you can’t answer “So what?” clearly, either add context or remove the metric.
Remember, the goal isn’t to flood your resume with as many numbers as possible. It’s to show how your work created value, solved problems, or contributed to the company’s goals. Before you hit “send” on your resume, take a step back and ask:
Are these numbers telling a story that matters?
Do they show how I made a real impact?
Can I quantify the business result with clarity and confidence?
The best resumes don’t just list what you did—they show how you made a difference. And that difference is what gets you noticed.