Many resumes are nothing but a recitation of duties and/or responsibilities. When you think about it, just because you are responsible for doing something, doesn’t mean that you actually do it—let alone do it well. Including powerful accomplishments in your resume is a strong differentiator; it says, not only do I do “x,” I do it well. And that’s what future employers want to know. Your current supervisor also likely wants to know what you have achieved for inclusion in your annual performance evaluation.
So how do you create powerful accomplishments? The first thing to do is track and document your achievements. You can document your achievements online (don’t forget to back-up your system!) or save a hard copy in a file folder or notebook. When you receive a “kudos” email, forward a copy to your personal email account. If you receive notes of appreciation from customers, coworkers, or your organization, compile those. Finally, consider printing out and/or taking a screenshot of any LinkedIn Recommendations you have on your profile. These are an important part of your accomplishments record as well. You need to make collecting your accomplishments part of your routine—whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly.
With your accomplishments collected, the next step is to write them up as powerful statements. Quantify the scope and scale of the achievement in terms of percentages, numbers, and/or dollars. Be as specific as you can. Be sure to make the statements as powerful as possible. Include action verbs in your accomplishment statements — in fact, try leading with one.
The most important part of the accomplishment is outlining your results. To be most effective, however, provide context for your accomplishment. There are several different formats in which to do this — some of which you may have heard of: STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result), PAR (Problem, Action, Result), and CCAR (Context, Challenge, Action, Result). I generally recommend using the CCAR approach. Your achievements should answer the question “so what.” It’s not enough to say you did “x,” you have to demonstrate “how” you made a difference.
Here’s an example:
As the new Program Manager (Context), you were recruited to revitalize an under-performing program characterized by a significant drop in participation during Phase I of the project (Challenge). You developed a contact list of lapsed participants and initiated contact with decision-makers at each organization (Action). You reacquired 45% of former participants, resulting in the ability to take the program to Phase II (Result).
Another way to think about putting together an accomplishment is to follow the model below. .
Quantify accomplishments, where possible, using dollar value, percentages, or numbers to make them even more powerful.
EXAMPLE:
All resumes should include powerful accomplishments. Not only do they reinforce your experience and demonstrate you can achieve results that matter, they also distinguish your resume from those with no accomplishments.
