Accomplishments are the “bread and butter” of client resumes.
That’s why including as many hard-hitting, relevant, and fresh accomplishments into the resumes you write are ideal.
The reason accomplishments are so well received is because today’s companies need professionals who have a record of improving company’s bottom lines.
For example, improve:
- Revenue
- Systems
- Staff Performance
- Conversions
- Clicks/Likes/Shares
- Costs
Take these two example accomplishments into consideration:
Example #1: Transformed the sales department, growing sales and per-client conversions.
Example #2: Introduced SalesForce CRM functions and Herman Miller Sales Training that transformed the sales department. Grew overall sales 23.8% and upsold two major client accounts, adding $1.2M in new revenue in the first 6 months of the year.
Both these accomplishments touch on the same overall points.
However, the 2nd example is far more believable and visually appealing because it includes specifics.
The challenge for us as resume writers is to SQUEEZE as many accomplishments out of our clients as humanly possible.
So, how do you do that?
Start by asking the right questions.
Example questions to [thrive_lead_lock id=’2795′]draw accomplishments from your clients:
- Give me a before/picture of your position. What was the condition of your employer or department when you started versus now? What’s changed?
- If I asked your boss what your most notable successes have been, what would he say?
- Have you received any acknowledgment or awards from a client or the company? If yes, for what?
- How have you made your job easier or improved your performance?
Once you collect a few great accomplishments for the resume, the focus now shifts to what to include/exclude.
Yes, there will be times when you’ll want to avoid listing some resume accomplishments.
For example, let say your client is shifting from one job focus to something drastically different — maybe sales to a mechanical engineer role.
In this scenario, I would downsize much of the client’s sales background and shift to those career achievements that are specific to project management/development, technical solutions/support, client relationship building, and so on.
You’re realigning the looking glass.
Additional Strategies For Spotting Ideal Resume Accomplishments
Putting on your investigative hat is another great way for spotting potential resume accomplishments.
For example, take this following sentence from a client’s old resume:
Improved customer service metrics and developed productive relationships with vendors.
This sentence is ideal for adding accomplishments.
For example, what were the previous customer service metrics and what are they now?
What does the client mean by “productive” vendor relationships?
After probing the client, the above sentence could get transformed into this:
Improved customer service after assigning a designed project leader/liaison to each client account. Raised customer satisfaction scores by a staggering 59%. Generated a 6% bump in referral sales from clients (e.g.secured a new $720,000 account with Habisis Corporation).
Pretty cool, right?
How to Structure Resume Accomplishments
The most important part of accomplishment is by introducing specific detail; e.g. numbers and percentages.
Like I mentioned above, including descriptors help add validity and visual appeal to a resume.
Traditional Structure
Resume accomplishments are structured most often using the STAR (AKA SAR and CAR) acronyms.
Simply put, STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Results.
Example Scenarios to Help You Write Using The STAR Formula
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Example #1:
Faced an underperforming sales territory caused by extensive staff turnover after an acquisition. (Situation) Tasked with reacquiring new client accounts that had left the company within the last 6 months. (Task) Developed contact lists for lapsed accounts and initiated contact with decision-makers at each company. (Action) Reacquired 22% of former customers, resulting in $872,000 in revenue. (Result)
Example #2:
Manufacturing plant recently had its third accident, leading to a line shutdown. (Situation) Updated internal safety plan and instituted a new training program for production employees to reduce accidents and injuries. (Task/Action) Plant has been accident-free for the past 9 months — the longest in plant history. (Result)
Example #3:
Nursing home employee morale was at an all-time low, and long-time employees were leaving in droves. (Situation) Identified that the new scheduling system was not well received by new hires or long-time employees. Instituted new “employee choice” schedule system that increased employee cooperation and improved satisfaction. (Task/Action) Reduced turnover by 15%. Saved more than $12,500 in hiring and training costs in the first 3 months after implementation. (Result)
New Structure
Some resume writers follow the above formula when writing resumes.
However, in recent years, more emphasis has been placed on adding eye appeal to the resumes we write.
And this means, adding the result first can make better sense.
For example, a better way for writing resume accomplishments might be this:
Raised customer satisfaction scores by 59% after assigning a designed project leader/liaison to each client account. Secured a new $720,000 account with Habisis Corporation, which resulted from the 6% bump in referral sales from clients.
By leading this content block with the result first, we better position the numbers and percentages closer to the beginning of the sentences. And, we’re able to chop out some wording that becomes irrelevant.
Win-win, right?
Accomplishments for US-Based versus International CVs
Now is a good time to talk briefly about how accomplishments are handled differently in CVs* versus US-based resume.
For example, there are some cultures that shun upon taking credit for accomplishments that focus on one’s self and were completed by a team.
Take the Southeast Asian culture, as an example.
When writing a CV for a Japanese business professional, for example, you’ll write accomplishments in such a way that it focuses on the team or others and NOT the individual (if possible). For example:
Managed a successful team of 7 project managers who supported a $3.8M manufacturing facility. Worked collectively on a major production realignment program that resulted in 3 staff promotions and recognition for the VP of International Operations.
*A non-US-based resume is generally called a CV (curricula vitae). A CV is typically longer in length than a resume and can reach several pages.
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