How to Effectively List your Achievements on a Resume

Updated June 17, 20221.6k

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?

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.

Link copied!

About The Author

Cindi Cervone Carlson

Cindi Cervone Carlson is a Senior Vice President for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Cindi is responsible for developing, delivering, and implementing a dynamic, world-class organization dedicated to delivering outplacement consulting, training, support, and executive coaching. Cindi started her career at Challenger as a client who had lost her job. Over the past nine years, she has risen from an entry-level, part-time professional to Senior Vice President.