Accomplishments separate achievers from non-achievers. Duties alone cannot do this. Consider two people, each with ten years of experience and identical job titles. Applicant A has not had an original idea in three years. The drive and initiative that propelled A upward is gone. Applicant B, however, has demonstrated significant accomplishments each year and still exhibits great enthusiasm. Only accomplishments will distinguish over-the-hill applicant A from full-of-potential applicant B. Accomplishments make you seem more like a real person and create strong impressions. Stressing accomplishments in a resume is important for everyone, but it is absolutely critical for the person changing careers; those accomplishments will prove potential for success in the new career.
Employers make hiring decisions based on your perceived potential. Experience is frequently used to measure potential, but it is often a poor yardstick. Employers certainly want people who can come in and handle the job from day one, but other factors are also important. Employers are willing to train someone if they feel that person has the potential to become a better employee than the one with more experience. Potential is best demonstrated through accomplishments.
Accomplishments do not have to be big, knock-your-socks-off types of experiences. They are merely experiences in which you made a contribution-on your job or through a project. An employer who clearly sees that you've made contributions that go beyond just doing your "duty," immediately assumes that you will continue to make contributions in the future. That's potential. But it's not enough to have achieved certain accomplishments or to possess potential. You must present them in your resume in ways that bring them to life. Your competitors, in fact, may have accomplishments even more impressive than your own, but if they fail to describe them in their resumes, it's the same as if they did not have them. And if they don't list them in their resume, they probably will not describe them in interviews. This gives you the advantage.
Ideally, you will list one or more significant accomplishments for each job you've held. For some jobs, however, this is not practical. Perhaps you held the job for just a short time, or didn't enjoy the job and performed below your full potential. With jobs like these, provide only short descriptions so that the reader will concentrate on the more important jobs you held.
Describe accomplishments concisely and concretely so that they'll have impact. Every employer seeks people who can increase profits, decrease costs, solve problems, or reduce the stress and pressure they face. Specific information such as percentages and dollar figures, make accomplishments more tangible and impressive. Compare these two statements: "Implemented new personnel policies which increased morale" and "Implemented new personnel policies which reduced absenteeism by 27% and reduced turnover by 24%." The specific figures given in the second sentence make the accomplishment seem more impressive and real.
You're probably thinking, "I know my idea saved time and money, but I have no idea how much." Arriving at a percentage or a dollar figure when you have no verifying figures requires creative thinking and sometimes creative guessing. You would not want to exaggerate the accomplishment, but you can calculate figures to the best of your knowledge.
Accomplishments are loaded with powerful information. One fifteen-word accomplishment can say more and have more impact than one hundred words of a job description.
The following example vividly illustrates the need for accomplishments. The first version lacks both accomplishments and impact. The revision ultimately sold the person into a good position.
Before
SALES REPRESENTATIVE - 2/86 to Present. Develop and service established accounts as well as new accounts. Set pricing structures after determining the market. Responsible for the district's western Orange County territory. Sales have increased each year.
After
SALES REPRESENTATIVE - 2/86 to Present. In the first three years moved the territory from last in the district to first among ten territories. Aggressively went after new accounts and have significantly increased market share in the territory. By 1989 became the number one sales rep in total profits and have maintained that position. Profits have increased an average of 30% annually.
Is there any question which resume would result in an interview? In the second job description, you get a sense of a salesperson who is successful, works hard, has excellent product knowledge, and knows how to get a sale. It makes an employer want to meet him to learn if he is as good in person as he seems on paper.
Notice that the impression you get of the person is much stronger in the second version, yet it required just one more line than the first. This powerful effect can be created by presenting what you've done in jobs, rather than how you've done it. Tell what resulted from your efforts, but devote little or no space to describing how it happened. Accomplishments speak for themselves and you rarely need to go into detail regarding all the things you did to get your results. Save the details for an interview.
Sometimes you will want to allude to what was done without providing details. The bank branch operations manager above provides a perfect example. She said, "Overcame serious morale problems by working closely with the branch staffs and providing better training and supervision. Within the branches absenteeism was reduced 42% and turnover 70%," How she got her result is merely alluded to with the statement, "Overcame serious morale problems by working closely with the branch staffs and providing better training and supervision." She did not go into detail about the morale problem, but simply stated it existed. And, she only alluded to how she solved it-working closely with staff and improving training and supervision. An employer who wants to know more will have to interview her.
