Evidence of accomplishments

                                                                                         

Emphasizing hard-hitting accomplishments throughout your CV or résumé can sell you to a potential employer and effectively differentiate you from other equally qualified candidates. In today’s competitive job market, recruiting managers prefer “results-oriented” workers and when they receive your CV, they will be looking for tangible evidence of results and successes rather than boring descriptions of day-to-day duties and responsibilities. Since past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior, concrete, measurable achievements demonstrate your track record and in essence your potential to meet the needs of a particular employer in an effective and definable way.

The fact is recruiting managers want to know exactly what you contributed to your company, rather than what you were charged with doing. It is therefore essential that you give specific and quantifiable examples of your past contributions throughout your CV.

For example:

1. What did you do to help make money for the organization?
2. How did you help save the organization money?
3. What did you do to solve a particular problem?
4. Did you win any awards?
5. Were you promoted?
6. Did you complete any special projects?
7. Are there any positive quotes you can use from your performance reviews?

In addition, you must demonstrate to what extent you helped achieve those results as well as the measurable impact of those results. The most effective way to do this is to quantify your work-related experience in terms of facts, figures and time periods that clearly define your successes. Defining your specific achievements in this manner enables a recruiting manager to see concrete proof of your abilities as well as your capacity to excel in the role you’re applying for. They are clear, concise and tangible, and remove subjectivity. In addition, quantifying your accomplishments is critical because if you don't and your competition does, they will be the ones that get the job offer, particularly if they have the same educational and professional background as you do.

For example, if you were employed as a software tester, don’t simply state that you were: “Responsible for testing web based applications in a Windows environment …” Rather, show that you “…executed integration tests in test director in accordance with the test plan.” Instead of simply stating that you have “Exceptional abilities” in the Professional Summary section, prove it by showing that you “received 2 commendations and 5 pay raises within 4 years” in the Work Experience section. If you have declared that you “work well under pressure”, give a specific example in the Work Experience Section, of a pressurized situation in a previous role where you performed well”. In the same vein, instead of stating that you have the “ability to type 60 words per minute”, demonstrate how you effectively used your skill. For example, “…typed a 70 page report within 2.5 hours to meet a deadline”. This is an achievement that will excite potential employers reading your CV and distinguish you from other candidates with the same typing ability. The more you emphasize money, time-periods, performance and amounts in relation to your accomplishments, the better you'll present those achievements and demonstrate your potential.

Bear in mind that your achievements can be from paid or volunteer employment, school projects or even hobbies. As long as they’re relevant to the work you want to do, they can be included in your CV.

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