Why Is Incorporating Metrics and KPIs into Your CV Important?

Explore why incorporating metrics and KPIs into your CV is important. The truth is metrics and KPIs matter in your CV. When potential employers look at your CV, they are seeking applicants with real experience and qualities. When you can convincingly describe an experience quantitatively, that is, using numbers and key performance indicators, your experience as they perceive it will be more real and impactful.

Written by Wendy Dessler

Incorporating metrics and KPIs into your CV is impactful. Metrics and KPIs matter when you prepare your CV. Potential employers are looking for applicants with demonstrative experience and qualities. Convince them that you are the candidate they need by using metrics and KPIs on your CV to capture your competency.

The level of competition within the job market is growing with the passing of days. In a stack of job applications, many recruiters and hiring managers agree that there are usually several applicants who qualify to fill the job vacancy. Therefore, they are hard-pressed to narrow their interviewees to a few people and to do so within a short time. To stand out from the crowd of other applicants who simply had a list of their previous job responsibilities, you must effectively differentiate yourself. 

A common job application myth is that to impress recruiters, one has to exaggerate the eye-catching formatting of your CV, such as colour, photos, and graphics. The truth of the matter is that, while recruiters may remember a pretty document, they will ultimately select quality content CVs. 

One of the best ways, therefore, to separate your CV from the pack of tens of other applicants, is to incorporate metrics and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) into your CV. Simply put, these refer to the quantifiable evidence that shows your ability to do the required job and that you have the expertise required to succeed.

Benefits of Incorporating Metrics and KPIs into your CV

KPIs and metrics on your CV give evidence that your previous work made a measurable impact on your organization. These are crucial in demonstrating to potential recruiters that you were a valued team member.

1. KPIs and metrics also make it easier for the hiring manager or professional who will read your CV

These add specific details as to the extent of your skill and previous accomplishments. Instead of generalizations such as “significantly increased clientele base” that can mean different things to different people, a precise metric such as “spearheaded a 25% increase in new clients, every quarter,” is easier to grasp.

2. KPIs and metrics make your listed work experience more credible.

Once you can list detailed and measurable metrics, you communicate loud and clear that you have the data to support your claims. This means that your CV is not an embellishment.

3. Metrics and KPIs also show you are an action-oriented and results-driven kind of person. 

Metrics and KPIs document the bottom-line results of your previous experience. These results represent your performance and priorities.

4. Numbers make your CV more impressive and memorable. 

You can likely expect that recruiters will subject your CV to various assessments to narrow down the crowd of potential hires. Specific numbers and quantities on your CV will keep it ahead of the pack of other similar applications, and increase the likelihood of your ultimate selection.

Which KPIs and Metrics Should You Include?

For any job you perform, there will be all kinds of metrics and numbers that you can call out; from the number of emails you sent, the number of projects you previously worked on, the number of meetings you attended, and so on. However, incorporating metrics and KPIs is more than just adding numbers to your CV. Identify and select the right metrics that will pack the most punch. These are:

1. Growth

Growth metrics are numbers that show how you added to your previous organization and contributed to its growth. To help you identify KPIs and metrics that show growth, think back to the numbers that came up in your previous performance reviews, the numbers that were often brought up at weekly meetings, or even the numbers you listed in the LinkedIn profiles of others holding roles similar to yours.

For example, if you are in sales, some of the growth indicators you could mention may include the amount of revenue you drove, the number of clients you brought in, the number of customers who renewed, and so on. You could say something like, evaluated and got in touch with approximately 20 prospects per day, leading to 15 closed deals in the first quarter and $100,000 in revenue.

2. Reduction

Reduction metrics are just as important as growth metrics. Anything that you helped your organization to eliminate or reduce is as essential as what you added to it.

These kinds of metrics give measurable evidence of how you helped your previous organization to reduce or save time, client turnover, budget, website bounce rate, or employee turnover. For example, identified four serious bottlenecks in the procurement process and led the task force to create and implement new strategies and technologies to overcome them, saving $10,000 per year.

3. Impact

Another important metric to include in your CV is to show the number of people you helped in your previous jobs. These “people” metrics could be anything from clients to users, customers, employees, and stakeholders, for example: –

• The number of teams or team members you led or are leading
• The number of customers or users impacted by your work
• The number of clients you routinely dealt with.
• For example, oversaw strategic and routine HR operations for a staff of 80 people.

4. Frequency

The amount of times you carried out various tasks in a company gives hiring managers and recruiters a sign of your level of expertise. The reasoning behind this is that the greater your regularity of practising certain responsibilities, the more well-versed you are in that area.

To determine which tasks to highlight in your CV, use the listed skills and responsibilities in the job description of the job ad you are applying to. For example, say you are applying for a PR position that lists media relations as part of the job description. You could describe the number of reporters you pitched per day.

How to Add Metrics & KPIs to CV

1. The first step is to list the various responsibilities you had in your previous roles.
2. Of these, pinpoint measurable responsibilities, accomplishments, and any “firsts” that you may have had or contributed to for each specific role.
3. Then use these to generate growth, reduction, frequency, and impact metrics and KPIs.

As you incorporate metrics and KPIs into your CV, remember:

• To keep them simple. To illustrate, generating a metric is like telling a joke. If you have to take too much time explaining it, no one will get it, and chances are it will not work.
• To strategically put just a few in the right places. Too many metrics and you risk overwhelming potential recruiters with too many figures.

Conclusion

Creating measurable metrics and KPIs may take a few trials and errors before you master the skill. However, once you do, hiring and managers and recruiters will always know your impact on any system.