Professional and academic achievements can make all the difference to your job application. Do you know how to showcase key achievements to catch a recruiter's eye?
How to Effectively List your Achievements on a Resume
Achievements for Resume
The job market is fierce right now, so job seekers who want to stand out and grab the hiring manager’s attention must make the most of their achievements. The right achievements can make a passable resume great. This article will show you how to showcase your achievements in ways that will impress potential employers.
Why Are Achievements Important on a Resume?
Achievements are your best accomplishments in academia, in your career, or even in your personal life and hobbies. Any achievement can be a valuable addition to accomplishment statements on your resume. If you want to ensure that your achievements have the biggest possible impact, you should choose achievements that are relevant to the job you want to apply for. Consider these examples to see the kinds of achievements you could list on your resume:
- Increased employee retention
- Raised money for charity
- Increased customer satisfaction rating
- Increased conversion rate
- Academic honors
- Training new employees
- Increased sales metrics
- Improved store customer relationship management (CRM)
Whether you excelled in your job duties or achieved professional certifications, the right resume accomplishments are the ones that show a recruiter you can excel in the job title they are hiring for. Remember that these don’t have to be related to work experience. If you are a recent graduate, for example, you can showcase relevant academic coursework and achievements. Resume achievements like these are important because they will impress recruiters. If your relevant accomplishments from past jobs and college impress hiring managers, you will have a better chance of getting a new job. It is that simple.
How To Choose the Best Achievements for Your Resume
If you are one of those people that has a huge array of accomplishments to choose from, you will need to find a way to choose the best ones for the job you want to apply for. For example, if you are applying to be a project manager, your resume accomplishments should focus on your leadership skills. Likewise, if you are applying to be an administrative assistant, achieving certain professional certifications will look great for your ability to complete the job responsibilities. Here’s some advice about how to list your best achievements:
1. Choose achievements where you can give specifics
The ability to speak in specific terms about your achievements is crucial. Choose achievements that allow you to provide numbers and speak in specific terms. For example, if you can say or prove that you increased sales by 15% in a past job, you should list this.
2. Choose achievements that provided value
Pick achievements from your years of experience that provided tangible value to your employer. If you can show achievements that benefitted your previous employer and you, you will show hiring managers that you are a team player. For example, list an achievement that increased return on investment (ROI) for your previous employer.
3. Highlight the actions you took to gain the achievement
Take ownership of your achievements by highlighting the actions that you took to make them happen. Use action verbs when you discuss your achievements (e.g., “implemented,” “created”) to ensure that they really pop.
Where to List Achievements on a Resume
Where you present your list of accomplishments is as important as which items make your list of achievements. Ideally, you want your accomplishments to stand out on your resume to ensure that hiring managers notice them quickly. These are the most common places to list achievements on a resume:
- In the resume summary
- In the work experience section
- In a dedicated achievement section of your resume
- In your cover letter
You can also showcase your accomplishments on your professional social media (e.g. your LinkedIn profile) and include the link in your resume header. If you want to create an attractive resume that meets all U.S. formatting guidelines quickly, consider using the ResumeNerd resume builder.
FAQ: Achievements for Resume
Will recruiters ask about achievements from my resume in a job interview?
Hiring managers will likely want to ask questions about your key achievements in a job interview. Even if they do not ask questions about a specific professional achievement, they may ask what you consider to be your best achievement. You can prepare for these kinds of questions with some simple job interview tips.
Can I include achievements that I received no awards for?
Yes. You do not need to have won an award to consider a certain achievement significant. However, it is good to have some way to prove or explain your achievement. For example, you could list a supervisor from a significant role as your resume reference. This would allow them to vouch for your achievements.
Does my resume need an achievements section?
You do not need a separate section for achievements in your resume, but it can be helpful if you have a long work history and you want to save space by highlighting your best achievements in a separate section.
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