Welcome to the ResumePower Blog! Resume expert Kim Isaacs offers real world, proven advice on
resume writing, cover letters, career change, and job search strategies.
Resume Writing Tip: 8 Ways to Uncover Your Accomplishments
Maggie writes, “I am having a hard time turning my daily responsibilities into meaningful results. Any advice for a desperate job seeker?”
A: This is a popular question and I answered a similar one in this post: No Accomplishments? Oh Yes You Do!
Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about including accomplishments on resumes, so I wanted to give you a few more ideas for uncovering the results of your work. Here are eight questions you can ask yourself:
1. How does your employer measure your performance? If you focus on how your employer rates your work quality, you can gauge how well you’ve contributed to organizational goals. Performance reviews can be a great source of information about your accomplishments — if you’ve received reviews, what positive aspects of your work did your supervisor mention?
2. Were you confronted with a particular problem or challenge? How did you tackle the challenge and what were the outcomes or benefits to your employer?
3. What would your colleagues say about your work? If you’re not sure, ask them how you’ve made a difference to the organization. You might be surprised by how highly others regard your work!
4. What would others miss when you’re gone? If you landed a new job and your employer was throwing you a good-bye party, what kinds of nice things would your boss and coworkers say about you? What about your work is so unique that it would be hard to find a replacement to fill your shoes?
5. What did you do at your job that made you feel most proud? Even if you accomplished a task that was outside of your normal job responsibilities, think about achievements that you feel good about and the reasons why you feel proud.
6. How would you “sell” yourself to potential employers? If you were trying to prove to a hiring manager that you are the top candidate for the job opening, what aspects of your work would you point to as proof?
7. How well have you done your job? Look at your daily responsibilities. How well have you performed these tasks? For example, if you trained five employees, how did they benefit from your training? Were there indirect results of the training, such as improvements in customer service, sales increases, improved work performance, or higher employee morale?
8. Ask yourself, “So what?” This trick works every time. Look at your job duties and ask yourself, “So what?” for each of them. By probing into the significance of your duties, you will start to realize the value of your work.
I hope these questions help you realize your accomplishments!
Best wishes,
Related Posts:
[…] 3. Highlight accomplishments: If your resume outlines how you went above and beyond your daily duties to really contribute to your employers’ operations, employers will be interested in talking to you and seeing how you would do the same for them. Be sure the focus of your employment history is on accomplishments, not basic job duties. […]
[…] Pawlak urges job seekers to create resumes that preview the value they bring to the table, similar to the way movie trailers spark the interest of moviegoers. While we probably wouldn’t be able to retain movie trailer voice legend Don LaFontaine for our resume previews, Pawlak suggests that adding accomplishments, creating your personal “wow” factor, and focusing on successes in the resume will generate employer interest. […]
[…] I’m not saying that a functional resume could never work. But I do think that most career changers have sufficient transferable skills and accomplishments that can be highlighted by using a combination resume format. This style provides the best of both worlds — the inclusion of a qualifications summary and key skills, plus the reverse chronological work history that employers like to see. […]
[…] I’m not saying that a functional resume could never work. But I do think that most career changers have sufficient transferable skills and accomplishments that can be highlighted by using a combination resume format. This style provides the best of both worlds — the inclusion of a qualifications summary and key skills, plus the reverse chronological work history that employers like to see. […]
I guess my question is a rather interesting question. To me I feel like I just entered the work field. I have
been working since I graduated highschool. At that time I had a nervous break down and was told that I will never work and have been on medication ever since. Now I have been working it has been hard but now at thirty-five I can now hold down a full time job and I don’t quite when things get tough. I work with children and now I would like to do something different but I don’t know what or how to get started. I have done a lot of volunteer work through my church and through the hospital. I have a lot of interest and noticed that I would like to get into something more long term that I can grow and learn . I have a nail license and went to school for cosmotology and I notice that was a passion of mine for a long time but I could not pay my bills and still learn my trade. I really don’t know what to do or where I should turn. HELP!