Katie Roberts Career Consulting

I speak to new clients almost every day and when I ask them about their ‘achievements’ in previous roles, I would estimate that eight times out of ten, I hit a brick wall. People find it so difficult to identify and articulate their achievements. The fact is, you need to sell yourself in a job application. The recruiter doesn’t know (yet) how fabulous you are, so your content should be tailored to make an immediate impact. And immediate impact can only be achieved by showing them how valuable you could be to their organisation.

Achievements don’t always have to be money or number focused (although it is great if they are). This is where many candidates can get bogged down – they don’t have a revenue generating or financial management role so they think they don’t have ‘achievements’. However there are many different areas we can look to for achievements. Think about things that you do in your day to day work that benefit your business, your customers, and/or your colleagues. Sit down with a pen and paper and brainstorm with me.

Start by thinking about anything you have done that you were commended on or that made you feel proud. Maintaining an ongoing file with positive feedback or notes when something goes well always helps with this. But just ask yourself a few key questions to help the process:

1. Did I receive any positive feedback from colleagues/superiors/clients about something I did?
2. Have I overcome or solved any ongoing issues in the business? How?
3. What projects did I complete/work on and what did they achieve?
4. Did I implement a new way of doing something that made a difference – to the time it takes, the money it costs, the quality of the outcome, the level of service etc.?

Areas you could focus your attention on include:

• Revenue increases
• Expense / cost savings
• Productivity
• Customer Service
• Quality
• Relationships
• Time Saving
• Competitiveness
• Branding / market awareness
• Safety
• Employee morale/attendance
• Deadlines
• Simplifying complexity

Our research indicates that recruiters look for achievements while more quickly discarding resumes that are purely ‘responsibilities’ focused. Make sure the achievements you use are tailored and support your ability to perform in the specific role you are applying for.

Would you like help identifying and articulating your achievements so your next job application has a better chance of standing out? If so, please see our Professional Resume Writing Services.