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How do you come up with outcomes and numbers when you don't have the stats?

This is in reference to including specific details on performance or accomplishments when writing a resume.

Office Hours #1: Resume Writing with Judy Park [35:27]

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Thank you comment icon Judy Park's answer: Including specific statistics is a great way to highlight your accomplishments on your resume. If you haven't been keeping track of the details, start now! If you helped out 40 customers today, mark it down! If you get surveyed for your work performance, keep track of those results. When I worked in a retail store, I would encourage customers I helped to give me a positive review, and that helped drive some of the numbers. Also, you don't necessarily need exact numbers - you can say "at least 15" or "20+" or "up to 35" CareerVillage Office Hours
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Chirayu’s Answer

When writing a resume, it's important to highlight your accomplishments and quantify your achievements as much as possible. If you don't have hard data to support your claims, you can use estimates, or try to find comparable benchmarks from industry standards or research. You can also use descriptive language to explain the impact you had, rather than focusing solely on numbers. Here are some examples- Instead of just listing your responsibilities, describe the specific tasks you accomplished and how you made a positive impact. If you don't have exact numbers, give a range or estimate. For example, "Improved website traffic by 20-30%." Use comparisons to provide context. For example, "Managed a team of 15 people, double the size of the previous team." Focus on achievements that are relevant to the job you're applying for, and describe them in a way that showcases your skills and abilities. The goal of a resume is to effectively communicate your value to a potential employer, so being creative and strategic with the information you present is just as important as having specific data to support your claims.
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Katrina’s Answer

To add on to Dustin's point, frankly, if you don't necessarily need numbers. While numbers are great, you should showcase IMPACT and you can do this following the "domino effect." You want to showcase how you "doing x, lead to y" (much like a domino when it hits the next domino). There is always a ripple effect. So, if you don't have numbers, use these formulas to help you out to showcase impact.

[Responsibility] + [problem I helped solve]
[Responsibility] + [process I helped improve]
[What I did] + [the benefit to my boss or company]
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Jill’s Answer

When I am including an estimate, I am clear to specify "approximately..." However, I do try to find out some of the numbers so my estimates are as close as they can be. In the past I have asked colleagues, professors, even my current managers. It is okay to keep track of your accomplishments for your resume or not !
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Paul’s Answer

First, look at past performance reviews. Those details may be captured there. You can also reach out to the past manager or co-worker to see if they have details.

If not, provide an estimate, but use a lower number with a + after it. For example, if I knew I supported around 10 to 15 events or activities, I might say "I supported 10+ events". That's an honest answer and is erring on the lower side so I don't accidentally exaggerate.
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Dustin’s Answer

I definitely recommend grabbing a few stats/figures at your job now to help with writing your resume. If you're no longer there, reach out to a co-worker friend who could possibly grab a few numbers to help you.

Otherwise, if you know it helped increase x or y, by all means, say it! :) While you may not have the number, you know the work had an impact.
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