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How to anonymize the metrics on your resume without sacrificing impact

Launch #73

Author

James Cooper
July 20, 2024

On Today’s Launch

Free Edition: How to show impact on your resume without divulging sensitive data

Plus: Are LinkedIn recommendations useful? Plus, how to request them, and from who.

Subscriber Question: A reader reached out about transitioning from marketing to product management. Read my response below.

Daily News for Curious Minds

“I stopped watching the news, so sick of the bias. Was searching for an alternative that would just tell me WHAT happened, with NO editorializing. I found it. It’s called 1440. It assumes you are smart enough to form your own opinions.”

Previous launches you may have missed…

How to anonymize the metrics on your resume without sacrificing impact

I was talking to a client last Thursday – a consultant working for Abbot. He was worried about how to present his achievements without spilling any confidential data.

❝

"How do I show off my success without landing in hot water?"

And to be honest, he’s not the first person to ask me this question. I get it from a lot of clients, especially those in consulting, accounting, and government contracting.

So if you've ever faced this issue, you're not alone.

On the one hand, you want to showcase what you’ve accomplished, but on the other, you want to avoid disclosing sensitive company info or breaking your NDA.

The good news is that with a few simple tweaks, it can be easy as pie. Let's dive into how you can anonymize those metrics and still make your resume shine.

When you’re trying to anonymize results or don’t have the exact numbers

Ever been in a situation where you worked on something huge but couldn't disclose the specifics?

Maybe you don't have the exact figures, or perhaps client confidentiality is tying your hands.

This is a common issue in consulting and other industries with sensitive data.

Here’s what you can do:

Swap exact numbers for generalized figures

First up, let’s talk money.

Got sensitive financial data? No problem.

Instead of listing exact figures, use more general figures. Here’s how you do it:

  • Let’s say you managed an investment portfolio worth $95 million. On your resume, you can list it as “9X million.”

  • If you increased company revenue from $12 million, write it as “XX million.”

  • Handling a user base of 90,000 daily active users? Make it “XX,000 DAUs.”

You’re still showing off your achievements without divulging any sensitive financial data.

Stick with order of magnitude or ranges

When you can’t use exact percentages, symbols like >, ~, or ranges are good replacements. For instance:

  • Improved efficiency by 45%? Say “>40%”

  • Reduced costs by around 13%? Try “~10% reduction.”

These techniques let you highlight your wins without getting too specific.

When you’re trying to show scale and scope

Numbers are powerful. They show the scale and scope of what you’ve done. But when you can’t be exact, how do you still make an impact?

Use ratios

Ratios are great, especially for big improvements.

Here’s how to use them:

  • If you scaled from 120,500 to 840,250 hosts globally, you can say “7x increase.”

  • Boosted average trips from 10 to 25.4? “2.5x active trips.”

Reduce precision

Precision is great when you’re designing a bridge, but when you’re writing a resume, you’ve got leeway. Here’s what you can do to dial down the precision:

  • Instead of saying you formed 42 partnerships, go with “dozens of partnerships.”

  • Conducted 350 user research studies? “Hundreds of user research studies” sounds just as impressive.

Mix and match

Combining exact numbers with ratios or general terms can paint a fuller picture. This method works great if you remember specific numbers but want to keep it broad. For example:

  • “Scaled hosts globally 3.4x (from 365k to 1.2M hosts)” gives a clear sense of scale.

  • “Signed dozens of business partnerships (42 new partnerships)” blends precision with generality.

Closing Thoughts

Sharing metrics on your resume doesn’t have to be a headache. Use these strategies to protect company privacy and highlight your accomplishments. Remember, significant improvements—whether in NPS score, page load time, or gross margin—deserve to be showcased.

About the Author

I’m James, Cofounder of Final Draft Resumes. I’ve been in the career consulting space for 13 years, and before that, I was a recruiter for AECOM.

I’ve helped thousands of job seekers, from industries like software engineering, IT, sales, marketing, manufacturing, and more generate job opportunities through well-written resumes that translate unique backgrounds into coherent narratives.

If you’re struggling with your resume for whatever reason, reach out - I just might be able to help!

If you’re more of a DIY person, then check out Resumatic, my free-to-try resume builder.

Should you bother with LinkedIn Recommendations?

Someone recently asked me if they should be worried that they had no recommendations on their LinkedIn profile.

This person had held 4 jobs over the course of 10 years, but they didn’t have a single recommendation from anyone despite having performing quite well, with progressively more responsibility.

First, a bit about LinkedIn recommendations

FYI: Recruiters look at three things first before anything else on your profile:

  • Your headline

  • About Me

  • Work Experience

This is where they’d quickly determine whether or not you’re a fit for their job.

Now some recruiters will go beyond that and have a look at your recommendations section. Not all recruiters value this section, but for those that do, it helps to have a few positive recommendations from coworkers, to serve kind of like a review of YOU (If you’ve ever read the product reviews on Amazon before buying, you’ll know what I mean).

So what do you do if you have no reviews?

You can always ask for them. Before you go out and do that, remember the following:

  • Recommendations from your boss, manager, etc. are worth more

  • If you’re a consultant, get recommendations from clients

  • Never ask for recommendations from people you’ve never worked with

  • Never ask for recommendations from current coworkers, unless you really trust that they won’t tell your boss

When asking for a recommendation, here’s something you could say:

Hey Dallas, 

Thanks for helping me out with X project/task. I’m in the middle of updating my LinkedIn to make sure everything is current and wanted to ask if you’d mind leaving a recommendation. 

If you’re not comfortable, there’s no pressure at all. Just thought you’d be a great person to ask since you’re familiar with my work. 

Cheers, 

James

Premium Subscriber Questions

I’ve been working as a marketing manager for a mid-sized tech company for the past five years, but I’m now considering a move into product management. I’ve gained some relevant experience through cross-functional projects, but I’m not sure how to make my resume stand out to potential employers in this new field. What’s the best way to highlight my marketing background while demonstrating my readiness for a product management role?

Transitioning from marketing to product management is a good move, but the space is crowded, so be prepared for a challenge.

To make your resume stand out, here are some things to consider:

1) Do you have any relevant experience? If you’ve been involved in projects where you worked closely with product teams, engineers, or designers, highlight them in the bullet points. Detail your role in these projects and how you contributed to the product lifecycle.

2) Do you have related skills?You’ll want to call out the skills that are relevant to product management, like market research, data analysis, project management, and managing multiple stakeholders.

3) Use a summary. This is what summaries are for - when you’re career path doesn’t align directly with your target job, a summary can help you call out the relevant skills, experiences and qualifications you have to offer.

4) Network + find a mentor. Connect with product managers in your network and seek advice or mentorship. Having a mentor who can guide you and possibly refer you to opportunities can be incredibly beneficial. Networking can also provide insights into what hiring managers are looking for. Issue #8 of the Launchpad has advice on how to use LinkedIn to do this.