The job market today is competitive. When we communicate what we’ve done, it’s important to present more than a mere job description on your resume, LinkedIn profile, and during interviews. Employers are looking for results-driven professionals who have a track record of excelling in their roles. Define your accomplishments so you can stand out from the rest as a top performer!
Show Your Scope
In your job description on your resume, be sure to show the scope of your role and the company. Help your potential new employer visualize the size and responsibility level of your roles. You might want to include:
- Company/dept. revenues and # of employees (Company $200M in annual revenue with 1,280 employees)
- Budget managed ($250k annual budget)
- Staff supervised (3 FT and 8 PT direct reports)
- Products created or managed (created 3 widgets that _____)
- Geography / multi-unit / global experience (state of Texas, or global firm)
Examples:
- Managed 10 staff and a budget of $220k annually, creating over $2.23M in annual revenue
- Supported 31 staff in corporate office, including CEO, overseeing over 116 field locations across the globe
Show Me the Data! Quantify Your Results
One of the most important aspects of your accomplishments will be specifically defining key accomplishments that you achieved throughout your career. Be specific and measurable while describing instances when you:
- Decreased costs
- Increased revenues or sales
- Reduced time
- Increased efficiency
- Eliminated waste
- Solved emergency situations
- Identified and solved problems
- Streamlined operations or systems
- Expanded customer base
- Improved reliability
- Turned around failing operations
- Brought in key talent
- Made things more beautiful or functional
- Increased service levels
- Improved working conditions
- Built new key partnerships
Examples:
- Reduced support ticket turnaround time from 2 weeks to 4 days by developing and launching an automated ticketing and escalation system
- Saved over $475k in the first year by proactively renegotiating all supplier contracts; continued to save an average of $38k annually during the following years due to shortened contract length and renegotiation
Show Off Those Accolades: If You Don’t Say It, then You Didn’t Do It!
A great way to demonstrate that you’re a valuable asset is to share your accolades. Does it feel self-absorbed or self-serving? It shouldn’t be. If saying this gets you hired and feeds your family, then you’ll need to get over your fear and say it! From the vantage point of a recruiter or hiring manager, IF YOU DON’T SAY IT, YOU DIDN’T DO IT! Include:
- Awards or recognition received
- Promotions or special assignments given
- Performance evaluation results
- Employee rankings
- Company / department awards received
- Customer satisfaction ratings / feedback
Examples:
- Awarded “Customer Service Rep of the Year” twice and maintained a 97% (hey, NO HUMAN is perfect!) customer satisfaction rating
- Created ______ Product, which received the “Product of the Year” Award by _______
- Consistently received 5/5 in annual performance reviews and promoted twice during tenure
Write Out Your Accomplishments
Now try and write out 10 of your favorite accomplishments. Ensure your accomplishments are specific and measurable. Focus on the challenge you faced, the actions you took and the results of your actions.
- ______________________________
- ______________________________
- ______________________________ and so on…
If you’d like me to work on your resume or need help with your career transition or leadership development, go to CareerUpgrader.net and let’s get started!