Identify your relevant accomplishments (where did you demonstrate or gain the skill needed by the employer)
The accomplishments that you choose to highlight on your resume are the linchpin to a great resume. You will not only need to be aware of your job skills and transferable skills, and the requirements of the employer, but you need to be able to identify the best examples of where you demonstrated that skill or accomplishment.
Ask yourself some questions:
Are qualified for this position?
Why are you excited about this position?
What have you done in your life that have prepared you for this job?
Another way is to think about:
what you are most proud of
what others who worked with you would say about your contribution
what you enjoyed the most
How did you take initiative
is there tangible evidence of your accomplishments
did you receive any awards or positive performance reviews,
how has the organization benefitted from your work performance,
can you quantify any of your experiences?
what special projects did you work on and whast was the outcome
You can also begin brainstorming your accomplishments with this worksheet and an appointment with a staff member in Career Services will help you pinpoint your most relevant accomplishments.
This is the stuff of great resumes and it will give you great stories for the cover letter and interview.
What is an Accomplishment Statement?
The accomplishment statements are the statements you include under your experiences. They can be included in any of your resume sections, including the Education section.
The accomplishments/action statements you include on your resume is by far the most critical part of your resume. This is your chance to highlight the strongest accomplishments that are most relevant to the position. Done well, you WILL stand out from the rest of the applicants.
How to write accomplishment statements
Accomplishment statements are sometimes called bullet statements because they usually begin with a bullet. Another term is action statements, becasue they indicate an action you did as a result of a problem or situation.
This is called the STAR technique. In accomplishment statements you should:
identify the Situation that existed or the Task you were completing
describe the Action taken
describe the Results of your action (which could be a skill demonstrated or an outcome of your action)
A good accomplishment statement should contain:
An action verb describing what you did rather than your responsibilities.
The scope of your activities (size of unit managed, size of budget managed, or a number of personnel affected). Quantitative data is a plus!
The results of your activities, which can be
outcomes given in measurements such as, numbers/percent, amount of money, or value-added for customers.
and/ or specific skills you gained or demonstrated in that experience.
Begin writing some accompslishment statements with this worksheet.
How to format them
Bulleted statements are much easier and quicker to read then paragraphs.
Use indenting where appropriate to signify points that are a subset of an accomplishment.
Examples
Initiated advanced assembly procedures to increase production 15% by reducing turnaround time from six to five days
Planned and scheduled over twenty-five tours per week
Organized and conducted monthly meetings for over twenty tour guides
Led a team of volunteers in planning, preparing, and serving a weekly meal for 90 residents at a local homeless shelter, increasing service by 25%
Coordinated a community event involved 150 individuals that resulted in $1000 collected for the New York Disaster Relief Fund
more...
FAQs about Accomplishment Statements
Should I use the same number of accomplishment statements under each experience?
Not all experiences have to have the same number of accomplishments or action statements. Make the most significant experiences stand out by listing the most under them. The least important experience may not have any accomplishment statements