Resume accomplishments—90+ top examples for best resumes (2024)

The Power of Resume Accomplishments

Make it impossible for recruiters to ignore you.

It’s another day in your job search journey and you’re dutifully putting the pieces together in your resume. From your resume summary to your work experience, you feel you have every box checked.

But hold on a second! What about your resume accomplishments section?

Before you paste your resume on that job application, glance through your resume and see if you have adequately highlighted your accomplishments.

Most job seekers embellish their resume with their work experience, job duties, and the years they have worked in the said role. These are all important but they are not enough to make you stand out in the application pool.

The hiring manager wants to see what you have accomplished. Hiring managers and recruiters already know your job responsibilities because they wrote the job description. But, they do not know your accomplishments and that is what you should focus on.

Imagine you’re a hiring manager looking for a sales associate. Which of the following statements will make you hire the person?

I maintain sales records for inventory control
I exceeded sales KPIs by XX% for June, July, and August in 20XX.

You’ll probably hire the second. This is because the first one just mentions the job duty of a sales associate, which doesn’t say much about the candidate at all. The hiring manager will never know if they hit or exceeded KPIs or had an exceptional performance in their department.

However, the second one tells the recruiter that he or she is a top performer. It tells you “Look what I did for my past company. Imagine what I could do for you.”

So, if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you should list your accomplishments and share your professional achievements.

This article will cover where to list your accomplishments and how to list accomplishments—with examples. We’ll show you why and how presenting your accomplishments makes all the difference in getting noticed by hiring managers.

Why are Resume Accomplishments Important?

Every resume includes a plethora of job responsibilities in previous roles. However, your work experience, skills, and job responsibilities or duties are not enough to make your resume stand out from that of other candidates.

Why?

Because you are not the only qualified applicant applying for the job opening. There are other applicants with the same (or more) experience and skills required in the job description.

However, your achievements and accomplishments are uniquely yours. They prove your skills and show how well you performed at your previous job. Your resume accomplishments could be customer satisfaction, process improvements, or creating a company culture initiative.

When you list accomplishments on your resume, you are demonstrating the value you will bring if hired. Listing accomplishments on a resume will help you score bonus points by illuminating your strengths and experiences.

The hiring manager wants to see what you bring to the table. So, instead of listing job duties only, diligently emphasize your past achievements and relevant accomplishments.

As the old saying goes, “Show, don’t tell”.

Where Can You List Your Resume Accomplishments?

Ideally, you should have a resume accomplishments section. However, you can sprinkle your accomplishments on your resume across other sections like:

Work experience section
Resume summary
Accomplishment section
Optional sections like awards, volunteer experience, certificates, projects, and skills

Work Experience Section

Your work experience section is the best place to list accomplishments on your resume. Listing achievements in your work history conveniently adds more flavor to your mundane job duties.

Employers already know what your day-to-day responsibilities involve. Therefore, the aim is to turn job responsibilities into resume accomplishments.

You can include your work accomplishments in your work history by listing them in bullet points like your responsibilities.

Consider the following work accomplishment examples:

Professional Experience

Beverly Shaw Image Consulting Agency, Orlando, FL

Fashion Public Relations Intern

August 20xx ─ July 20xx

Selected out of 3 interns to deliver styling advice as part of the high-profile event for 450 socialites. Won first position.
Sought out new business opportunities and partnerships for fashion consultancy, re-engaging with the audience after a 1-year gap, bringing back 79 clients.
Researched, targeted, and identified 124 local events and drafted and disseminated proposal letters to introduce services, winning 63 customers.
Developed promotional campaigns, pitch sheets, and press kits using InDesign with the winner’s final ads.

DIRECTOR OF SALES May 20xx−Present

Records Management Company, New Delhi, India

Strategic Sales Planning Experience

Developed and executed a comprehensive sales strategy that targeted Fortune 500 companies, resulting in a 25% increase in annual sales revenue.
Leveraged Salesforce CRM to track sales performance and identify areas for improvement, leading to a 15% increase in sales efficiency across the team.
Organized quarterly sales forecasting meetings, using advanced analytics tools to predict market trends and adjust sales tactics accordingly, enhancing forecast accuracy by 30%.

Resume Summary

Putting your accomplishments in a resume summary is also a good way to demonstrate your performance in your previous job.

A resume summary is the first section on your resume that is usually next to or after your contact information and job title. It is a short paragraph that summarizes your career path and highlights your professional accomplishments. Here is an example:

It is the first part of your resume that prospective employers will read, making it a good place to show what you have accomplished.

Now, a resume summary should be kept short. This means that all you have accomplished throughout your career won’t be able to fit in the summary alone. But don’t worry! You can always add them to other sections in your resume.

So, stick to one or two relevant accomplishments and avoid going into many details. We understand you want to impress your potential employer. However, a lengthy summary will only tire them out.

Here are some examples of accomplishments on a resume summary:

Accomplishment Section

If you have other impressive accomplishments beyond your work or are a senior in your career, you can dedicate an accomplishments section for your career highlights.

Optional Sections like Volunteer Experience, Certificates, Projects, Skills, Awards, and Accomplishments Resume Section

These sections can also suffice for your key achievements, especially if you have hard (and verifiable) data. If you have academic awards or several work certificates, list the name and the year you had them.

The award (s), certificates, and projects sections are great outlets to brag about yourself. They could be work, educational, or academic achievements.

You can even spice things up by listing achievements that relate to your hobbies. For example, if you like volunteering or learning languages, you can share how you raised a large amount of money for a cause or any language certificates you have.

Which Accomplishments Should Be Included In Your Resume?

The accomplishments on your resume should be the ones that align with the company (s) and job description.

It is unnecessary to mention all the achievements you’ve gained from your past roles. Instead, select your most relevant and impressive accomplishments and skillfully highlight them in your resume.

Volunteer or personal accomplishments can be included in your resume only if they are relevant. For example, organizing a charity event in your community or raising funds for a non-profit organization can showcase your leadership qualities.

When you list such accomplishments on your resume alongside other relevant ones, it gives managers more detail about your soft skills and how they can benefit them.

Quantitative And Qualitative Resume Accomplishments

There are two ways you can present your resume accomplishments. You can either quantify them or qualify them. Every job is measurable by quantitative and qualitative resume accomplishments.

Quantitative accomplishments are numerically or statistically measured using hard numbers and data. In other words, they are measurable achievements like annual revenue growth percentages, sales figures, the number of clients you’ve worked with, a boost in company productivity, the number of new customers you acquired in the first quarter, or project completion times.

Because quantitative accomplishments use concrete evidence to highlight tangible results and build credibility, they make your resume more powerful and impactful.

On the other hand, qualitative accomplishments measure your accomplishments using quality, impact, or recognition. They have no specific metric by which they can be measured.

Qualitative accomplishments are not easily quantifiable but are very handy if you don’t have concrete numbers. They are especially useful for recent graduates or junior/entry-level workers who have no hard figures to show.

But, what do qualitative accomplishments look like? How can you write a qualitative accomplishment?

Walk with us.

Writing qualitative accomplishments requires brainstorming and skill. When writing qualitative accomplishments, ask yourself the following questions:

Did you improve employee retention and productivity as an HR manager?
How well did you manage resources and what were the results?
As someone in sales (either as an intern or employee) did you significantly enhance client or customer satisfaction?
As a social media manager, how well did you improve customer engagement?
Were you a better performer than your team members?
Did you participate in any projects and implement successful initiatives?
What project(s) have you managed?
Did you receive any awards in your previous company as a top performer?

These are just examples, but they give you a picture of qualitative accomplishments. Here are more examples:

Quantitative and qualitative resume accomplishments are equally important for highlighting your professional achievements. Both provide tangible results of your performance.

Still wondering how to communicate value in your CV or resume, keep reading.

How Do Accomplishment Statements Add Value To My CV/Resume?

Having a good CV is not enough.The inclusion of career and work accomplishment statements is essential.They will add more value for hiring managers than presenting a dry biography.

What are accomplishment statements?

Accomplishment statements show that you can achieve results.They demonstrate transferable skills and professional competencies.Also, they show that you are a good fit for the position.

How do you write an accomplishment statement?

A good accomplishment statement has three parts:

Action verb
Project
Positive outcome

Measurable employment accomplishments are best quantified by time, money, or level of improvement. Consider using bullet points to highlight work accomplishments and highlight them in a notable accomplishments section.

Accomplishment Examples

1. Business Development Manager

Surpassed partner development sign-up goals by 25% in Q1 20XX.

2. Strategic Business Manager

Guided sales team through a complex restructuring process, resulting in an increase of 25% in sales revenue.

3. HRIS Analyst

Conducted in-depth research into employee satisfactionand successfully reduced the turnover of employees by 25%.

Adding Value to Your CV or Resume

Working on your resume is a critical task.Providing relevant, engaging information with accomplishment statements is how to get interviews. When you create your CV, don’t ask, “What can this job do for me?”. Instead, ask yourself, “, What can I do for this company?”

You can best answer this question after doing some research.Visit the company’s website and learn more about the position.Then you can focus on the value you can bring. Discover the answer to this question, and you can make an excellent start on your CV.

Top Skills That Communicate Value In Your CV

What transferable skills add value to your CV?

Below are some skills that could transfer to most jobs you apply for.

Accounting skills
Active Listening
Collaboration
Communication
Critical Thinking
Customer Service
Decision Making
Empathy
Language Skills
Leadership Skills
Management
Problem-Solving
Public Speaking
Teamwork Skills

There are 268soft skillsevery job seeker can discuss soft skillsevery job seeker can shout about in their CV.

MORE ON INTERVIEWS

MORE ON JOB INTERVIEW

EFFECTIVE PREPARATION

Comprehensive job interview guide: Research thoroughly, communicate effectively, and follow up to enhance your hiring chances.

If you don’t have anything related, the soft skills will get you on the “yes” pile.The interview, nonetheless, depends on your presentation. Remember that most of these skills are soft skills unrelated to any unique industry.Therefore, you can easily connect them to your previous professional experience.

However, most applicants will use these soft skills in their CVs to boost their value.So, to be outstanding, including some (non-transferable) hard skills related to the exact position you are applying for is crucial.

How To Write Resume Accomplishments That Will Wow Hiring Managers

Writing accomplishments on your resume needs tact. Just like many other things, there is a right and wrong way to write resume accomplishments.

Here are some tips to help you craft a resume accomplishment that will wow recruiters:

Read The Job Description And Choose The Right Accomplishments To Highlight

Critically examine the job description of the role you’re applying for to know the right accomplishment to highlight. You may have many stellar achievements that can wow any recruiter. However, the recruiter won’t be so impressed if your accomplishments have no relation to the position you’re applying for.

Compile a list of your skillset, experiences, and strengths that align with the role you are applying for. Now, brainstorm on the accomplishments that embody all of these and narrow them down.

If the details elude you, think about your daily operations. Did you overcome a challenge? Did you streamline a process to improve effectiveness? What strategies did you implement?

What were the things you managed? Were you responsible for a social media account? Did you significantly increase the follower count? How many social media followers did you get in six months? How many posts did you schedule?

If you met or exceeded any of these milestones (and others), then you have an accomplishment.

Include Related Job Positions

After your resume summary at the beginning, include related job positions.Ensure they are the ones you have relevant and extensive industry experience in. Make sure the job titles have the correct format and are visible. This way, the human resources staff will see what they are looking for at a glance.

For example, list the most relevant skills and experiences if you apply to a financial management company. That way, the hiring manager sees immediately that you are worth considering.

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Include A Career Summary Statement

Underneath the job description’s eye-catching heading, you must add a career summary. Avoid the common mistake that many recent graduate job applicants make.That is, overloading their CV with text. Long sections are not appealing and hiring managers never take the time to read them.

Keep it short and straightforward. Ensure you include as many similar duties as possible. Describe your career from an overview perspective without including everything.Critical content related to the job you are applying for will communicate the most value to the recruiter.

All this will immediately add more value to your resume, and you will double your chances of winning job interviews.

See career summary examples in CVJURY’s resume templates.

Use Action Verbs

Language is an important aspect of your resume. Remember, it’s not what you say but how you say it. Your choice of language can make or mar your resume in many ways.

Each bullet point in a resume typically begins with a verb. Verbs are very important in conveying actions. Using action verbs adds more clarity and power to your achievements.

Therefore, generously garnish your resume with strong and descriptive action verbs and occasionally change the first words of every line.

Here are some examples of action verbs you can use:

Improved
Managed
Oversaw
Enhanced
Developed
Exceeded
Surpassed
Created
Completed
Maintained
Organized
Established
Optimized
Implemented
Contributed
Prepared
Led

Justify Your Experience Using The STAR or PAR Technique

Another crucial step in your job application is paying close attention to justifying your professional experience with results.List previous outstanding performance evaluations in the work experience section.

Doing this will instantly add value to your CV.The recruiter will see critical achievements and results, not just dry statements. Recruiters are not just looking for someone who can do the tasks.They’ll never invite you to job interviews if your CV doesn’t provide what they’re looking for in the ideal candidate.

Also, you can justify your experience using either the STAR or Par technique.

When using the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) technique, think about the actions you took to overcome a challenge and create an achievement. You must link your actions to the problem and then share the results of the problem you solved.

For example:

The Problem:

“I was a Lead sales manager at my previous company and during my time there, I noticed that our customer relationship management (CRM) software was outdated. This hindered sales productivity, resulting in data silos and inefficient sales processes.

The Action:

So, I created, evaluated, and implemented a new cloud-based CRM system to coordinate cross-functional team members and ensure a smooth transition.

The Result:

This initiative streamlined our sales operations. It reduced data entry time by 25% and increased team productivity by 18%, contributing to a 12% year-over-year increase in revenue.”

Therefore, your resume accomplishment will be:

“Implemented new cloud CRM system, streamlining sales operations and increasing revenue 12% year-over-year through reduced data entry and 18% higher productivity.”

The STAR (Situation- Task- Action- Results) method is very similar to the PAR method. The only difference is that it is a four-part technique for answering interview questions.

Customize The Skills Section

You can add value to your CV and stand out in the skills section. Many recruiters are now using bots to filter only resumes containing keywords they listed in the job description. For instance, these keywords could be communication, leadership skills, management, attention to detail, and more.

You can easily ensure that the filtering software won’t skip your resume by adding some required skills. If you skip this step, your CV will likely end up in the “no” pile. Only include skills that you can justify with professional experience.

Embellishing your abilities might get you an interview.It could, however, lose you the job.

Dr Ita John talked about how your hard and soft skills are crucial in a resume/CV in his LinkedIn post.

Don’t Forget To Add Numbers

When it comes to writing achievements, numbers are your best friends. Numbers provide concrete evidence to your claims and make them less ambiguous.

Without them, your claims will simply be claims and nothing more. You could paint the most graphic image of your accomplishments and still leave the recruiter wondering, ‘So?’

So, show them the numbers. Use numbers to quantify your accomplishments and add scale. You can do this by mentioning:

The KPIs you hit
How much money you generated or saved
The number of clients or stakeholders you managed
The time frame and frequency of a project

How many projects did you deliver ahead of schedule? Did you save company costs by 25% or 40%? Did you increase employee productivity by 30% in three months? These are just examples of how to quantify your achievements with numbers.

If you’re not sure of the number or figures, give an approximation, maximum, or minimum.

In the six-minute video above, Jeff Su discusses how not adding numbers is one of the biggest mistakes found on resumes.