My resume was a list of duties for 6 years, now it's all impact numbers

I used to write every job entry like a job posting, just tasks and tools I touched, until a recruiter in Denver told me my resume read like a menu. I switched to leading with the outcome, like 'cut ticket response time from 14 hours to 3' or 'handled $200k in monthly renewals solo.' Has anyone else had a harder time describing their own wins than actually doing the work?

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1 Comment

grant_hart19d ago

Ha! A menu, that's a good one. Though I gotta say, your description still sounds a little like a victory lap. Recruiters love that stuff, sure, but they also roll their eyes when every single bullet is a superhero save. You didn't fix the ticket system alone, did you? Maybe you just tracked the numbers someone else’s process change created. That "cut response time" line is great, but only if you can actually explain what you did to cut it, not just the result. Otherwise it reads like you're taking credit for a team win, and that's a different kind of menu. Just something to chew on before your next interview.