How to showcase achievements on your CV when you don’t have hard numbers

By Jo HamptonCover Letters, CV, Executive Search, Job search
man with numbers

Numbers can make a CV stand out, but what if you don’t have clear statistics to show your achievements? Fortunately, you can still create an impactful CV by highlighting the scope of your work and its potential impact. Here’s how to make the most of your experience, even if hard data isn’t readily available.

Use Estimates and Industry Benchmarks

Even if you don’t have exact figures, you can use estimates based on typical industry outcomes. For instance, if you’re in customer service, instead of saying, “Improved satisfaction by 20%,” you could mention, “Streamlined processes expected to enhance satisfaction rates based on early feedback.”

Examples:

  • “Introduced new procedures that could lead to a 15–20% reduction in complaints based on industry trends.”
  • “Implemented a new training programme expected to improve efficiency, aligning with sector averages.”

Highlight Pre-launch or Projected Results

If your work hasn’t been fully evaluated or you left a role before seeing final outcomes, mention early indicators or pre-launch results. Highlight surveys, pilot tests, or initial user feedback.

Examples:

  • “Early feedback from clients suggested a 30% improvement in service delivery times.”
  • “Pre-launch testing indicated potential for a 25% increase in employee retention due to enhanced onboarding processes.”

Quantify the Scope of Your Work

Where direct results are unavailable, focus on the scope of your responsibilities. Did you manage a team? Handle large budgets? Deal with high-profile clients? These elements demonstrate the significance of your role and contributions.

Examples:

  • “Led a team of 10 on a project that impacted over 5,000 customers.”
  • “Managed a budget of £500k across multiple departments.”

Showcase Problem-Solving

Employers are interested in how you approach and resolve challenges, even if you don’t have numerical proof of success. Emphasise the issues you identified and how you addressed them.

Examples:

  • “Resolved workflow bottlenecks that improved team collaboration.”
  • “Identified and corrected training gaps, resulting in a more effective onboarding process.”

Include Feedback

If direct results aren’t measurable, rely on feedback from colleagues, clients or superiors. Positive endorsements of your work can be as valuable as hard data.

Examples:

  • “Received positive feedback from senior management for improving team communication.”
  • “Client satisfaction surveys consistently praised my proactive problem-solving approach.”

Focus on Team Achievements

Sometimes, you might not have individual statistics to share, but if the team you were part of achieved significant results, those are worth highlighting. Your contributions to a collective effort can reflect well on your CV.

Examples:

  • “Collaborated with cross-functional teams to improve customer service ratings by 15%.”
  • “Contributed to the development of a new product feature, resulting in a 20% rise in customer engagement.”

Conclusion: Honesty and Context Matter

While showcasing numbers is helpful, it’s equally important to remain truthful about what you achieved. If you don’t have final metrics, explain why and provide context about the challenges and circumstances. Numbers or not, your CV can still highlight your value through thoughtful descriptions of your work and its potential impact.