major professional achievement. What to write in the "Achievements" section of your resume? Achievements must be relevant

Employers choose those who are ready and able to lead the company to prosperity. Therefore, they pay special attention to the success of candidates in previous work. Describe them in your resume.

Do not confuse professional and personal achievements. If you mastered a new program at a previous job, these are the skills and competencies that should be indicated in. But if you independently implemented or even developed this program to optimize your work, this is already an achievement.

Avoid common phrases. Work can be digitized, so back up achievements with numbers.

P Examples

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“Processed 85-100 incoming applications per day. Successfully solved 96% of the problems that arose.

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“Developed a new method to attract customers. In two months, he trained the employees of the sales department. The number of transactions increased by 14%, and sales - by 20%."

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"Successfully passed nine tax audits."

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“Optimized the software. The result - saved 15% on the purchase of a new one.

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"I entered the top five in the city hairdressing competition."

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“I added 70 employees to the company, conducted 120 interviews.”

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“Concluded five contracts for the wholesale supply of goods. This allowed us to increase revenue by 7%.

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“During my work, I became the best seller of the month five times. He proposed a new design option for the shop window, which increased the flow of customers by one and a half times.”

Employees of administrative departments: assistants to the head or office managers can digitize their work by counting, for example, how many meetings were organized or how they saved the manager from wasting time. A well-established document flow, uninterrupted supply of the office with everything necessary can also be considered an achievement.

Mass professions, such as a loader, require high-quality performance of daily duties. Achievements can be formulated as follows: "During the work there was not a single emergency case." That is, if you work, you should not count the number of clients served per day and multiply by work shifts. It is better to note that during the work you had no complaints about how you prevented shortages and saved the company from losses.

TOWhich wording does not fit:

• "Organized the effective work of the department." The phrase is blurry. Need to clarify what exactly was done
• "During my time as a secretary, the flow of the company's clients increased." It is unlikely that the flow of clients has increased due to the work of the secretary
• “Decreased the turnover of the company.” Avoid negative language
• "I improved my communication skills." This is a personal achievement. And it’s better not to talk about the fact that you had problems in communication.

How to find merit

At first, it may seem that there are no achievements at all. To help guide you, we recommend that you consider the following questions:

• What were you praised for at your previous job?
• What were you assigned to do?
• What did you do better than others?
• When did you take the initiative?
• Did you take part in any significant event for the company?
• Was it so that, thanks to your assistance, any business processes were established that led to an improvement in work?
• Has the company saved time or money because of you?

The result should be a list of merit that needs to be adapted for which you are applying. In your resume, list only those achievements that are relevant to the desired position.

Successful job search!

Cover: pixabay.com

The standards for compiling a resume have changed: if earlier it was a description of the duties and responsibilities of a person in a particular position, now the emphasis is on what successes and results the person holding this position has achieved. Employers choose candidates based on the characteristics that make the candidate stand out from others and the benefits that they can bring to the new employer or company. In other words, successes and achievements results oriented your performance and indicate that the candidate is able to evaluate his contribution as a whole.

Completing this document is intended to help you (and by extension, us) highlight and highlight your specific successes and accomplishments in every position you have ever held.

In other words, Successes and Achievements measure the distance between a goal or task (that is, what you have to do) and the end result (what you have done). A person can complete a task, over-complete a task, or come close to solving a task.

Anatomy of Success/Achievement

1. Definition/description of the task/goal/your responsibilities.
2. Describe the result obtained by solving the problem:
   1. a) Did you complete the task? How exactly: (by time, budget, etc.)
   2. b) Did you complete the task? How exactly: (by time, budget, etc.)

If possible, try to give specific facts that confirm your successes and achievements, for example:

“Nikolai Ivanov installed and adapted the software ... in ... on 80 personal computers. According to the first budget estimates, this resulted in savings of nine man-months and 80,000 hryvnias.”

Below are examples of resumes that properly describe the successes and achievements of candidates.

EXAMPLE 1

Part 1(Describe the task/goal/your responsibilities)

“During the development of the system ... I was given the responsibility to ensure the functioning of the three main modules by a strictly defined deadline - January 2010, that is, three months in advance.”

Part 2(Describe the result)

“I was the manager of this project and my team of 6 completed the task on time. The modules have been working flawlessly since day one. We didn’t have to make major changes, and users sent a letter of thanks to our company for a job well done.”

EXAMPLE 2

“I removed our company's product, completely redesigned it, and then reinstalled it on the user. This has fundamentally changed the customer's attitude towards the product, and now he recommends our product to other customers.”

“I analyzed the problems that customers had and required technical support from our company. I have identified the root causes of these problems and created working groups to address these causes. This made it possible to increase the productivity of the staff by 100%, since each employee now served not 15 points, as before, but 30″.

“I have ensured the growth in the number of users: when I started work, there were 30 of them, now their number has grown to 700, and the growth continues.”

The above are examples of Successes and Achievements taken from the candidate resumes we have. When describing your Successes and achievements, think about how your actions influenced the completion of the task, and what results were obtained, always keeping in mind the benefit / benefit that the employer wants to receive from you.

List the results of your work that you yourself consider your highest achievements:

• Carried out the implementation of systems, meeting the deadline and budget.
• Carried out analytical work and designed a device that is used in a system that is now in production, meeting the deadline and budget.
• With a limited time and budget, I wrote all the software specifications for the inventory control system.

SAMPLE FORM SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Instructions for filling out the form:

1. Based on your resume, think about what you consider a success or accomplishment in each position you hold.

2. Write a description of your Successes and achievements, looking for inspiration in 2 pages. titled “Professional Characteristics of an Information Technology Specialist” and “Keywords”.

Begin each phrase with the words “improved”, “modified”, “designed”, “reduced”, “eliminated”, etc.

Describe the results of your activities like this. so that it is completely clear in which position you have achieved certain results.

3. After completing the form, please return it to the reception. The consultant will be informed that you are ready for the interview.

4. Your successes and achievements will be included in your resume and will be used to find the application of your knowledge and skills with potential employers.

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______
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______
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PROFESSIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST

The following are the key areas in which employers evaluate information technology professionals:

• Timing.
• Budget execution.
• Difficulties.
• Inspection/Control Strategies.
• Documentation skills.
• Compliance with standards.
• Analytical potential.
• Knowledge of structural methodologies.
• Understanding consumer needs.
• Learnability.
• Compliance with code conditions.
• specific knowledge.
• Implementation of systems in production.
• Breakthroughs.
• Training.
• Problem solving.

WORD LIST TO DESCRIBE SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Below is a list of some words that will help you describe your successes and accomplishments in each position. Then your successes and achievements can be included in the summary.

One of the problematic points for applicants is the “Achievements” column. You should not listen to the installation laid down from childhood that boasting is not good, this is not the case. It is better to look at examples of professional achievements in the resume and build on them, focusing on your personal experience.

It is almost impossible to find a sample of achievements, but there are main points that you can focus on when filling out this column. For example, for the sphere of trade, such formulations are suitable:

• increased sales volume in excess of the established norm by 15% over the last six months of work as a salesperson;
• retained all major customers during the crisis period;
• ensured the expansion of the sales market through the development of a network of branches in regional centers, which contributed to an increase in the company's profit by 11%;
• conquered the niches previously occupied by competitors in large retail chains, increasing sales by 1.3 times;
• developed a new tactic for finding buyers, which allowed attracting more than 50 new clients in a year of work, 6 of which are large;
• repeatedly ranked among the top three in terms of customer service quality as a call center operator according to the results of organized surveys.

For people whose work is related to paperwork, accounting, planning, you can use the following example:

• successfully passed 3 tax audits as a chief accountant;
• accelerated the document flow at the enterprise by introducing and developing an electronic database together with the programming department;
• organized a successful transition of a large enterprise from version 1C: Accounting 7.7 to 8.3;
• found a discrepancy in the cost of production, due to which its price was overstated and made the product uncompetitive, correcting the error led to a revaluation of the cost and the resumption of sales;
• increased the efficiency of the planning department by 80% due to the introduction of automation of calculations, this made it possible to reduce the staff of economists by 2 times.

Specialists in the field of computer technology, depending on their specialization, can choose what to write from the following list:

• increased the efficiency of the company by establishing the functioning of servers, thanks to which the number of emergency failures was reduced by 3 times;
• conducted an effective analysis of the company's technical support and was able to reduce 20% of the funds allocated for the purchase of new equipment;
• a team under my leadership developed the company's online store and promoted it to the TOPs of search engines;
• created a program that allows you to optimize the workflow at the enterprise;
• provided the possibility of control, limited access to resources, the subject of which is not related to professional activities.

Competent wording

When pointing out your achievements, do not forget that they should not reflect your daily duties, but exactly what goes beyond them. They should show that the specialist took the initiative or carried out the instructions of the head, which went beyond his previous experience.

When describing achievements, it is important to understand that a potential employer must see the problem and your actions. The result is also important.

For example, this wording can be traced in such variations:

• implemented a satellite control system for sales agents, which increased sales efficiency by 23% per year;
• trained new employees in 2 weeks in such a way that allowed them to immediately reach the level of sales established in the company;
• conducted customer service training, explained the main functions of the manager, thanks to this, the number of purchased tourist tours increased by 18% compared to the same period last year;
• managing the delivery department, I was able to achieve a 2-fold reduction in order processing times through the introduction of a logistics system and staff training;
• organized and conducted a full-scale study of the market of fermented milk products in the city, which made it possible to introduce a new product;
• negotiated successfully and the supplier provided a discount, and the company was able to save more than 7% of the amount allocated for the installation of new software.

Such wording allows the future employer to see your achievements in work, for a resume they should be formulated briefly and clearly.

Is it worth adding credit to yourself?

If you want to get a position, then keep in mind that employers are interested in selecting professionals. If you have nothing to brag about, you are drastically changing the scope of your activity or are getting a job for the first time, then it is better to skip this column altogether.

Please note that the recruiter is able to check any achievements, be it:

• 40% increase in sales due to a change in negotiation strategy;
• introduction of accounting automation at retail outlets;
• development of new products as a technologist;
• the introduction of a new labor incentive system that increases the productivity of workers.

An employer is unlikely to want to hire a person who attributed to himself non-existent achievements in the resume, thereby trying to increase the likelihood of employment.

Blurry phrases in resume

The recruiter wants to see real achievements in the resume, not general wording. There is a list of phrases that are better not to use. Among them:

• improving the efficiency of the department;
• created a new department and adjusted its work from "0";
• conducted training for new employees;
• did their job well;
• for 4 years of work did not receive a single reprimand;
• ensuring sales growth in the established region;
• keeping records in the assigned area.

Such wording will not attract a personnel officer. They just make it clear that the person went to work and did the assigned tasks. These are not at all the achievements that can be indicated in the resume and which the employer should pay attention to. This column requires specifics indicating the programs implemented, the percentage of sales increase, the number of attracted customers, the level of profit growth of the enterprise, which can be attributed to the list of your achievements.

Victory doesn't come easy! But how to get around rivals and get a position for which hundreds of worthy competitors are ready to fight? Here you need a serious argument - why you. Do not give up, even if the competence of your opponents exceeds your personal achievements. The main weapon in this battle is . Design it in such a way as to cause an acute desire of the employer to meet with you. A particularly important aspect is to correctly indicate professional achievements in the resume, emphasizing your strengths and weaknesses.

What achievements to write about

Let's start with the fact that you need to be able to separate your personal qualities from professional ones. Do not mix them under any circumstances. Understanding this issue is quite simple. List your positive aspects that you think are in demand in the desired field of activity. If in another area they are completely unnecessary - professional skills, otherwise - personal.

Often, the recruiter does not focus on personal achievements. Stop only at those that are adequate to the desired position and can contribute to the work.

Bring to the attention of the employer your professional achievements: significant results and knowledge related to the expected work, emphasizing on:

• implemented projects,
• improvement in financial performance,
• goals achieved,
• results that have surpassed your past victories or the achievements of colleagues.

How to deliciously present professional achievements

When writing a resume, literally everything matters. Even seemingly small things can affect the course of events.

The most common mistakes

You will be passed over and you will never get a job if your resume is:

• vague. Avoid common phrases: provision, promotion, implementation. It seems that you wanted to do it, but did not have time due to dismissal. It raises doubts whether you understand, in general, what is at stake.
• wordy. The statements will not give results: “helped to avoid mistakes”, “led the team”, “conducted training”, “quickly completed tasks”.
• negative. Bypass negative information: “analyzed complaints about:”, “controlled the decrease in the percentage of sales”, “moved from position:”.
• Contain passive forms. The wording "responsible for the implementation", "found application" is rephrased to - "implemented", "effectively used". The expression "occupied an administrative position" should be replaced by the word "supervised". Instead of “worked there for five years,” we should write “got a promotion,” and rewrite the term “did extra work” as, “always did the job on time.”

How to write everything correctly?

Use business language.

Assumes business communication. It is based on numbers and calculations. Whatever topic is touched upon: corporate values, clients, working conditions of personnel, financial issues are always brought to the fore.

Presenting your achievements in the language of business is the key to success and an indicator of communication. A resume is an effective method of showing your abilities in the language of numbers.

Add specifics.

Orientation to the result and achievement of the set goal is the main component that affects the outcome of the selection of the best applicant for the position! However, not all successes will be credited to the candidate. The effect on the employer will only have the result that will be:

• Make up the importance for the job seeker and recruiter.
• be measured in quantitative terms.
• Have a time frame.

To summarize, it should be noted that your achievements should be:

Job Responsibilities and Achievements Writing Examples

Your achievements in the resume can be described as follows:

• Transition of the capital investment service to a new settlement system. Implemented a new accounting program and trained 30 employees to work with it in 2 months.
• Increase in the supply of raw materials in 2016 - by 40%, in 2015 - by 20%;
• During the period from June 2016 to February 2017, he developed 56 new projects that the company successfully implemented.
• In the 1st half of 2016, he organized the work of a furniture production workshop, which led to the implementation of 80% of the plan, instead of the planned 20%.
• Saved the company $15,000 by developing a rationalization proposal to improve equipment.

In the case of a ban on the disclosure of commercial information by your ex-company, it will be enough to indicate the figure as a percentage or limit it to the expression “several times”.

Rules for describing major achievements

Endure style

When it comes to previous work, it is appropriate to use the past tense verbs: erected, designed. You should talk about the real place of work, using the present tense of verbs: I build, I design. Finish the phrases.

When applying for a managerial position state your key skills in the language of a leader. For example: Influenced, Activated, Directed, Proved, Instructed, Initiated, Justified.

Balance of results

Balance is the key to effective work. This indicator is characterized by the rational use of resources and the development of team capabilities.

Example:

• Set a limit on bill payments;
• eliminated unnecessary water consumption costs;
• improved the mechanism for the distribution of equipment repair costs.

Link personal achievement to your workplace

Describe in the column the duties and achievements in your resume, acquired recently. Outdated information has long lost its relevance. And if in your life you have changed a dozen employers, then only information about achievements from the last 2-3 positions should be indicated.

Provide relevant information

Sometimes, the achievements indicated by the applicant do not correspond to the level of the position. For example, a candidate aims for the position of the head of the department, but mentions the achievements of the master. Or vice versa. The applicant wants to get a position as a programmer, and describes the achievements in the resume of a senior management level in the business area where he once worked.

So, remember: if you are applying for a job in the management team - indicate the successes of the manager level, if you want to work as a line specialist - meet these evaluation criteria. Forget what you did before and make a resume according to the requirements of the future job.

If there are no achievements

Do you think that you do not have labor achievements? You just need to think. Of course, not everyone can have special merits and feats, but if they wish, they will be typed into a small list. Success is different for everyone. And how many people, so many opinions.

A position, such as a janitor, does not require achievements. The same can be said for the professions of a loader, handyman, cashier, fast food restaurant worker, driver, etc.

Achievements can be omitted if your position is on the list of unskilled labor - they are simply unnecessary there.

Or maybe you just underestimate yourself? Then use the criterion: you brought the work you started to its logical conclusion, and everyone felt better. Apply this method.

Which section to post

Standard scripts used on work portals do not have a special “achievements” column.

For example, on the largest recruiting site HeadHunter, in the “work experience” section, you need to enter your key skills in the “duties, functions, achievements” field in your resume. Sample - see below.

Use of verbs in a graph

According to statistics - the correct use of verbs in the section will bring the desired result. Each type of activity has its own set of words:

Administrative management and management

Public relations and creativity

Financial management

Social assistance and nursing

office service

Research and analysis

Sales and marketing

teaching

Technical specialties

Useful for most

Conclusion

So, let's draw a line and establish a certain procedure for indicating achievements for a resume.

1. We create a list of achievements.
2. We leave only those that meet the highlighted points:
   ♦ the most important;
   ♦ professional;
   ♦ significant for the new job.
3. We present in a business language, using complete forms of verbs.
4. We bring in the resume column intended for describing achievements. It may be in the "work experience" field.
5. Supported by a cover letter.

If you did everything right, then the manager will definitely see in you a professional with written communication skills, the ability to structure data, and put emphasis. This item will help you achieve the job you have so actively fought for.

If at an interview you happen to hear a question about achievements in previous jobs, do not look for a catch. Achievements are asked, on the one hand, to get a general idea about a particular person, on the other hand, to understand how valuable an acquisition he can become for a particular workplace or organization. The secret is that the most important achievements in previous jobs speak to the current potential of the candidate. When looking for a promising specialist, such information can play an important role. In other cases, it is of no fundamental importance. Everyone has achievements. The only problem is that not every specialist sees and truly appreciates his achievements. If you do not appreciate the results of your work, then it will be difficult to talk about important achievements. Although, talking about them is not always worth it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Why are many people confused by the question of past achievements?

• Each of us intuitively guesses that an achievement is a result that surpasses others in some way, stands out from many. But what outstanding results can be said to someone who has been doing “not so outstanding” work? Believe it or not, there are many. Below we will show you how to easily identify them.
• When the question is raised in previous jobs, sober-minded people suspect that new achievements will be required of them in a new workplace. Such an assumption is not devoid of logic, but it can. Often all that is needed is a stable result that is familiar and familiar to you - a result that you have been able to achieve for a long time and reliably. Don't make false assumptions. Calmly answer the question and all.

How to quickly remember your achievements? Mentally return to your previous job. The first one that comes to mind. Remember that with a fair amount of pride, surprise or joy, you told your friends about it. Bolder. Remember and speak - right now and out loud. What were you joyfully surprised at, what were you proud of, what did you cheer yourself up for? What have you been praised or thanked for by others - customers, colleagues, immediate or higher managers? Have you ever found yourself in difficult or extraordinary conditions, and if so, how did you overcome them and what did you come to? Don't look for something extremely outstanding. Achievements can be different - up to the ability to do something that they did not know how to do before. Practice remembering the most striking achievements - answer the questions above.

How do you define a major achievement? As a rule, two situations are associated with important achievements: the forced overcoming of difficult conditions in the performance of the main duties and the setting of tasks that go beyond the scope of the main duties. Let's take a closer look at simple examples.

For the absence of delays, a beginner will hardly be praised. Right? And, for example, for the rapid development of new functions, either others will praise, or he will be glad that he quickly understood, figured out, learned. Or such an example. It is unlikely that anyone will praise the worker for the daily fulfillment of the norm set for him, the brigade, section, workshop, etc. Right? But if an emergency broke out or circumstances developed in such a way that the implementation of the same norm turned out to be difficult, the one who coped with the solution of an unexpectedly arising task can easily express praise or gratitude. Why? Because in the first and second cases it was not easy, but people managed. We did it and got the desired result. Remember what you had to deal with at your previous jobs, and what results you managed to achieve by solving intricate tasks.

It happens that a specialist helps an enterprise get important results when no one specifically asks for them. You know, we have seen ordinary hard workers who were visibly nervous when asked about their achievements at work, although their work was full of notes about gratitude and awards for innovative proposals. And these are “ordinary people”. We generally keep quiet about unique specialists. Dig a little, and you will certainly find whole placers of impressive achievements, obtained for the sake of your own interest or thanks to your dedication to business. Think about it, maybe you also have a couple of achievements that are not so much related to direct duties, but rather to curiosity, adherence to principles, the desire for optimization, a passion for improvement, and so on.

To select the most valuable of all the achievements, ask each of them the question: why do I consider this result to be one of the most important? In what way has it significantly helped or is able to help me or others? Remember: an achievement is valuable not because it elevates, singles out one specialist among others, but because it allows you to consider new perspectives from the "height" of the achieved result. An important achievement is a kind of milestone that opens the way to goals and opportunities that previously remained vague, unattainable, but for some reason very significant . Example? You gained additional knowledge and helped the client solve a problem that could not be solved before. They honed an important professional skill and brought a whole echelon of promising clients to their precious company. They made a scientific discovery and gave someone hope for a successful healing. They made a small rationalization proposal and unexpectedly helped to significantly reduce the cost of production of the native plant. You look ahead from the milestone you have just taken and clearly understand that thanks to the result you have achieved, you yourself, your clients, patients, company, organization, can now ... wow!

Why is it important to appreciate your work achievements?

• The specialist intentionally reproduces and purposefully uses those results of his work that he knows about and which he sincerely appreciates. The rest of the achievements, as a rule, are random.
• The presence of achievements even, it would seem, in an ordinary specialist gives out a real fighter who is able to fight for the result, at least out of a sense of pride, dignity or personal interest.

What is the difference between those who genuinely appreciate and frankly devalue what has been achieved? Let's be clear. One worker leaves the checkpoint, albeit tired, but with a proudly raised head or a barely noticeable but pleased smile, because he understands that he has done something important. There is every reason to believe that when required, he will not save in front of a similar task. One of these has already fallen for him. He knows how to overcome such conditions and achieve the desired result. Knows that he has useful resources - from physical health and professional skills to special knowledge and natural ingenuity. The second, exhausted leaving the workplace, wastes dwindling strength not on assessing what has been achieved, but on whining or scolding the circumstances, colleagues or management. Will he take on such a feat in the future? Voluntarily, never.

Note. One and the second achieved the desired result. However, the first one sees, appreciates and can reproduce them, the second refuses to even look in their direction, let alone repeat or use them to achieve new or more significant results. Do not want to use to achieve something new - your right. But they are obliged to see and adequately perceive the results of their work. Otherwise, you run the risk of spoiling relations with the team, being fired due to inconsistency with the position held, being in the forefront of being laid off or finding other joys. Unfortunately, on the part of the organization, this will not be a whim, but a necessary measure. Indeed, even monotonous work will oblige a specialist to reproduce a certain result every day - to produce certain parts, draw up certain documents, treat certain diseases, transfer certain knowledge, etc., etc. Therefore, please remember that at least an important achievement is the very ability to perform certain functions, achieving the desired result. Briefly describe what you do especially well and will already be great.

How should you communicate important accomplishments at work? Highly recommended: stay tuned. State the facts with a well-deserved pride, not an unfortunate smirk or exaggerated tragedy. Describe what task you faced and what result you achieved, and not what incredible hardships your path was paved with. In the first case, you will give the impression of a talented specialist who can help, in the second - an unfortunate victim in need of help. Next to the winner and the difficult road turns into an exciting adventure, and with the victim and an insignificant obstacle risks turning into an exhausting test. Do not scare people with the difficulties associated with you, do not spoil the impression. After all, in fact, there are no helpless and mediocre specialists. Everyone is strong in some way. So tell me what exactly you are strong in, but tell about it with dignity.

The “achievements” section of the resume is one of those that directly affect the achievement of the most important goal - getting the desired position. But indeed, today a resume even with the widest experience and the presence of high is nothing if it does not indicate achievements. The presence of achievements indicates the ability to effectively use their knowledge in work, the desire to develop professionally, improve their skills and thereby generate income for the company.

Your achievements are your advantages over other candidates who apply for the same position as you.

Managers often choose those candidates who can demonstrate that they intend to achieve results, and moreover, they are able to do this, which will positively affect the development of the organization, moving it to great achievements.

That is why you should not miss such an important section when compiling a resume. Focus on describing your results and achievements, on previous jobs to present yourself in the best light, because for the employer there are not enough bare facts to focus on you. Achievements do not have to be outstanding, even positive results of work are enough, what you were able to achieve through hard work and the desire to achieve your goals.

Often, having reached this section when compiling a resume, applicants encounter difficulties when it is difficult to squeeze out the necessary data from themselves. In doing so, they miss it, which is a huge mistake and sometimes even costs them their job. Think carefully, analyze your work, and what you have come to, even if these are small achievements, but these are achievements, do not hesitate to list them, it will not get worse.

Having singled out some achievements in your work activity, it is important to describe them correctly. Experts advise to use effectively the formula called “Problem + Action = Result” when describing achievements. Based on it, you briefly explain how it all began (task, goal, problem), what actions you took to solve it, and what was the result after that.

Examples of achievements in the summary

. "A new methodology for the professional development of employees has been developed with the result of an increase in staff motivation of 15%."

. "Received an award in 2013 for the best customer service."

. “I helped the loan manager to attract potential customers by calling on the phone. As a result, the volume of loans issued increased by 8%.

. “Developed a new methodology for finding and attracting customers. As a result, the number of concluded deals increased by 12%, and sales by 22%."

It is important, when indicating achievements, to refer to a measurable result, referring to the specifics in numbers, all achievements and results of work look more convincing, and do not look like an empty statement of dubious facts.

You may have heard that a resume should list your accomplishments, not your job responsibilities. After all, this is the best way to showcase what you have achieved in past jobs, as well as show potential employers what you can do for them. But many people forget to include the “Professional Achievements” section on their resume. How to write it in such a way as to interest the personnel officer as much as possible and get the desired position? Read on to find out all the details.

Relationship and difference between responsibilities and achievements

A simple example. Your main responsibility is to organize and conduct events. Then your achievement can be: “I collected more than 200 thousand rubles. from 100 visitors during a charity evening.

Why is it so important? The person reading your resume needs to know more about you. Personnel officers already know what responsibilities are assumed by a particular position. When you list obvious facts, you are only wasting precious space on your resume, as well as the attention of the decision maker. Each phrase about you should have a specific purpose, namely, to prove to the employer that you are the best candidate for the position.

Sphere of trade

Today it is not so difficult to make a product as to sell it. Therefore, professions related to trade are in great demand, and offer applicants the prospect of high earnings and career growth. What professional achievements in the resume of the seller will help you get the desired position?

Important rule

If you can't confirm, don't post. Recruiters often complain that sales applicants lie too much on their resumes. If you are asked for evidence of your brilliant success, you should be able to obtain another document from your former employer that will confirm your words.

The main achievement of any seller

For young professionals

If you cannot yet say that your activity has significantly influenced the turnover of the enterprise, you can still find something to write in the “Professional achievements” section of your resume. Examples:

• “Developed the presentation “Economics at the enterprise for non-economists” and presented it to the management, and then to other employees, in order to improve the understanding of the requirements of the accounting and analytical department by the team.”
• "I analyzed the financial statements for the last 18 months, identified formatting errors and created a universal template for reporting."

Accuracy and accuracy

Professional achievements in an accountant's resume are also directly related to numbers, and deadlines and accuracy also play a big role. So their list might look like this:

For those who want to become an employee of a financial institution

Again, professional accomplishments on a resume are all about numbers and money. But besides this, it is important for the applicant to show that he knows how to work with people, has leadership qualities, but at the same time is a team player. After all, a bank is a large company, consisting of many branches throughout the country, and all its employees must work harmoniously.

Therefore, here is how you can describe your professional achievements in a resume. Example:

• “In the first six months after employment, I sold 20% more financial services than I delivered in terms of sales, due to careful study of customer needs and work with regular customers.”
• “Ensured an increase in the volume of mortgage lending to the business, which led to a 2% increase in the profit of the bank branch”
• “In 2014, I increased my customer base by 10% by making phone calls to potential customers, and by encouraging existing customers to recommend the bank's services.”
• "Trained a group of 5 new hires on how to document the issuance of loans."
• “I worked with 3 VIP clients of the bank, with a total turnover on their accounts in the amount of about 7 million rubles.”
• "I was directly involved in the design of 5 new loan packages to attract more potential borrowers."

But you should not approach filling out the “Professional Achievements” section of your resume in an exclusively formal way. Example: you can also include such a fact as "Organized a corporate picnic for 120 people with a trip to a suburban sanatorium." It would seem that this achievement has very little to do with your professionalism, but in fact it will demonstrate to a potential employer that you have excellent organizational skills, maintain a corporate culture, and have excellent relations with the team, which is very much appreciated in

For servants of Themis

The specialty of a lawyer is always very popular. In order for the personnel officer to notice you among a bunch of other applicants, take a responsible approach to filling out the “Professional Achievements” section in the lawyer’s resume. Avoid generalizations and give specific facts. Use the problem-action-result model.

How exactly to apply it when you describe professional achievements in a resume? Example: instead of the phrase: “I completed a legal study and drew up a statement from the plaintiff for a decision by the court,” describe the situation as follows: “I drew up a claim in a case regarding the receipt by the plaintiff, as a result of which damage to health was caused, which is estimated at more than 100 thousand rubles. The court granted the claim of the victim." The second wording reveals your role in the case much more fully and shows your competence.

If you do not have high-profile victories in court, and you work as a full-time lawyer in an enterprise, then concentrate on the benefits that the company has received from your actions: contracts for large sums, executed in accordance with the law and with the greatest benefit for your enterprise; successful resolution of disputes with suppliers, etc.

Listen to a man who has looked at over 100,000 resumes in his entire career and really knows how to make a resume more attractive. By the way, here's my LinkedIn profile, see for yourself: mpritula .

But let's agree right away: no deception in the resume. Only honest information. How to make your resume really cool without cheating - about this in my life hacks.

Why is it almost perfect? Here are 10 tips I could give on this resume:

• Take a photo on a plain background (white or gray).
• Remove one phone. Why should a recruiter think about where to call?
• Change email to personal, not some company.
• Remove marital status.
• Combine competencies and key experience. Shorten sentences to 7-10 words and arrange in the form of a list.
• Remove recommendations.
• Correct the mistake in the word "company" in the last place of work.
• Reduce responsibilities to 10 lines.
• Make the link short (bit.ly, goo.gl).
• Reduce the total length of the resume to two pages.

Making your resume more valuable

Now let's talk about what makes a resume more expensive. I advise people on how to improve their resumes. Representatives of various positions send me their resumes: from ordinary salespeople to company directors. Everyone makes the same mistakes. There was not a single resume to which I could not write 10 tips on how to improve it. Below I have collected the most frequent advice that I gave on the submitted resumes.

10. Combine many jobs into one

It is considered normal if a person has been working in a company for 2-3 years. If he changes jobs more often, he may be called a job hopper. Recruiters do not like such people, since about 70% of customers refuse to consider such candidates. And this is quite natural.

A person after a year of work is just beginning to benefit the company.

Of course, everyone has the right to make a mistake, and a good resume can have a couple of places where the candidate worked for 1–1.5 years. But if the whole resume looks like this, then its value is very low.

However, it often happens that a person has changed several job positions in one company or moved from company to company within a holding structure. Or he was engaged in project work, in which he changed several employers.

In such cases (and wherever possible) I recommend that this be done as one place of work, with one name and common dates of work. And inside this block, you can unobtrusively show the change of positions, but so that visually, during a cursory examination of the resume, there is no feeling of frequent job changes.

11. Stick to the ideal length of your resume

I believe that the ideal length of a resume is strictly two pages. One is too little, only for students, and three is already too much.

If everything is clear with one page - such a resume looks like a resume of a novice specialist - then with three, four, and so on pages, everything is not so obvious. And the answer is simple: the recruiter will look at only two pages in 80% of cases. And it will read only what you have indicated on these two pages. Therefore, whatever you write on the third and subsequent pages, it will be left without attention. And if you write valuable information about yourself there, the recruiter will not know about it.

12. Share your accomplishments

If you remember only one sentence from my article, let it be about achievements. This immediately adds 50% value to your resume. The recruiter is simply not able to interview everyone who sent a resume. Therefore, the one who indicated his achievements and was able thereby to interest the recruiter will always win.

Achievements are your measurable ones, which are expressed in numbers, terms or significant qualitative changes in the company. They must be specific, measurable, impressive and relevant to the position.

Achievement example:

• Increased TV sales by 30% in three months (store manager).
• Brought a new product to the market in four months, which helped to earn 800 thousand dollars in six months (marketing director).
• Negotiated with suppliers and increased the delay in payments by 30 days, saving the company on loans - 100 thousand dollars a month (buyer).
• Reduced staff turnover from 25% to 18% through work with employee engagement (HR).

13. Tell me about your personal qualities

Now more and more attention is paid to the personal qualities of the employee in the selection of candidates. If you analyze what exactly you will be assessed at the interview, then most likely it will be like this:

• 40% - professional knowledge;
• 40% - personal qualities;
• 20% - motivation (the desire to do this particular job in this particular company).

What are personal qualities? These are personal qualities of a person that contribute to the effective performance of their duties.

This includes: energy, openness, ability to work in a team, initiative, proactivity and so on. And these are no longer empty words, at the interview more and more often you will hear such a question: “Tell me about the situation in which you had to take responsibility, and how you coped with it.” This is called competency assessment.

Therefore, your personal qualities, especially if they correspond to those required in the vacancy, are extremely important. And if earlier it was enough just to list them, now this is no longer enough. Now you need to confirm their presence, so I recommend writing them like this (examples, of course, you give your own, a mandatory rule: they must all be real and from the past):

• Initiative: developed and implemented a strategy for exiting the department from the crisis when the head left.
• Energized: My 2014 sales volume was 30% above the departmental average.
• Stress resistance: I successfully negotiated with a client who refused seven managers, and concluded an agreement with him.
• Leadership: conducted five management trainings and raised 10 managers from line employees.

Here it is important to write not many qualities, but qualities with examples. That is, examples here are more important than quantity.

14. Throw functional responsibilities out of the job description in the trash!

The functional responsibilities that are indicated in the resume are usually the most banal and boring thing. In 30% of cases they are copied from their job description, in 50% of cases they are copied from other people's resumes or job descriptions, and only 20% write them really well on their own.

I always recommend writing exactly duties, not areas of responsibility, and describe them in the form of actions that you performed. This is about the same as with achievements, but numbers are not required here, responsibilities may not be so impressive, and, of course, these are not one-time actions.

Before writing them, I recommend reading a few vacancies to get an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat is generally worth writing about. Next, write out the responsibilities in order of their importance: in the first place the most significant (strategy development, launching new products on the market), and in the last - the least (preparation of reports).

15. Sell your job title and company

Job titles and a list of companies are, in fact, exactly what a recruiter looks for in a resume in the first place. It's like a customer skimming the shelf in a store looking for familiar brands (Nescafe, Procter & Gamble, Gallina Blanka, Mars, Snickers, Tide). It is on these lines that the recruiter forms the initial cost of the resume in his head and only then begins to look for details.

• We write only the common name. If you work for Nails and Nuts LLC, which is an official dealer of Coca-Cola, then simply write Coca-Cola. Believe me, the legal name of the company is of no interest to anyone.
• In brackets we write the number of employees, for example: IBM (3,000 employees).
• Under the name of the company, we write briefly in 7–10 words what it does. For example: in the top 5 in consumer lending.
• If the company is little known, but works with well-known brands, be sure to indicate this. For example: Autosupersuperleasing (leasing partner of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Honda). The name of well-known brands next to an unknown company will greatly enhance the perception of the company.

16. Remove formulaic phrases from the "Goal" section

Immediately after your contact details on your resume, there is a section called “Purpose”. Usually in this section they write formulaic phrases like "Maximize your potential ...". Here you need to list the list of positions that you are interested in.

17. Always check your spelling

Typically, about 5% of all resumes I view contain errors:

• elementary grammatical errors (there was no spell check);
• mistakes in writing foreign words (only Russian spelling check is configured);
• errors in punctuation marks: a space before a comma, a comma between words without spaces;
• in lists, there are different punctuation marks at the end of the sentence (ideally, they should not be; the period is placed after the last item of the list).

18. Save your resume in DOCX format and nothing else

• Not PDF - many recruiters make their edits or notes (salary expectations, their impressions of the candidate, information that was obtained during the interview) in the resume before sending it to the client, they will not be able to make them in PDF.
• Not ODT - may not open correctly on some computers.
• Not DOC - a sign that the resume comes from the past (pre-Office 2007).
• Not RTF - usually weighs more than alternatives.

19. Use a Recruiter Friendly Resume File Name

The title of the resume file should contain at least the last name and preferably the position. So it will be more convenient for the recruiter to look for a resume on his disk, send it, and so on. A little concern for the recruiter will definitely be noted. Again, in the eyes of the recruiter, this makes the resume a bit more expensive.

20. Show your value in a cover letter

There are different opinions about cover letters. I always say this: a good cover letter can add value to a resume 20% of the time if it's written right. But it is not always necessary.

If you decide to write it, then here's a simple structure for you:

And if you show an example, then it could look like this:

Mistakes on your resume

Along with the secrets to increasing the cost of a resume, there are things that make a resume significantly cheaper. Let's talk about some of them.

Now many job search sites allow you to download a resume created there. At the same time, they always add their logo and various fields for entering information that is not needed for a resume at all in such a resume. For example, gender. These resumes look like real cheap, so I advise you never to do this.

21. Remove obscure abbreviations

When you work for a company for a long time, some of the abbreviations adopted in it already seem so familiar that you write them in your resume. But they are unfamiliar to the recruiter, so very important information is lost. Try to avoid abbreviations wherever possible.

22. Paraphrase formulaic phrases

Very often you want to give in to the temptation and stuff into your resume formulaic phrases that can be easily found in any resume or job description. Avoid them, as they represent empty space for the recruiter.

Rephrase, for example:

• Result orientation = in my work I always think about the result.
• Customer focus = the client always comes first for me = I put the interests of the client above my own.
• Sociability = I can easily negotiate with any clients/colleagues = I freely maintain a conversation with clients.

23. Create a normal box

What separates a professional from a child? A professional calls his mailbox by name and surname, and a child - by children's words, nicknames from games and forums, date of birth.

Well, it is absolutely unacceptable to indicate your workbox. The recruiter in this case will interpret this nuance as follows: “I am fired from my job, and therefore I can not be afraid and send my resume from my work email.”

24. Remove marital status, it is only of interest to visitors to dating sites

There is only one case where indicating marital status can play a positive role: if a young girl is looking for work and wants to show that she will not go on maternity leave immediately after employment. In this case, you can indicate the presence of children.

The options “civil marriage”, “divorced” immediately reduce the cost of a resume, as additional questions arise.

The option “I have children” is written by very narrow-minded people, since all normal people are “”. :)

25. Explain the work experience gap

You can’t just take and show a gap in work. It is necessary to write why it arose. The option “I will explain at the interview” is not suitable, since the recruiter, seeing the gap, will think the worst that could happen.

If there was a decree between two jobs, then we write. By the way, if the decree was without leaving for another job, there is no point in writing it at all. I don’t even recommend highlighting this in an interview.

26. Remove the last job end date

This is the one resume trick that can be forgiven. It is believed that a person draws up a resume before the dismissal and after the dismissal simply does not update this date. In any case, the specified date of dismissal will play against you.

27. Don't write reasons for quitting

There is no reason why you need to write down the reasons for dismissal. Whatever you write there, the recruiter will always have suspicions about your desire to explain the reason for the dismissal. Or maybe you're lying?

28. Don't explain the details of your resume

It is not allowed to write explanations, comments, footnotes, etc. in the summary. Only dates, facts, achievements.

The worst thing that can be is the "Recommendations" section and the phrase "I will provide on request." What's the point of this section? The list of references is redundant. No one will call them before the interview with you. And after the interview, you can already provide this list if there is a request.

30. Remove tables and large indents

The tables in the summary were adopted in the early 2000s. Then the whole civilized world abandoned them. Don't act like a dinosaur.

Also, don't make the bulk of the summary very large indents on the left side of the document.

31. Leave the first jobs for your grandmother

For simplicity, I'll just describe how it will be OK:

• Last place of work: 7-10 lines of duties and 5-7 lines of achievements.
• Past place of work: 5-7 lines of duties and 3-5 lines of achievements.
• Place of work before last: 3-5 lines of duties and 3 lines of achievements.
• Other places of work: 3 lines + 3 lines of achievements, if they are included in the interval of the last 10 years of work.
• Everything that was before 10 years ago: only the names of companies and positions.
• If in your career there were jobs that were not relevant to the current position, feel free to delete them. For example, now you are a marketing director, and started 15 years ago as an engineer at a factory or a salesman in the market.

32. Remove the vocational school

If you studied at a vocational school, college, technical school, and then graduated from a university, show only the university.

33. Do not show resumes to HR specialists you know if you are not sure of their professionalism

We have a lot of HR professionals who consider themselves gurus and give advice left and right. Find out how many vacancies they filled themselves, how many people interview on average per day. What books have you read about recruiting? How many of them were foreign.

If you get answers like this:

• more than 500 vacancies;
• 5-10 per day;
• more than five books (at least!);
• Lou Adler, Bill Radin, Tony Byrne;

…then feel free to trust the advice!

I'm doing a little research, so in the comments on this post, write which of all the tips described turned out to be the most valuable for you. This will help me understand your needs and write another cool article on how to sell yourself for more during an interview.

P.S. Friends, thank you all for your comments. I wrote a book with a colleague where I shared even more tips. It is available via the link.

The article was visually designed by the genius of presentations

Any employee knows the situation when it is necessary to provide information about their professional performance, for example, annual certification. What is the best way to do this? We are trying to adapt the Life Balance Wheel coaching tool for this task.

In my consulting practice over the past two years, the most frequently asked question was: “How to formulate my professional achievements?”

When does such a need arise?

• In a job search situation for writing a resume, for an interview with a potential employer.
• Within the company, when there is a transition from one career stage to another.
• In preparation for the annual / quarterly certification.
• etc.

Indeed, what is the best way to do this? I thought about it and started experimenting with different options.

The practical application of all variations on the theme of “what is best” brushed aside one method after another. As a result, the option using the favorite coaching tool “Wheel of balance” showed its viability. I am sure that the community audience is familiar with it, so I will not describe it, and you can read a lot of useful information about this wheel on the Internet. Let's get down to practice.

So, take a sheet of paper, a pen and draw a circle. Divide it into 6-10 equal parts (or as many parts as you want). We sign each area of ​​the circle, for example, as in my drawing. These are areas of activity in which your achievements can be found.

Next, we formulate what each area of ​​your circle means. Why is it important? The fact is that on the one hand, all definitions can be found in any textbook or Wikipedia. On the other hand, each company may have its own individual characteristics. And also your professional skills can only be yours.

For example, if you work within the company and are preparing for certification, then the area "Working with clients" - may have the following definition according to the information that the company puts into this concept - it is easy to explain by phone the features of working with the service provided by the company, show restraint in conversation with a conflicting client.

And in another company, "Working with clients" is the formation of a complete package of documents for the transaction, entering information into CRM, timely provision of changes to clients on the transaction, and correspondence through electronic document management.

If you are compiling a resume for yourself, then there may be such an option - "Working with clients" - these are my unique opportunities to understand the needs of the client, combine script work with a "live" conversation, building long-term relationships with him.

A similar algorithm of work will be with other names of the circle areas. As an example, a couple more definitions from the work of my clients:

• "Leadership" - difficult situations in which I took responsibility for the decision made while working on the project, brought the work to the result.
• "Communication" - my skills in negotiating with difficult people, with colleagues of different positions, with leaders of different levels of government, etc.

Now, we write how many and what achievements you have in each professional area.

For example, "Performance" - your effective actions that led to the planned result.

Example: “Proposed to analyze the ROI indicator in order to obtain data on the effectiveness of invested funds in training sales managers. The results of the data showed a direct correlation between the increase in sales volume and the new acquired skills in training.

“Savings” - as a result of your work, the company saved the budget and received financial benefits.

Example: “I found new suppliers of such and such services or equipment, with lower prices, but without loss of product quality, entered into an agreement, and the company saved 30% of its usual budget for these costs.”

"Profit" - the staff of the department as a result of your innovations increased sales compared to previous months.

Example: “I analyzed the motivation system for sales managers over the past 3 years, approved a new motivation system from the CEO, implemented it, and as a result, revenue was increased by 40% in the first month after the introduction of innovations, then by 30% monthly.”

The principle, I think, is clear. Here it is important to first formulate what you understand as "work with clients", "leadership", "innovation", etc., that is, to decipher each area of ​​the circle. And then write down your specific achievements.

You have two sheets of paper in front of you.

• The first sheet is a drawing with a circle of achievements.
• The second sheet is a list of your accomplishments in each area.

We take the first sheet with a circle, and divide each area of ​​​​the circle into 10 equal parts. We have a scale from 0 to 10.

• 0 - in the center of the circle.
• 10 - on the outer line of the circle.

We look at the second sheet - our list of achievements. We count our achievements in each area and mark a point equal to the number of achievements in a particular area. Complete the circle of your achievements in this way. Look at this impressive list, these are your results for today, you have something to be proud of!

The data obtained can be used in accordance with the situation - for a resume, for certification, for an interview, etc.

Other ways to work with the Circle of Your Achievements for the future:

• Pay attention to which areas have more achievements, and which ones have less. You may be able to better understand your strengths and weaknesses in your profession or career.
• Mark the areas in which you would like to get more achievements. Write down three simple steps to achieve this. Take this plan to work and execute it.
• Plan your success in an area where you have not yet received results, this will be your development zone.

This tool in my practice is used so far only six months. During this time, it has never let me down. Everyone who tried it in their work noted two main points:

1. I managed to structure my professional results, to understand the situation “here and now”.
2. Set goals for the future, i.e. identify growth areas.

Irina Lebedeva