Be sure to allow enough space on each of your worksheets for your achievements because identifying them and writing them down is so important. As you look back over your employment history, what are you most proud of? What are your most satisfying experiences? What did you do that made a real difference to your employer and colleagues?
Many people, it seems, never stop to think about that. Regardless of their backgrounds, they're at a loss to describe their most significant contributions. "I was taught you're not supposed to brag" or, "I was just doing my job" are the common refrains. But bragging is not what this is about.
You're simply analyzing the past and describing what you did. If your major achievement involved a team effort, analyze your role and give yourself credit for that. Did you:
- Prepare any original papers or reports?
- Make or participate in any technical accomplishment?
- Design a new product, system, program, plan?
- Implement any management decision or administrative procedure?
- Identify a need for a plan, program, product or service?
- Take the initiative in solving a problem, recognizing an opportunity?
Did you receive special recognition? Awards?, Letters of appreciation? Maybe there's no engraved plaque, but what about excellent evaluations? Promotion letters?. Now's the time to pull out all those things and make the most of them! If you're still employed, get everything you might need, including statements from authoritative sources, to back up your claims.
After some probing, most job seekers can recall a time(s) when they did something noteworthy-performed "above and beyond."
Charlotte Anne's resume gave little hint of her multimillion-dollar accomplishments. When her job as assistant high school principal in a northern New York State community was eliminated in 1978, she found work as a finishing supervisor for the town's major employer.
From that modest beginning, she worked her way up to supervisor of budget and administration for one of the company's 30 divisions. Her dissatisfaction with the slow, error-ridden budgeting process prompted her to develop and help design a new budget system which became a model for the entire $3.7 billion corporation. As a result, the budgeting process, which had taken many managers three to four months each year, could now be done much more accurately and effectively in a few hours, saving the company millions of dollars each year.
Charlotte Anne's efforts were recognized by a plaque. And? the elimination of her job in 1993. An unassuming woman, her overly modest resume began with: "Versatile professional with successful careers in business and education." Not surprisingly, that resume wasn't opening any doors, and she experienced months of job search frustration. Happily, that ended when Charlotte Anne purchased a learning center franchise. She's now putting her considerable skills, energy, and enthusiasm to work to help people learn and develop her business.
Another example: The manager of a truck stop station for BP America noticed that there was a significant error rate in the company's statewide shipping service. Paul developed and implemented a strategy for improving customer service which not only reduced the errors but cut down on overtime expenses for union personnel.
As a result, the company saved $276,000 a year ($240,000 in shipping costs and $36,000 in overtime expenses), while significantly improving customer satisfaction. That was only one of his contributions. Altogether, Paul had saved the company at least $750,000 in addition to enhancing customer service. Before we asked him to give us more detail about his work, he had insisted that he had done "nothing special."
Still Struggling to Identify Your Accomplishments?
Ken also insisted that he was "just doing my job." He's a computer technician (they call him systems operator) for a small economic forecasting company. All 50 employees rely on their computers to do their work, and Ken's job is to keep those machines humming so no billable hours are lost.
When the company moved to another location recently, he did lots of advance preparation and planning. Then, Ken worked all weekend to make sure that every computer was in place and functioning properly when the staff arrived at the new office Monday morning.
His achievement? No downtime. When he learned that the combined billable rates for the staff totaled $3,000 an hour, he realized that, by avoiding downtime for two days, he had saved the company more than his entire year's salary.
The contributions you make may not be so dramatic, but they could still be significant. Barbara is an all-purpose secretary for a small not-for-profit agency. Recently, the receptionist quit without warning. The office was in total disarray. The phones were ringing incessantly and chants were clearly impatient because of the delays. Everyone realized that the most essential person in the office was gone.
But Barbara quickly took charge. She knew from previous experience that temporary receptionists had caused a lot of confusion, misdirecting calls and paperwork. So she concentrated on recruiting and training a replacement. Within a week, a permanent receptionist was orchestrating calls at the front desk and everyone was smiling again. Not only had Barbara saved the agency money (the temporary agency charges an additional $5 per hour), but more important, she quickly restored order and professionalism,
How much is that worth? It's not easy to put a dollar value on normalcy, but the reputation of the agency and its ability to gain support (including funds) depend heavily on its professionalism. By restoring that so efficiently, Barbara had made an important contribution.
Why Are Your Accomplishments So Important?
The past is prologue. Your achievements back up your general statements with specifics and provide prospective employers with evidence. Anyone can talk about being a good manager, working well with people from diverse backgrounds, meeting deadlines, etc. Can you prove it?
Being aware of your accomplishments also contributes to your confidence and self-esteem by reminding you how valuable you have been. And still are! "I still think about what I was able to accomplish," comments Paul, the former truck stop manager, "especially when things are not going so smoothly in my business, and that helps me feel good about myself" Don't discount the small, less easily measured accomplishments. Receptionists who are invariably polite, pleasant, and efficient may not be able to furnish figures showing that they save or make money for the company. But by keeping the office running smoothly, they improve productivity and teamwork. Sales people who go out of their way to please customers may not make the evening news. But satisfied customers are what the business is all about. They're responsible for repeat business and the company's excellent reputation. How long would there be a business without that?
