Do you worry that your resume is landing in an abyss with no chance of being noticed?
You scour the job boards, find a handful of job openings that you think are a perfect fit, and with great optimism, send your resume, expecting your phone to ring with all sorts of offers to interview.
Then you wait. And wait some more. Your phone never rings. You don’t land even a single interview. And worse, you don’t even know why. Your qualifications are a perfect fit, after all. At least, you thought they were.
As you slowly come to accept that you didn’t make the cut, your confidence takes a big blow. That horrible feeling of rejection creeps in.
You aren’t alone! Job searching can be competitive and frustrating.
But this doesn’t have to be the case.
Distinctive Resume Templates can serve as a guide to quickly transform and modernize your resume with simple changes that will help it stand out from the masses, capturing attention and compelling hiring managers to call you for an interview.
Accomplishments on Your Resume: The Key to Landing Interviews
Including accomplishments on your resume is the key to unlocking interviews and having hiring managers take notice.
Sure, YOU know you are perfect for the job. However, your job in your resume is to prove this to the hiring manager. And the accomplishments on your resume serve as this proof.
Even better, not only will your resume accomplishments help you land the interview, but they will also help to shape conversations with the potential employer—giving them a clear understanding of why they should choose YOU for their team.
A significant problem with many resumes is that they read like a career obituary and a laundry list of job responsibilities. Another major problem is that they are often full of cliches and unverified statements that the job seeker has certain qualifications.
Both of these problems guarantee that no matter how qualified you truly are for the job, your resume will be overlooked, you won’t get the interview, and you certainly won’t get the job offer.
The secret for transforming your career obituary resume into an interview-winning magnet is simple: rewrite your resume to focus on relevant accomplishments. Your resume must do more than just show that you can come to work and fulfill your duties. Rather, it must promote your ability to deliver actual RESULTS and VALUE.
Employers seek to hire people who can solve their problems, meet their goals, and surmount challenges. They hire employees who can make them money, save them money, or deliver value in some other measurable way.
If your resume accomplishments prove that you have done this in the past, it speaks highly of your potential to do it again for your future employer. This is how you make yourself irresistible to hiring managers.
How Can a Resume Template Help with Including Accomplishments on Your Resume?
You’ve heard all this before, right? You know you should include accomplishments on your resume. The problem is that you don’t know how to do this.
This is where Distinctive Resume Templates can help. Besides being eye-catching and ATS-friendly, Distinctive Resume Templates are professionally designed to be edited in Microsoft Word and help your resume accomplishments stand out and make them easy to read.
Even better, the templates include prompts and resume writing tips within the templates themselves, guiding you in how to write your resume accomplishments and how and where to include them in your resume.
Of course, each resume template is easily adapted to the specifics of your career, so you can customize it and make it your own. But simply following the prompts and tips in the template makes writing your accomplishments-focused resume easy. Here are two resume examples, each filled with accomplishments and created using Distinctive Resume Templates as the foundation.
The above example resume for a sales executive is based on the achievements-filled resume template that is part of our Achievements Accelerated Collection. Click on each page of the resume to see a larger, readable image. The resume builder template makes it easy to create an accomplishments-focused resume that gets results. Follow the tips and writing prompts in the resume template for ideas on where and how to include your accomplishments. This resume is filled with quantified results and proven value-add. Few interviewers could resist bringing in this candidate for an interview.
Note: The content of this sample resume was professionally written by the Distinctive Career Services resume writing team.
This example resume for an operations executive is based on the STAR-format resume template that is part of our Elite STAR Collection. Click on each page of the resume to see a larger, readable image. This is a uniquely formatted resume template designed to make it easy for you to fill your resume with accomplishments in the STAR storytelling format (STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result). As with our other resume templates, the prompts in the template itself will make it easy for you to use a resume template to create an impressive, accomplishments-filled resume like this one.
Note: The content of this sample resume was professionally written by the Distinctive Career Services resume writing team.
The 5 Types of Accomplishments to Include In Your Resume
Now that you know how to include the accomplishments in your resume, using a resume template as your guide, the question turns to how to identify accomplishments to include.
As you work to identify your accomplishments, you must understand that when an employer hires you, they are investing. And, like any investment, they expect a return on that investment. In other words, they want to know that when they hire you, you will produce value in one or more of the following ways:
Using these five areas of value-add as prompts will give you the formula to identify your accomplishments and success stories for past employers, which will prove to your prospective employer that you can do the same for them.
So ask yourself the following questions. After each, to help inspire you, we have included some example accomplishment statements from real-life resumes that the resume writing team at Distinctive Career Services have written for clients.
In what ways have I made money for my past employer(s)?
In what ways have I saved money for my past employer(s)?
In what ways was I able to help my employer(s) increase efficiency or productivity?
In what ways have I helped my employer(s) solve problems or overcome challenges?
In what ways have I improved customer relationships for my past employer(s)?
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. The perfect formula and framework to include accomplishments in your resume. Begin with a high-quality resume template to ensure you present your accomplishments in the most eye-catching and attention-getting way, then ask yourself the five questions.
When you identify and communicate within your resume the ways in which you will add value to your next employer, you will begin to see an immediate, positive impact on your resume results.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Distinctive Resume Template?
A Distinctive Resume Template is a professionally designed document that can be edited in Microsoft Word to help your resume stand out. These templates are ATS-friendly, and include prompts and writing tips to guide you in highlighting your accomplishments and skills.
Why are accomplishments important on my resume?
Including accomplishments on your resume is crucial because it proves to potential employers that you are capable of delivering results and adding value to their organization. It provides evidence of your abilities and helps to shape the conversation during an interview, giving employers a clear understanding of why they should choose you for their team.
How can I transform my resume to focus on relevant accomplishments?
To transform your resume, you should rewrite it to highlight your relevant accomplishments. It should show not just your ability to fulfill your duties, but also your ability to deliver actual results and add value. Using Distinctive Resume Templates can guide you on how to write your accomplishments-focused resume.
How can I identify accomplishments to include in my resume?
You can identify your accomplishments by considering the areas where you’ve added value to your previous employers. Ask yourself if you’ve helped your past employers make or save money, increase efficiency or productivity, solve a challenging problem, or improve customer relationships. These insights will help you form accomplishment statements.
How can I use a resume template to showcase my accomplishments?
Resume templates like those from Distinctive Resume Templates not only make your resume visually appealing but also guide you on how and where to include your accomplishments. They provide prompts and tips, making the process of writing an accomplishment-focused resume easier. You can also adapt these templates to the specifics of your career.
What happens if I don't include accomplishments on my resume?
If your resume lacks accomplishments, it may be overlooked by hiring managers, regardless of how qualified you are. Resumes that simply list job responsibilities often fail to impress because they don’t showcase the candidate’s ability to deliver actual results and add value to an organization.
What are some examples of accomplishments I could include on my resume?
Accomplishments can vary widely depending on your field and role, but some examples could include saving your previous employer money through efficient processes, increasing sales or productivity, solving challenging problems, or improving customer relationships. It’s always beneficial to quantify these accomplishments where possible, as this provides clear, concrete evidence of your impact.
How can I communicate the value I can bring to a future employer on my resume?
You can communicate your value to a future employer by identifying and highlighting your accomplishments that align with the company’s needs and goals. By using a resume template and asking yourself key questions about your contributions to past roles, you can frame your experience in a way that clearly demonstrates your potential value to the hiring organization.
About the Author: Michelle Dumas
