The ABCs of Effective Resume Writing: Part 2 – Flush Out Your Achievements
I am willing to say virtually everyone can think of at least one achievement per position they’ve held. Not you? Don’t be so quick to judge. You just have to know where to look and how to dig deep to find the information. Figuring out what you’ve actually accomplished in your career is one of the most difficult parts of writing your resume. Many people believe they haven’t done much of anything; just every day tasks that don’t amount to anything.Think again. I am willing to say virtually everyone can think of at least one achievement per position they’ve held. Not you? Don’t be so quick to judge. You just have to know where to look and how to dig deep to find the information. The right place to look If you’ve been at a particular position for more than a year, most likely you have had a performance review. What good does that do? It reviews the year for you. It’s difficult to remember what you did and what you accomplished and the written review is a great way to bring it all back. Another way is to take a close look at your department. Does it run more efficiently since you’ve been employed there? Did you develop a key to improve intra-office communication? Are backorders reduced by 80% because of a process you created? Note to self: To make this process easier for future jobs, keep a journal of your activities and achievements so that it can be referred to at any time. What if you were never there… Just sit back and close your eyes and run through a typical day at work. How has it changed since you started? Has it gotten better? Of course! You made it better. Think about who you come in contact with and how you impact their productiveness and efficiency. You’ll be surprised by how much impact you have on your co-workers – and even your bosses. When you start to even think about job hunting, be aware of the day-to-day tasks that occur. Some seem minute; others not so much. How do you contribute to the meetings you’re involved with on a weekly or monthly basis? All these ‘little’ responsibilities and achievements can add up to something great. Remember - think highly of yourself Whatever you do, do not ever say, “I don’t/didn’t make a difference,” in the process of writing your resume. Nonsense. With that mentality, your resume isn’t going to include anything noteworthy for employers. If you don’t think you amount to anything, why in the world would someone want to hire you? Have confidence in yourself and it’ll shine through to your resume. As you’re brainstorming, write down everything you can think of that might be useful on your resume. Then the information will be at your fingertips as you proceed to the next step in creating your resume - deciding the best format for you. |
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- #1
- Posted by: David Holz
- On: 10/09/2007 21:44:42
A question, can one have too many accomplishments?- #2
- Posted by: Dee
- On: 10/09/2007 23:14:49
This is a really good article and you are correct, "Many people believe they haven’t done much of anything; just everyday tasks that don’t amount to anything". I am a living witness to that when I was laid off from work several years ago, that very question showed its ugly head and I was baffled. I did not know where to start to get the answer until I went to some sort of business training center and then I only grasped a small understanding and I am still struggling. I have taken all my review and tried to paste it all together to put into my resume.- #3
- Posted by: Lee Trotta
- On: 10/09/2007 23:28:01
One question the article doesn't cover is "How verbose should we be in describing our achievements in a resume?" Achievements may be unrelated to the typical duties listed in a resume. If my work prevented the siphoning off of Great Lakes water by outside interests, how much detail should I go into to explain that fact? Normally, I think of such descriptions as appropriate for a cover letter rather than a resume.Lee- #4
- Posted by: Alice Sinden
- On: 10/10/2007 09:47:19
Excellent article, Heather! Too often we fail to realize that we DO make a difference, whether for our companies, our coworkers, our clients or ourselves. Verbalizing, quantifying and then turning those differences into "action statements" DOES make a difference in the content and quality of our resumes. Thanks for the helpful hints.- #5
- Posted by: Lari
- On: 10/10/2007 18:04:05
The concept is clear but it would be nice to see ways in which to write those achievements so they are clear, make the point yet aren't too wordy. Articles like this tend to talk about what to do and have quality recommendations however they don't give actual examples...in the end those example enable someone to take the next step and take the concept to the actual writing.- #6
- Posted by: John Shamblin
- On: 10/11/2007 09:30:35
I'm 55 and have run my own business for the past twenty years. I was fairly successful until local economic conditions prompted me to start a job search a couple of years ago. I've continually revised my resume but, until recently, I didn't even get interviews although I was highly qualified for the positions to which I applied. Since I can't describe or even list all of my achievements, experience and skills developed over two decades on a one page resume, how do I pick the ones to feature? How do I present my age and entrepreneurial experience as an asset to a corporation, rather than a liability? These are questions I've not seen addressed here or on any other job boards. Surely I'm not the only one faced with this situation.- #7
- Posted by: Emmanuel Abayowa
- On: 10/13/2007 12:31:42
Please how do you write a resume after resigning from a job for about a year and a-half? Does the number of years you've not been working going to affect the format? Please I need your answer as soon as possible.