Show Employers What You Can Do: Listing Accomplishments on Your Resume

A recent study revealed that recruiters and hiring managers spend an average of SIX seconds scanning a resume before deciding to toss it into the 'yes' or 'no' pile. In order to stand out from the stack, it is vital that your resume 1) is easy to read, and 2) clearly articulates your professional background and what you have to offer. The latter point includes highlighting accomplishments and awards, as this information not only improves your chances for interview callbacks, it also strengthens your professional image and may increase your worth in terms of salary.

Yes, hiring managers are interested in your previous job descriptions. But they are more interested in what you accomplished while you were there. It is likely you will be competing against hundreds of applicants with similar backgrounds and job titles, but what makes you unique are your personal talents and successes.

As a professional resume writer, I often have clients say, "I don't want to sound like I'm bragging." Well, this is your resume and in order for it to be effective, you will have to brag a little. Be proud of your experiences, strengths, skill set, and achievements, and take advantage of this opportunity to talk about yourself and all of your hard work. Ask yourself, "What did I do during my time at Company X that would not have been accomplished had I not been there? What am I most proud of when I think back on my past experiences?" Did you lead a major project, conduct an eye-opening study, or win awards for your job performance? Select achievements that are relevant to the type of position you are applying for, as these will showcase your abilities and prove that you can deliver results.

Below are five steps for adding accomplishments to your resume:

1. Brainstorm contributions and achievements for each position listed on your resume. These should be applicable to the position you are seeking, and may include projects, presentations, studies, sales performances, cost savings, process improvements, honors and awards, etc.
2. Be specific and include as many details as possible.
3. Quantify your accomplishments in terms of financials, data, percentages, or rankings. Be detailed, but don't go overboard on the numbers. The last thing you want is to confuse or alienate your audience by "number dumping."
4. List 3-5 accomplishments as bullet points under each recent position. For older positions, reduce this number to 1-2 accomplishments.
5. Review your bullet points, and list them in order of significance. That is, list the most important accomplishment first, followed by the second-most important, and so on.

To help you get started, here are some real life examples from client resumes:

• Consistently ranked in the top 5% of sales staff, and received high ratings on monthly client satisfaction surveys.
• Revitalized store recognition program by soliciting and incorporating team member feedback on motivational incentives and rewards.
• Awarded "Outstanding Employee" in 2012 after being nominated by peers for helping and mentoring fellow team members.
• Designed a phase change material heat exchanger capable of extending the critical mission time of a military aircraft by 30 minutes.

In closing, I leave you with one last piece of advice that I promise will come in handy someday. Create a quarterly event on your calendar that blocks off 15 minutes of your day, and use this time to write down any accomplishments, big or small, that have occurred in the past three months in your job. This list should extend to professional trainings completed, certifications earned, and new skills obtained. Now you will have a running document chock full of great experiences and skills to reference when updating your resume, completing a performance evaluation, making a play for a promotion, or during other important career milestones.