Working Nomads

There are many excellent ways of making every employer want to hire you. You are probably aware of some of the must-do things when writing a resume, right?

What are those things you always do to make sure your resume stands out all the time? You don’t need to tell us that now. We will surely give you an opportunity later.

Today we show you how to list your achievements on your resume.

Listing achievements on your resume

Now without further ado, let’s dive deeper and see why it is worth listing your achievements on your resume. Why even bother to add them? Writing achievements in your resume is an excellent way of making sure your resume stands out.

This is because you are demonstrating your most significant accomplishments and areas of expertise to potential employers. The good news is, if you list them well, you are always assured to wow potential employers to hire you.

How to list your achievements

It is prudent you list your achievement well. Make sure to show your bosses to be you will be able to translate your past accomplishments into similar success in the future. Doing that increases your chances of landing an interview or getting hired.

But how do you do that? Below are a few tips you will find very helpful:

• Brainstorm: Start by making a list of all your work-related achievements. Once done, scrutinize them and pick only those suitable for the job you are applying for. Keep in mind that you don’t need to include all achievements in your resume. Just list only those related to the job you are applying for.
• Use power words: These are words that not only lure employers to reading your entire resume but also to want to meet you in person. They include “created,” “designed,” “planned,” and “initiated.” The list is endless. So, make sure to add them to the achievement section.
• Focus on the job you are applying for: As we just mentioned, make sure only to list job-related achievements. Period! That way, you will be showing recruiters you are a good fit for the current opening. If not sure what accomplishments to add, consider reviewing the job posting several times.
• Focus on results: Make sure every time you add an accomplishment on your resume to highlight specific benefits or outcomes to your employer. That way, it will be easier to grab the attention of any potential recruiter.
• Say something different: It is possible to pick achievements from other sections and list them in your achievement section. That is not OK. Try your best to list unique achievements that are not in other parts of your resume.
• Include values: While listing, your achievement increases your chances of getting hired. Just listing the job-related achievements is not enough evidence you are a good fit. Consider supporting or demonstrating how you will be of great value. For example, show how you help a company increase its returns.

A sneak peek

Before going into details, we have decided to show you the types of professional wins that employers look for in resumes when hiring.

• Problems you identified and solved
• Ideas or innovations you introduced
• Blogging and influencing on social media
• Media coverage you gained for the company
• The revenue you increased for the company
• The money you saved for the company
• Funding, scholarships, or grants you received
• Popular reports, publications, or presentations you (co)authored
• The time you saved for the company
• Problems you identified and solved
• Special projects you worked on
• Industry awards you won
• Additional training you completed and professional certifications you received
• Systems or procedures you developed, implemented, or optimized
• Other accomplishments such as achievements in sports or volunteering

Where and how to list accomplishments on a resume

Including your achievements haphazardly in your resume only decreases your chances of grabbing the attention of employers. It is, therefore, your job to make sure employers can quickly locate all the achievements you have listed.

Once you do that, you increase the chances of being seen as a good fit for the opening. But how can you make sure every employer quickly locates your accomplishments? Here is what you do:

Include your achievement in the work experience section

One section every employer will not go past without having a deep look is your work experience section. Listing your accomplishments, therefore, is a brilliant idea. Now to make sure this section stands out, do the following:

• Make every sentence count. That is, focus on the business outcome of your actions.
• Make sure to quantify your achievement where possible.
• For every entry in your work experience section, at least use up to 6 bullet points and focus only on what is relevant to the job you are applying for.
• Consider starting every bullet with an action verb. Action verbs include words like “designed,” “created,” “engineered,” “initiated,” and so on.

Quantify your results by scale, range, and frequency

Not sure how to put quantified accomplishment on your resume? Here is how to nail that:

Frequency

How complicated were the projects you completed?

How many times a month were you able to do certain tasks?

Examples:

• Resolved over 1000 user tickets daily.
• Coordinated an internal newsletter sent every week to over 100 associates.

Range

Not sure about the exact number to put? It is Ok to estimate but avoid exaggerating. Keep in mind that you might be asked to give a reason behind your estimate during the interview.

See the example below:

Negotiated with vendors, saving the company $16,000–$19,000 annually.

Scale

• How many people were you tasked to manage?
• How many regions was the company active in?
• How big were the budgets you handled?

See the example below for more information:

• Spearheaded the branding consistency across 10 national markets.
• Trained and mentored 20 associate-level employees to reach a specialist position.

Make your best achievements prominent in the resume profile

A resume profile is another section that makes your resume stand out. It is a short section that sits at the top of your resume, just below your contact details. Though it is short, consider adding the best bits of your resume here.

Now how do you get your best bits? It is simple. First, work on the rest of your resume and then your resume profile. This way, it will be easier for you to add the most impressive bits. Here is a good example:

Skilled client service representative with 5+ years of experience. Received 96% favorable client ratings at Second Level Industries. Client retention for regular callers was 45% above the company average. Seeking to use proven service and sales skills to boost client loyalty for Verizon.

Note: if you have more experience with many relevant accomplishments, you might consider writing an extensive summary of your qualifications.

Use the problem action result formula.

This is a straightforward formula that requires you to start by stating the problem. Then the action you took to provide a solution and finally show the outcome. This approach is excellent when adding your achievements, and using it increases your chances of landing an interview or even getting hired.

Have a look at this example:

Key achievement: Improved the testing process by developing an AI-based test automation tool; reduced testing time by 50%.

• Problem? Testing took too long.
• Action? New test automation tool.
• Result? Testing time was cut by 63%.

How to list awards on a resume

Consider listing your awards once done with listing your job-related accomplishment. Why? Because they supplement your achievements. Additionally, awards show others have recognized you for your outstanding performance.

Here is what/how you list them:

Add those awards you won while working in a given position in your job description

You can also add the key achievements subsection here.

List them in reverse-chronological order: the most recent awards go first, followed by previous ones.

See this example.

Awards on a Resume: Work History Section

[Name of the position]

[Name of the company]

[Dates worked]

• Bullet
• Bullet
• Bullet

[…]

Key achievement: Engaged clients in a viral video campaign based on homemade videos featuring the brand. Received an SCM Campaign of the Year award in 2018.

Place your awards in a separate “awards” resume section

• Include all your relevant industry awards.
• Add only the name of the award and the year you got it.
• Include international, national, and internal company awards.

Have a look at this sample:

AWARDS

• 2019, Bronze Clio Digital/Mobile & Social Media Technique Award
• 2015, Flemish Company Marketing Campaign of the Year
• 2010, PerryJohn Innovation Accomplishment Award

More examples: How to show achievements in the accomplishment section of your resume

Here is how you do it:

Cashier

• Achieved Employee of the Month through accuracy and efficiency, with 3rd highest sales rate for store rewards cards.
• Successfully trained and coached 10 junior staff members.
• Achieved 25% higher accuracy rates than all other cashiers store-wide.

Civil Engineer

• Completed 10 $5 million+ projects within budget and specs.
• Found five design flaws in ongoing projects, preventing catastrophic failure.
• Spearheaded local playground design and project management for a $90,000 project.

Graphic Designer

• Developed 500+ graphic design projects (brochures, advertisements, infographics, logos) for 10 clients in a year.
• Contributed to a client site that won a 2017 Shopify Ecommerce Design Award.
• Won the 2016 Leibowitz Branding & Design Award.

Executive

• Handled full marketing cycle. Grew business by 88% through creative strategies.
• Effectively managed a team of over 300 employees in 13 locations in 6 countries.
• Spearheaded communication with clients to understand pain points. Increased customer retention by 35%.

Banker

• Worked on and closed 40+ sell- and buy-side M&A deals, each worth about $2B.
• Supported a deal team on a successful $5.5B acquisition of a private company by a large private equity firm.
• Generated over $80K in revenue by targeting high-net-worth clients.

Tutor

• Maintained 92% positive feedback from clients and raised grades by one letter grade for most.
• Raised SAT scores 35% on average for SAT retest clients.
• Tutored five different students for the SATs. All final scores were higher than 1500.

Resume