8 Ways to Present Your Achievements on a Resume

Modern resumes should show you as an achiever rather than a doer. That’s why you need to learn how to list your achievements to land an interview for a dream job.
All your achievements should seem consistent and logical to a person reading your resume. They shouldn’t get lost guessing why you did certain things and what was the real outcome. It complicates resume writing but, at the same time, makes it more tailored to the position in question.

In this article, we are going to discuss several ways to make your achievements stand out in your resume. We’ll support our ideas with a great resume example written by a Skillhub writer. So, don’t hesitate and keep reading!

Analyze What You Did

If you struggle to word your achievement, start by analyzing it. Think of your regular duties and what you did to get the result. If something stands out, that’s what you need. Going the extra mile is always an achievement that appeals to recruiters.

Then, consider what you kept doing in-between to receive the result that exceeded expectations. This will help you explain your efforts to others and list the tools you used. Such a simple formula will guarantee you’ll find a way to word your achievement into a strong bullet.

Study the Result

It’s important that every achievement is explicit when it comes to results. If there is none, or it’s ambiguous, you won’t win by putting it on your resume.

Start by analyzing whether this achievement is relevant to your dream job. If not, don’t even bother working on it. If it is, formulate it in as few words as possible. Try to sound professional and concise when you talk about outcomes.

Find Numerical Information

To support your achievement, use figures and numbers. Nothing appeals more to recruiters and employers than metrics. You don’t have to be too precise. The goal of this measurement is to show the contribution you’ve made.

Thus, speak about percentages, numbers of customers, savings, revenue, and other stuff that can be put in numbers. The better you do this, the more professional your resume will look.

Choose the Best Action Verbs

For your achievement to sound strong, don’t use word combinations like “was responsible.” It shows you as an employee who follows orders but not the one who takes the initiative.

Action verbs are different, and the choice of the right word is based on the role you played in each project. For example, instead of “was responsible,” you can write “spearheaded,” “drove,” or “designed.” If you are in a leading position, you may have “directed,” “oversaw,” or “supervised” staff.

Google action verbs, and you’ll find plenty of great examples. It’s up to you which one to use.

Use a Well-Known Formula

After all the analysis you’ve performed, the only task left is to word the achievement properly. There is a formula that works for different occupations:

Action verb + Object + What for? + Resulting in + Metrics.

The ready-to-go achievement then looks as follows.

• Implemented a new application to help sales teams across multiple company locations. Saved time and money per each order and helped grow customer conversion by 60%.
• Developed a complicated inventory program to improve stock control. Cut labor costs by half and increased business efficiency by 30%.

Keep Track of Relevance

If you learn to word each of your accomplishments this way, you may end up with an achievement-based resume. So, does it promise surprising acceptance and lots of interview invitations for you?

Unfortunately, it’s all about relevance now. If your achievements have little to do with the positions you apply for, leave only those that matter the most. You can discuss the rest of your skills during the interview.

Turn Every Section Into Achievement

Now, you may wonder how to make certain accomplishments stand out if all bullet points in the job description are achievement-based. That’s not a big problem. If you want to highlight some achievements, create the Key Highlights section. Otherwise, turn your Resume Summary into a passage that defines you as a professional.

Here are several examples.

• Summary. Enthusiastic innovative thinker with creative skills who can see a bigger picture and provide new perspectives to management, saving resources, and growing revenue.
• Key Highlights. As a Senior Solutions Architect, managed 5 large projects at a time, developing and implementing cloud infrastructure across multiple locations. Migrated data from physical servers, ensuring immediate disaster recovery and zero downtime.
• Job Description. Initiated the move to digital events, utilizing a full scope of digital marketing capabilities. Hosted the first live webinar, resulting in 45% in sales leads.

Add Other Sections

Your job duties and accomplishments are not the only things that make you stand out. Honors, awards, professional training, and education – all these make you who you are. So, consider adding extra sections if you have something to brag about.

There is no need to explain each of your awards, but it’s necessary to find a place for them on your resume. List relevant awards and honors in reverse chronological order.

If you got certified after taking certain courses, make space for this information on your resume. Such achievements often speak for themselves. If you are doing an MBA or undertook special formal training, make your Education section speak out for you. 

Final Words

Crafting a resume of an achiever is a more difficult but rewarding activity. You need to put extra thought into what you write and how you word it, but it definitely pays off in the form of interview requests and job offers.