How to add achievements and accomplishments to your resume

Do you know the best way to impress a potential employer enough to make them want to meet you for an interview? Highlight professional achievements and accomplishments on your resume. Your achievements are proof that you are capable of doing your job exceptionally well.

Sadly, a lot of candidates still include lists of job duties and responsibilities on their resumes. Employers don’t need to know every little task you performed in your job. They will know the scope of your duties and responsibilities from the job title listed on your resume.

What are the types of achievements you must include on a resume?

We see a ton of resumes every day. The best-performing resumes we receive all list the following types of accomplishments to impress recruiters:

• Time the candidate has saved for the business
• Money saved for the company by the candidate
• Professional certifications earned by the candidate
• Special projects the candidate has worked on
• Work-related awards won by the candidate
• Ideas or innovations introduced by the candidate
• Popular publications the candidate authored
• Additional training completed by the candidate
• Media coverage the candidate has won for the company
• Any problems the candidate has identified and solved for the employer
• Revenue the candidate has increased for the company
• Funding or grants received by the candidate
• Industry awards won by the candidate
• Volunteering activities of the candidate
• Promotions or higher positions won by the candidate
• Procedures or systems developed or optimized by the candidate
• Scholarships won by the candidate
• Sports achievements won by the candidate
• Any blogs or social media influence hosted by the candidate

This list shows us how there are multiple types of achievements that can add value to a resume. But where and how you describe your achievements on the resume also matters a lot.

Where to highlight achievements on a resume?

To get called for an interview for a particular position, your resume must show a recruiter how you have performed well in your career previously and how you will translate your achievements to similar success at your new job. Here are the best places to mention accomplishments on a resume:

The work experience section

The career summary of your resume is the most important part. This is what makes the employers think, “They have performed really well during Project A, which is very similar to my Project B. I must meet and talk with them.” Pack your resume’s work experience section with achievements that stand out. Here are some great tips for you to mention accomplishments in the career summary of a resume:

• Quantify your achievements whenever it is possible.
• Create a section labeled, “Key Achievement” at the bottom of each work entry and highlight the most impressive professional win you’ve had during the job.
• Maintain the focus of your achievements on the business outcome of your actions.
• Begin every bullet point with a powerful action verb that describes your involvement with the task.
• Limit the number of bullet points for each job entry to 6.
• Use the STAR method to ensure that your achievements get all the attention.

The resume summary

Another great place to highlight achievements on a resume is the resume summary section. The resume summary goes just below your contact details and is the first thing that employers notice on your resume. Consider it a trailer for your resume. Here are some tips for you to go by:

• Write the resume summary after completing your entire resume.
• Select the best two achievements from your career summary
• Mention those two achievements in the resume summary section and elaborate using descriptive adjectives.
• Create a separate “Awards” section for your professional awards.