As a career coach, I often think employers miss an opportunity to engage their employees when they fail to state their employees’ achievements in quantifiable terms. This is especially true in roles where managers check a box by a meet/did not meet performance standard. On the one hand, hiring managers want to see quantifiable achievements on resumes; that is what catches the eye they say. However, on the other hand, performance feedback is often given in vague terms which individuals find difficult to state in quantifiable terms. Many employees know when they improved a process or developed a brilliant idea. They may have gotten recognition in some fashion, but what their performance meant from a quantifiable standpoint is often not stated. Therefore, the employee ends up writing a nondescript accomplishment statement because no one formally identified it in measurable terms, and they are reluctant to do so themselves.
Helping employees see their achievements in quantifiable terms is great for employee engagement. Of course, it helps in the context of writing a resume, but it also helps to:
- connect individuals’ achievements to the broader organization achievements.
- give employees a greater sense of accomplishment.
- give employees a better sense of how their job impacts the company and its clients.
- support employees’ career goals through better performance management.
In one survey when respondents were asked, “What will make you feel like you belong at the company where you work?” 59% of respondents said that being recognized for accomplishments at work was the largest single contributor to an overall sense of belonging. If this is so, then we should be smarter about recognizing employees for their accomplishments by going beyond the “good job,” and helping them see the full impact of their achievements by stating them in quantifiable terms. This practice is good for the employee, and it’s good for the company.