In a recent survey, many professional résumé writers cited the failure to outline the quantification of job applicant accomplishments as the number one problem with the résumés that they see.

Instead of providing a list of job duties, it is now necessary to show your value to prospective employers by providing specific examples of your top-line achievements. Think in terms of actions and then results of the successful projects that you’ve completed or been involved with in a team setting.

Look at this way: Employers want to know what your value proposition is as a prospective employee. What is it that makes you stand out over all the other similarly qualified applicants? And more importantly, they use this information to asseess what you are going to do for them.

It boils down to three simple things: Employers want to know if you made a company money, saved them money or saved them time. Or, if you are in the non-profit sector, that usually translates into have you increased program services, made more people aware, or broadened your fundraising base?

The key is to always show the value in the work that you’ve done. You should always keep a list of your accomplishments- a running tab, so to speak. And for those positions that are retroactive, going over previous performance reviews are a good source to find out the top-line achievements that make you stand out from an employer’s standpoint.

If you position yourself as someone who is capable of having a significant positive impact on a company’s bottom line, you’ve just made yourself stand head and shoulders over the competition, which will likely get you noticed and into an interview.