How To Put Direct And Indirect Reports (and other datas) On Your Resume

A resume usually contains words for the most part, and words tend to get skimmed over, especially when they are in paragraph format.

The more words you put on your resume, the less the hiring manager is actually going to read. It’s counter-intuitive but that’s the reality.

So what can you put on a resume to grab the attention of recruiters, HR staff, and hiring managers? 

The perfect answer is Numbers.

Numbers are strategically used to catch the attention of a hiring manager and there are quite a few types of numbers that you can use to achieve your aim.

One type of number that you can put on your resume is Direct Reports. 

You can also put indirect reports on your resume. This is mostly used when you have led numerous people in projects, training sessions, etc.

In this article, I’m going to walk you through how to put direct and indirect reports (and other data) on your resume to make it stand out and get you more job interviews.

Ways Of Putting Direct and Indirect Reports on Your Resume

Approximately 99.9% of Hiring managers love metrics leadership.

So, therefore, in order for your resume to stand out amidst other resumes submitted, there is a need that under each previous job position where you’ve led people, you will need to create a bullet specifically talking about your direct and/or indirect reports.

Direct reports have to do with an individual who takes orders from a manager or someone above them in the hierarchical organizational structure while an indirect report has to do with an individual who works under a direct report.

Below are some examples of how to put a direct report on a resume:

• Led a team of 10 software engineers, managing schedules, performance reviews, and daily tasks.

• Hired and managed a team of 7 customer service representatives responsible for 200 daily customer service inquiries.

• Responsible for leading a team of 8 quality assurance Specialists and Senior Specialists; responsible for hiring, training, performance reviews, and project management.

Examples of how to put indirect reports on a resume:

• Led a cross-functional team of 10 people to overhaul the company’s lead generation procedures, resulting in a 132% increase in year-over-year sales in Fiscal Year 2021.

• Led client projects, managing project teams of 6-8 people; responsible for project oversight and strategy, task delegation, and final deliverables.

Examples of putting direct and indirect reports on your resume:

• Responsible for 7 direct reports and up to 21 indirect staff depending on current projects.

You’ll notice that some of these examples of how to put reports on your resume also include other accomplishments, metrics, stats, and data. The more of this you can include on your resume, the better.

Check The Goal Of a Resume

Other Types Of Data To Put On Your Resume 

Now, what if you didn’t lead anyone?

Should you leave your resume scanty?

Hell no!

Why?

Because there are still many types of data and numbers you can put on your resume to draw attention and set yourself apart such as;

1. If You Had Goals Or Quotas Or Departmental Averages That You Met Or Exceeded, Include That Information On Your Resume.

You should specify what the goal or department average was, and then include your performance so that it can be compared to the average.

A paragraph talking about how you’re an above-average performer is going to get skipped over by a lot of hiring managers, but a quick bullet point with measurable performance metrics will almost always be read closely.

You can put specific statistics on your resume in terms of company/group performance.

If your group exceeded its goals, you can take credit for that on your resume likewise for company achievements. 

Below are two examples that would help not just boost your resume but can also help to get the hiring manager’s attention. 

These examples are for a Sales Representative. You can adjust them depending on your field.

Individual performance example:

• Performed in the top 25% of the entire department for three consecutive years (2019-2021).

Group/Company performance example:

• Contributed 15% to total department revenue in 2021.

• Read More: 11 Ways a Resume Can Make You More Successful in your career

2. The Next Type Of Data You Can Put On A Resume Is Dollar Amounts.

Thinking in terms of dollar amounts will provide you with another great way to find specific numbers to put on your resume.

You can list your contributions in terms of dollar figures, instead of using a percentage like in the example above.

There are other ways to use dollar figures too. If you are responsible for a certain area within the business, talking about the budget or revenue of this area is a great way to show the size and scope of your role.

Here are two examples of what to put on a resume in terms of dollar figures:

• Managed and led a 14-person chemistry lab with an annual budget of $2,500,000.

• Principal Scientist/Group Leader within a commercial group responsible for contributing $200 million to company revenue in 2021.

The first bullet above also shows off your direct reports, too (14 lab staff). So you can show off headcounts/reports as well as other achievements throughout your resume. 

Putting this type of data on your resume for both direct and indirect reports and other data is much better than some long-winded paragraph about your skills and experiences.

This type of numerical data will grab the hiring manager’s attention and get you more interviews.

• Read More: Elon Musk’s Resume Template with sample

Conclusion

Putting data and numbers on your resume is a powerful way to get more interviews whether you’re entry-level or Director-level.

If you follow the steps above, you’ll get more interviews whether you have direct reports to put on your resume, indirect reports, or other types of data like the examples we looked at above.

You don’t need to be in any specific role to find great metrics and stats to put on your resume.

You just need to get a bit creative.

While this list of ideas is a good starting point, don’t get discouraged if you read through this and haven’t come up with metrics of your own yet.

Think about the quantity of work you put out.

Start brainstorming and don’t assume you can’t put metrics and numbers on your resume just because you haven’t had anyone reporting directly to you yet. There’s a lot more you can put in.