Five Easy Accomplishment Statements for Your Resume

If you want your resume to get interviews, then provide a summary of accomplishments for each of your recent positions.

When you make it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to know about your accomplishments, your job search will go better.

Even if you didn’t save the company, you probably have more high quality wins packed into your job duties than you think.

To that end, I want to set you up with a few basic topics that always play well to people who read resumes. Check out the following list of accomplishment ideas and examples.

1. You Increased Sales.

Examples:

• Designed a retailer display that increased product placements and drove eight-percent annual sales growth.
• Worked with distributors to find retailers for inclusion in new marketing program. Drove new product placements and eight-percent annual sales growth.

2. You Cut Expenses.

Examples:

• Wrote RFP for new telecom provider. Resulted in four-percent cost reduction and better customer service.
• Analyzed responses to RFP for new telecom provider. Interviewed three vendors. Made change that yielded four-percent annual cost reduction.

3. You Made Something Faster.

Examples:

• Led restructuring of delivery routes that let drivers reach major customers 30 minutes earlier each day.
• Contributed GIS expertise to team that restructured delivery routes. Accelerated service to major customers by 30 minutes per day.

4. You Made Something Better.

Examples:

• Implemented single-point-of-contact program for internal customers. Increased Net Promoter Score 15 points.
• Supported HR as their single point of contact in Accounting. Automated three “shadow system” reports; freed up 10 hours of staff time per week.

5. You Were Promoted.

Example:

• Promoted from Manager to Director.

Summary of Accomplishments — Best Practices

Note that each of the accomplishment statements shown above follows a bullet point and starts with an action verb. Those are both best resume practices for sharing your wins.

You can look at these three accomplishment statement templates for more “how to.”

Conclusion

Ask yourself, “What did I do, either as the lead or as a team member, to make my company more money or make operations cheaper, better, or faster?”

You’ll create a good personal summary of accomplishments and great resume content!

You Might Also Like

See sample resumes and more accomplishment statements here.
Learn how to quantify accomplishments here.
Find out how to keep your accomplishment statements easy to read here.

Image: Fotolia/derr herr
Updated November 2019

© 2011 – 2019, Donna Svei. All rights reserved.

Donna Svei

Donna Svei, an executive resume writer and former C-level executive, retained search consultant, and CPA, writes all of AvidCareerist’s posts. She has written for and been quoted by leading business, general, and career media outlets, including Forbes, Mashable, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Lifehacker, Ask.com, Social Media Today, IT World, SmartBrief, Payscale, Business News Daily, and the Muse. Let her background and experience inform your job search strategy and decision making.

Learn more about Donna’s executive resume writing service or email Donna for more information.