How to Write a Results-Oriented Resume
Advice From Employers / March 28, 2023Table of Contents
- Put Yourself in the Hiring Manager’s Shoes
- What is a Results-Oriented Resume?
- What Kind of Results Can Go On a Resume?
- Results Win Over Tasks
A resume that focuses on vague tasks and responsibilities is doomed to get lost in the shuffle. A results-oriented resume, on the other hand, replaces general duties with outcomes. This helps take the guesswork out of hiring and proves that the applicant can be a valuable asset to the company.
Here’s why results-oriented resumes are more likely to win you that interview, and how you can start writing one.
Put Yourself in the Hiring Manager’s Shoes
You have a position to fill, so you post a job description online. In response, you receive over 30 resumes, each from one to four pages long. Filling this position is just one of your many responsibilities over the next several weeks. You need to find the best person for the job, but you also need to do it efficiently.
The first thing you’ll probably do is skim the resumes, looking for those you can easily omit. Anything vague or overly wordy gets put in the “no” pile, without a thorough reading. Next, the hiring manager will take a closer look at the dozen or so resumes that they’ve kept. Only the best will get called in for an interview.
How can an applicant make their resume stand out to the hiring manager so it gets put in that “Must Interview” pile?
A good resume makes the choice easy. This means it should be brief (one to two pages, max), tailored to the job, and results-oriented.
What Is a Results-Oriented Resume?
Most resumes are task-oriented. They list the candidate’s responsibilities and daily duties in their previous jobs. This indicates to the hiring manager that the applicant has experience in the work. But it doesn’t prove that they have proficiency in the work. And there’s a big difference!
When an applicant shares their successes, they prove that they can complete their tasks with a high degree of expertise. Instead of someone who will tick boxes and do the bare minimum, results tell the hiring manager that this person will do what’s expected and more.
What Kind of Results Can Go On a Resume?
Types of results will vary depending on the job description and level of responsibility. But here are some suggestions to help you write your next hospitality resume.
Revenue or Sales
Every salesperson should track the revenue that they’ve brought to the business. Whether you’re booking hotel rooms, renting out an event venue, or securing catering contracts, nothing will prove your competence in sales better than the numbers.
It’s great to add some context here. For example, if you booked $100,000 in event venue rentals, you could add that it was a 22% increase from the previous year. Or you could state your percentage of the overall sales. Perhaps you closed 36% of the 4-person team’s sales for the quarter, which proves that you outperformed the rest of the group.
Positive Reviews
If you’ve worked in a customer-facing position, you may have received some positive reviews on social media or review sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor. Sharing one or two of your best reviews can be a great way to showcase your results.
Servers, bartenders, event planners, and concierges all have this opportunity. You can say that you provide great customer service. But that message is much stronger when it comes from an actual customer.
Awards or Commendations
Just like customer reviews, awards or commendations from your past employers or industry experts can prove your hard work and expertise. Recognition like employee of the month awards, sales contest wins, and local hospitality awards all show that you stood out from the crowd in your past work.
You can even list awards that the company won while you worked on the team. Michelin stars, James Beard Awards, Hotel of the Year awards, Forbes Travel Guide awards—any of these commendations strengthen the argument that you’ve worked with and learned from the best.
Improvements That You Spearheaded
It’s one thing to say that you managed front desk operations at a boutique hotel. It’s quite another thing to say that you implemented a new property management system that reduced check-in times by 30% and increased upsells by 15%.
When you share the processes you streamlined and the improvements that you made, it shows that you’ll take the initiative to make changes for the overall growth of the business.
Events That You Organized or Served
Think back to some of your busiest days at work. Often, those days will coincide with major events, either on-site or in the greater city area.
Perhaps you helped to manage logistics or provided catering services for a 2,000-person conference that received rave reviews. Sharing the details about the size of the conference and client satisfaction proves that you know your way around big events. Or maybe your hotel is just down the street from your city’s major annual music festival. While the event wasn’t onsite, you can explain that you ensured high service standards over a full week at 100% capacity while tending to festival VIPs.
Training That You Provided
In hospitality, employees are often called on to train their new colleagues. What results can you share about the success of your training? You could start by approximating the number of employees that you trained over your tenure. If you trained dozens, you clearly did the job well enough that your managers trusted you to continue.
How about your trainee’s wins? Did any of them receive employee of the month awards or praise from managers? Their successes are your successes!
Results Win Over Tasks
A results-oriented resume will beat out a task-oriented resume almost every time. Rewrite your resume with results in mind and make sure your phone is charged…because it’s going to start ringing.