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BLUF: I'm trying to figure out how to phrase accomplishments related to design projects on my resume.
My role has 3 parts:
- design new software features
- manage them while they are in development (hey look, I'm a "working manager" :-) )
- share my experiences in our client industry with management so they can figure out direction and positioning for products
#3 really doesn't seem to have any accomplishments. It's a consulting role that I can't really quantify. No problem.
#2 has a bunch of project management time-and-budget accomplishments. No problem.
#1 I just don't know how to put as accomplishments. I'm doing things like user interviews, creating workflow diagrams, making wireframes, and running usability labs.
Has anyone else been in a design role and figured out what kind of metrics or proxies could work as accomplishments?
Suggestions
Delivered X highly useable designs on time and within budget by creating workflow diagrams, making wireframes and running user labs.
Positioned y new products with $z first year sales in <industry> by gathering customer input.
Result, challenge (often inherent), your action.
put numbers on anything that moves
Put numbers on anything that moves. How many projects are you working on right now? How many deadline milestones have you met this month? How many decision briefings did you give this quarter? How many decisions were made in accordance with your recommendation? (What is your batting average from the last two numbers?)
This works even for touchy-feely soft-skills careers, too: How many sentence fragments did you catch before the magazine went to press? How many days in a row have you had zero customer complaints? How many pedestrians waved back at you as you drove the tour bus? Put numbers on everything that moves.
Put numbers on everything. Update your numbers every three months, when you update your resume. Lines and patterns will emerge. Those are your accomplishments.
• Reduced by 15% the number of patients who cried during their measles shot by repainting the walls of the pediatric wing with cartoons.
• Increased tips by 9% by learning the name of each taxi passenger and allowing them to pick the radio station during the ride.
• Doubled the percentage of my software recommendations that were implemented by creating a standard cost-benefit form, which was later adopted by the entire programming department.
• Shaved six minutes off of morning staff meeting by implementing "we start on time even if you're not here" policy.
Awesome. Thanks!!
Awesome. Thanks!!