How to list everyday tasks on your resume

The goal of the job interview process is for you to get the job you are after and for the hiring company to find the right fit for the position. 

Communicating why you’re the right candidate for a position to a hiring manager doesn’t start with the interview – it actually starts with your resume.

The key is how you list your everyday work tasks.

Your resume should always be working. Put another way; your resume is fluid and ever-evolving. Simply knowing this gives you a distinct advantage over other candidates that copy and paste the same resume work tasks for every job they apply to. 

Now that you know this, the key to updating your resume correctly for each position you apply to is to incorporate the job description and job tasks within your resume. But first, avoid this:

Do not do this:

Many candidates will simply copy the work description off Indeed or Ziprecruiter and add it to their resume. They might reword it and spice it up some, but simply listing job descriptors isn’t how you set yourself apart. 

Instead, do this:

Let’s take an example of a job listing description:

Sample Job Description we will use for a sales position:

• Increases and maintains community census. Converts prospects into residents.
• Demonstrates a strong knowledge of sales strategy and implementation

• Arranges and conducts on-site tours and off-site visits with prospective residents and their families for discovery.
• Follows up with prospects via phone and home visits.

Step 1: Start with the most current job

Ensure your resume is in reverse chronological order meaning your most recent or current work experience is at the top. From there, you will determine how many bullets per each job descriptor you will use. 

Start to include the tasks you do every day at your job that also matches the job descriptions listed. For example, using the list from above:

• Using Salesforce to maintain customer follow-through, was able to act on all leads within 60 minutes.
• In four years at X Company, had an 87% family satisfaction rate, #2 in the entire company.

This is better than simply stating, “Maintained customer relations and followed up with families.”

Step 2: Be concise

After you get your resume in reverse chronological order and begin to incorporate your work tasks, you want to make sure you’re concise. 

The bullet format should declutter your resume, but you can also thin out your content when you’re concise. This is also when you determine if you will have two, three, or four bullets for each job. 

Formatting should be consistent. If you use two bullets to describe previous work responsibilities, you will want to use two bullets for every subsequent job experience you list. 

Step 3: Use verbs

Action verbs are powerful; use them in your resume. Instead of saying you managed or led, you can say you coordinated or oversaw. 

This is great to know because most resumes will have all too typical words such as led, saved, managed, increased, improved, or changed. When your bullets start with these words, an experienced hiring manager will become quickly bored. 

Not to mention, using the same verbs as everyone else won’t make you stand out much. To keep it simple, create your resume. Then, go back and see where you can make use of a thesaurus to get rid of repeating verbs and spice up your resume some! 

Word of caution: Make sure you don’t sound too fancy or use words in the wrong context. This can actually backfire.

Step 4: Quantitate your accomplishments

This is the most important step to turning everyday work tasks into POWERFUL bullet points within your resume: Quantitating your accomplishments. 

Saying you led a team of 20 people that increase sales is a fair statement, but stating that you “Organized a team of 20 colleagues to increase quarterly sales 2% for three straight years” is going to put you way higher on the must interview list. 

It doesn’t matter how many bullets you have; the verbs you use can help, but quantitating your accomplishments based on the job descriptors and your previous tasks is a must! 

Here is how you might list the job descriptors from earlier in a resume when done using the steps above: 

• Boosted company closing rate to 44%, personal closing rate 52%

• Accelerated outreach program increasing company profits every quarter for 3 years
• Successfully integrated new CRM system to capitalize on new leads within 60 minutes and boost retention percentages by 15%

What did we do?

In the above example, we were concise, we added action verbs, and we quantitated the outcomes while still incorporating our job experience.

It’s a far more effective technique as opposed to regurgitating a job descriptor list!