There is no doubt that the resumes that have clearly articulated Achievements listed in them are the ones that end up on the top of the pile. There is no better way to make an employer feel confident that you will be a great fit for a role than by listing the things you have accomplished in the roles you have held.
It can be difficult to work out how to work out what they are, let alone how to articulate them, so here are some tips that will help.
1. Know the difference between ‘responsibilities’ and ‘achievements’
A common mistake in resumes is listing achievements and responsibilities in one long list under the position. Including a clear list of what you did, and a separate list of what you achieved is guaranteed to make it easy for a recruiter or hiring manager to understand the value you bring to the table.
The best way for you to start articulating your achievements is to build a story around describing what you did and then explaining how well you did it. For example, a responsibility might be to ‘manage all fundraising’, your achievement might be ‘raising over $100,000 by planning, organising, and hosting a 200-person red carpet event’. The accomplishments you highlight paint a picture of your abilities.
2. Ask yourself questions
A great start for coming up with a list of achievements for each position on your resume, is to ask yourself the following questions:
– What did you do that was above and beyond what was expected? How did this impact the team or the business?
– How did I stand out from my colleagues?
– Was I recognised or commended by a manager for doing a good job? What was it for specifically?
– What awards have I won and what do they mean in the ‘real world’?
– Have I implemented new processes that improved the way things worked?
– Did I solve any problems for the team? What was the impact of that resolution?
– Did I consistently meet specific KPIs, goals and targets? What were they and how were they measured?
– Did I contribute to making the company money? Did I save the company money?
– Did I improve the culture and staff morale?
– What is the best feedback I have received from a customer or client?
– What do my colleagues say about working with me?
Once you have a list of achievements for each position, it is important to tailor them to the role you are applying for. For example, if the job ad talks about working to targets and KPI’s, it is a great idea to mention that you consistently exceed them in your current role.
3. Create a story with numbers
Once you have your list, you need to go hunting for any numbers, facts and figures as you can find as evidence of your good work. It is much more powerful to be able to say that you ‘increased the client database by 37% over an 18-month period’ as opposed to ‘I increased the client database’. The more numbers you can include, the more persuasive your story.
By quantifying your achievements, it makes it much easier for a hiring manager to understand the impact you had and will make you that much more attractive to potential employers.
A resume full of achievements is the best way to show what you can do and set you up for a successful interview. By taking each achievement one step further and add in the benefit to your boss or organisation of what you accomplished and make it clear that you could provide that same value for the potential employer if they hire you, you will be streets ahead of the competition.
If you are stuck writing Responsibilities and Achievements in your resume, check out the RecruitableHub Resume Writer which has pre-written examples ready for you to click and edit. Not only will we provide the text, but we lay it out in a professional and easy-to-skim template.
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