Remember that employers are looking for people with your skill sets. Your job is to make it easy for them to find you and to understand the value you can bring to their organization.
The best way to do this is by including accomplishments presented confidently and assertively. Your resume is not the place to be modest. It is the place to promote you, your strengths and illustrate your contributions to past employers.
To maximize this, you should emphasize accomplishments rather than responsibilities. Responsibilities are the duties assigned to you. Accomplishments are what you personally achieved with that responsibility.
When writing your accomplishments, you need to focus on the following three elements.
1. Active, action verbs.
2. What you personally accomplished.
3. Benefit to the employer of what you did.
Action verbs include words such as “Reduced / Increased, Led, Created, Developed” etc. These verbs make a greater impact on the reader than words such as, “Assigned to or Responsible for”. Remember that active verbs leave a stronger impression than passive verbs.
Don’t forget to include personal achievements that emphasize what you contributed to achieving the benefit. Do not to understate your part.
It is also appropriate at times to include general benefits to employers are. For example, increasing customer loyalty or satisfaction, increasing efficiency and reducing costs are all appropriate accomplishments and can be included.
Examples of Accomplishments:
- Employee of the month 3 months in a row.
- Increased customer satisfaction by developing a thorough knowledge of company’s policies and products and by maintaining a professional presence in the office and on the telephone.
- Ensured customer satisfaction by verifying account reconciliations for accuracy.
- Ensured efficient workflow by modifying procedures and staffing.
- Effectively trained staff in the reconciliation and adjustments process.
- Earned achievement award for excellence by supervisor.
- Earned outstanding attendance award.
Some things to consider when preparing your accomplishments.
- Did you create or implement a new procedure, protocol or system?
- Did you solve a major problem?
- Did you save the company money?
- Did you identify / implement a better way of doing a procedure?
- Did you train any staff?
- Did you receive any special acknowledgment or awards?
- Did you participate in any recent company sponsored training?
- Were you involved in any special projects?
- Did you surpass your assigned goals or objectives?
- Did your job performance exceed past performance?
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