How to find and convey what sets you apart on a resume

If you have ever spoken with a professional from the recruitment field such as a hiring manager, headhunter, or a resume writer, you will learn that professional achievements are very important for a resume. In fact, professional achievements are so important that some employers exclusively look for only those in resumes.

If professional achievements are so important, they must be very easy to spot in your career, right? Sometimes, yes. But there will be times when you must take a deep dive into the many years of your career to uncover professional achievements for your resume. First, let us learn how you can identify professional achievements for a resume:

Reflect on your career

You have achieved a lot of things during your career, even though it is hard to remember all of them at the moment. What you can do is take a step back and think about each job objectively. Focus on the most significant projects you have completed in your career, your awards and recognitions, excellent feedback you have received, results of performance evaluations, etc.

Find the relevant numbers

Do you know what makes your professional achievements attractive on a resume? The numbers and metrics that quantify your results. When looking for accomplishments from your career, pay attention to uncovering the metrics to go along with them. A simple search of your email inbox, a thorough review of performance evaluations, or a talk with your previous manager should help you here.

Get testimonials and quotes

What other better way to show that you are exceptional at what you do than to ask for testimonials and quotes from people you have worked with? You can talk to previous managers, coworkers, clients, contractors, etc. to get testimonials and quotes for your resume.

Now that you know how you can identify professional achievements from your career, let’s have a look at what you need to do once you have found them.

Include them in the summary

Choose the two most important professional achievements that align with the job description of the position you are targeting. Emphasize them on your resume summary statement to pique the interest of the hiring manager.

Tailor to the job

Not all your professional achievements will be relevant to the job you are applying for. Choose the ones that are the most relevant. You can consider rewriting, rephrasing, or translating your other achievements in a way that it relates to the new job/industry.

Forget the duties

You dot need to mention job duties on your resume unless you want to emphasize how you took on roles outside of your job description at past jobs. Reserve these for important leadership/management commitments. The rest of your resume must describe your past jobs using your professional achievements.

Highlight soft skills

Use your accomplishments to highlight your soft skills as well as hard skills. Remember that potential employers are looking for cultural fit when they scan your resume. Deliver what they want to see on your resume.