Writing your resume can seem daunting. Where do you start? What do you include? What shouldn’t you include? For most people, the natural tendency is to simply list what they do. Before you begin to write your resume, it can be advantageous to spend time reviewing your work history and take an in-depth look at the various roles you’ve held during your career. Think about the impact you’ve had. Identify high-level detail that will pique a hiring manager’s interest and steer away from including a generic rundown of your responsibilities. Rather, focus on conveying your top three to five accomplishments in each position you’ve held to demonstrate your value.

Highlighting your most significant achievements throughout your resume will help set you apart in several ways, including:

1- Your resume won’t read as if it’s a job description. Your goal is to tell a hiring manager something they don’t know about you; shift away from providing information that would be considered a ‘given’ in the roles you’ve held.

2- Another reason to focus on accomplishments instead of job duties is to show the hiring manager what you’ve done rather than list what you do. Include detailed, yet succinct, examples of your contributions—and quantify results whenever possible.

Avoid trying to include everything you’ve accomplished during your career in your resume, and refrain from focusing on detail that doesn’t do anything to set you apart. If it’s not compelling or part of your high-level career narrative, don’t include it. This alone will ensure that the information you present in your resume will be notable and tell your career story—and not read like a job description.

If you’re interested in walking through your career history and identifying your achievements, contact San Francisco-based top professional resume writer, Robin Kelley, to schedule a call to discuss working together.