Here are 3 examples of thrift that should be on resumes. They are examples of being thrifty that can get you interviewed and hired.
One change that Laura suggested allowed her company to lay off 3 data entry clerks. That paid for her salary for the rest of her time at the company. But, she never put it on her resume. She never mentioned it in future job interviews.
Bob renegotiated several software maintenance agreements. He called up some other companies with the same software and asked for information. Then he called up the salesmen and asked why they were paying an extra $300,000 per year for licenses. Those savings never made it onto his resume. He did write, “renegotiated software licenses”. If he had written, “saved $300,000 each year by renegotiating software licenses”, it would have had a lot more impact.
One mechanic I know saved his company $1,200,000 each year by suggesting they use different light bulbs in their plants. He got an award for the suggestion. Would you rather hire him or a mechanic who just tightened bolts on machines?
Make sure ways you saved money and time show up on your resume. Mention them in every interview. A thrifty reputation can be very enticing. Every dollar saved goes right to the manager’s bonus pool. That should help in your next job search.
Something to do today
Go back through your job history. In your job journal write down everything you have done that saved money. Getting a project done ahead of schedule or under budget counts. Make guesses at how much money you saved. Figure out how many people were shifted to other areas because of your improvements.
Now put those numbers in your resume.
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