Ready to begin writing your new accomplishment-based resume? What should you include? And, more importantly, what should you exclude? Today’s hiring manager is busy and inundated with hundreds of resumes. They’re also knowledgeable – they understand primary job functions and the day-to-day responsibilities associated with job titles. Your goal is to tell the hiring manager something they don’t know. When writing your resume, you can set yourself apart by translating your job functions into accomplishments. A solid resume writing strategy includes conveying your achievements in a way that tells the hiring manager how you’re different and the impact you’ve had in each of your roles. For example, you’ll illustrate your difference when you state “Grew sales revenue from $10 million to $28 million in less than 2 years, outpacing market growth by 2X” compared to writing “Responsible for sales and increasing revenues year over year.” You’re still conveying the fact that one of your responsibilities included ‘sales,’ but you’re doing so in a way that brings focus to your business impact.

When developing your accomplishment-based resume, it’s not necessary to present every achievement; highlight your top 3-4 successes in the roles you’ve held. The key is to give the reader the ‘big picture’ while being as succinct as possible. Quantifying results can help here. Consider the business growth you achieved, savings you generated, new markets you entered, and territories and teams you led. While it’s advantageous to quantify achievements wherever possible, you can also include instances where you have improved, increased, streamlined or developed a new process, system or program.
Highlighting the impact of your efforts will result in a winning accomplishment-based resume, helping you stand out among the hundreds of qualified candidates competing for the same position you want.

Need help creating your accomplishment-based resume? Contact San Francisco-based, top professional resume writer, Robin Kelley, to schedule a complimentary call.