What Can You Do for Us? The Power of Accomplishments
written by UltraJob
From an employer’s point of view, there is no greater predictor of success than past performance.
To convince potential employers that you are the best candidate for the job,
you must be able to clearly articulate and sell your accomplishments.
1. Start by writing one-line statements about various aspects of your experiences (in
school, at work, and through community/professional activities). Use your resume
checklists to organize your thoughts.
2. Convert each activity into an accomplishment statement. Accomplishment statements
usually begin with an action verb, describe your activities, and end with a
statement of what you achieved.
Examples:
● Reduced operating expenses by 25% by improving efficiency and
decreasing expenses.
● Selected new vendors for office services, resulting in improved customer
service and satisfaction.
● Generated $50,000 in new sales during first twelve months.
● Created media relations campaign for health care provider, resulting in
story placements in three major metropolitan newspapers.
3. Make your list of accomplishment statements as comprehensive as possible. You can
always make editorial changes later.
4. After you have completed your list, edit the statements to use the most powerful
verbiage and reflect tangible evidence of results.
5. If you are using a chronological resume format, make sure that you list each accomplishment
directly beneath the company where you acquired it.
6. If you are using a functional resume, you will need to group related accomplishments
together under functional headings (regardless of when and where you
accomplished those results).
7. Finally, review your accomplishment statements in the context of your specific job
objective; then organize and present the statements in order of their relevance to the
potential employer.
To convince potential employers that you are the best candidate for the job,
you must be able to clearly articulate and sell your accomplishments.
1. Start by writing one-line statements about various aspects of your experiences (in
school, at work, and through community/professional activities). Use your resume
checklists to organize your thoughts.
2. Convert each activity into an accomplishment statement. Accomplishment statements
usually begin with an action verb, describe your activities, and end with a
statement of what you achieved.
Examples:
● Reduced operating expenses by 25% by improving efficiency and
decreasing expenses.
● Selected new vendors for office services, resulting in improved customer
service and satisfaction.
● Generated $50,000 in new sales during first twelve months.
● Created media relations campaign for health care provider, resulting in
story placements in three major metropolitan newspapers.
3. Make your list of accomplishment statements as comprehensive as possible. You can
always make editorial changes later.
4. After you have completed your list, edit the statements to use the most powerful
verbiage and reflect tangible evidence of results.
5. If you are using a chronological resume format, make sure that you list each accomplishment
directly beneath the company where you acquired it.
6. If you are using a functional resume, you will need to group related accomplishments
together under functional headings (regardless of when and where you
accomplished those results).
7. Finally, review your accomplishment statements in the context of your specific job
objective; then organize and present the statements in order of their relevance to the
potential employer.
