The “Achievements” column confuses many applicants. What are achievements, how to correctly write them down on your resume, and then present them at an interview?

“Expanding the customer base”, “monthly fulfillment of the plan”, “overcoming work difficulties” - theses are often used to fill out the “Achievements” column in applicants’ resumes. But if you look at it, all of the above successes are, in fact, work responsibilities. Vera Ignatkina, managing partner of the AimToAction career development center, says that candidates often substitute the concepts of “achievement” and “job responsibility.”

For example, applicants write among the main results of their work the following phrases: “Carrying out telephone sales, working with potential clients” or “Good performance job responsibilities, no complaints from management.” This is not true. If the employee did not fulfill his job duties, he would soon be dismissed at the initiative of the employer after observing the procedure specified by law (clause 3, clause 5, part 1, article 81 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). Therefore this is not an achievement.

So what are these achievements? What, according to experts, does this concept include?

According to Anna Kuraeva, leading recruitment consultant at the Recruitment Agency of Unique Specialists, applicants themselves determine what is an achievement for them: as such they can be: professional success (completed projects and tasks, receiving bonuses and certificates, fast career growth), and personal (strong family, children, hobbies) or public (participation in social events, promotions). For HR managers, what is primarily important is the candidate’s professional successes, but, unfortunately, many applicants do not describe them in their resumes.

Irina Zotova, deputy general director consulting group “Steps”, considers an achievement to be something that goes beyond the scope of a specialist’s job responsibilities: these are those moments where the applicant showed initiative, which allowed the company to reach another level, or brought it additional income, etc. This can be self-study some programs, their further implementation and application, creative proposals, the most striking projects, awards, titles that the specialist was awarded.

Achievements are understood as the actions of applicants, completed or implemented projects that led to an increase in the financial performance of the company (department) or to any other positive change in the work of the company (department). For example:
- increase in market share (from 25% to 34%) due to aggressive advertising campaign in 2009;
- increase in territory coverage - development of a branch network (from 5 to 21 cities) in 2005–2007;
- keeping the company afloat during a crisis;
- winning a tender for 5 million rubles, etc.

Correctly formulating your achievements is half the battle. You also need to correctly fill out this item in your resume. Otherwise, the ill-fated column may turn out to be a fly in the ointment and spoil the impression of a perfectly composed self-presentation.

Anna Kuraeva advises not to forget that a resume is a document that forms the first impression of an HR specialist about an applicant: “The more clearly and clearly you present your professional skills, knowledge and experience in your resume, the greater your chances of success.

The ideal option is to briefly indicate the main achievements after describing the responsibilities at each place of work. This way HR will be able to more accurately assess the level of your professionalism and experience. For example, if you are looking for a job as an accountant and indicate in your resume in the “Achievements” column the transfer of the company from the “1C:7” program to “1C:8”, then it is important to show the scale of the company. After all, it’s one thing to implement such a project in a small enterprise, and another thing in large company with a staff of 30–40 accountants.”

List of nuances that should be taken into account when describing achievements:
- The results of achievements (i.e. numerical parameters) must be indicated in percentage terms (by 5%, from 10 to 13%, etc.), or the words “in ... times” must be used without indicating absolute numbers , - in this case it is impossible to determine them, but the percentages will show the degree of your effectiveness.
- It is imperative to indicate the period in which these successes were achieved. As a rule, this is either a year or a couple of years, if the implementation of something was long-term and it was not possible to immediately evaluate the result.
- Achievements must be justified and reasonable. For example, you write that you “conquered 50% of the market from competitors,” but this result could not have been achieved thanks to your efforts, but simply because the competitor went bankrupt and all his clients became yours.
- Your resume should include 3-5 achievements, depending on the position you occupy.
- If there is nothing to write in the “Achievements” column (or you are a young specialist or student), then it is better not to write anything at all than to indicate false information - it is very easy to check the accuracy.

Posted On 03.12.2017

Professional resume Professional skills on a resume Professional achievements on a resume

Professional achievements are a very important block in a resume. Unfortunately, very large number Job seekers are faced with the challenge of describing accomplishments when writing their resumes. Indeed, the task is not easy, since sometimes it is very difficult to single out from an extensive work experience exactly important and significant achievements that may be of interest to a future employer. If you have difficulty describing your professional achievements and results in your resume, our specialists are ready to help you! For about 10 years we have been helping clients from different cities in preparing a competent resume.

We have prepared for you some simple and useful tips that will help you describe correctly professional achievements on your resume.

1. Achievements must be indicated in your resume, even if you worked as a secretary or courier.

How to describe achievements in a resume

Firstly, by indicating your achievements, you can thereby show the employer that you can sum up your work in a particular workplace and highlight the main thing in your experience. Secondly, this is always very significant for the employer, because a productive and proactive employee will be of interest to any employer.

2. It is better to indicate professional achievements in your resume specific facts and figures.

3. It is enough to point out a few key, truly important and significant achievements. This will be enough, do not overload this important section with a huge amount of unnecessary and unnecessary necessary information. Highlight only the most important things.

4. When listing major achievements, highlight what benefit or benefit was received for the company. For example, indicate achievements, then, for example, use the phrase: “which made it possible to reduce the company’s purchasing costs by 30%” (as one of the options).

5. Describe your achievements correctly.
Some job seekers structure their resumes as if they were describing the responsibilities of a job description. Even if for description professional experience In your resume you use a job description, carefully check all wording.

Achievements are sometimes described in the first person: “implemented, proposed, adjusted, brought out.” In fact, these formulations slightly contradict the general concept of the resume itself; when writing a resume, it is better to avoid them.

Of course, a more correct and successful option would be: “The strategy was implemented (implemented) ...., which made it possible, etc.”

Examples of professional achievements in a resume

If you worked in the field of marketing and advertising, you can give the following professional achievements:
- Development and implementation of a procedure for quality control of customer service.
- Development of unique projects aimed at maintaining customer loyalty.
- Organization and formation of event events (development of a concept, format, selection of a site, writing regulations and scripts, developing a focused scheme for attracting clients, writing scripts, briefs).
- Organization of large-scale marketing and sponsorship projects, advertising campaigns.

If you worked in sales (sales manager), professional achievements could be as follows:
- Increased turnover for key clients by more than 2 times (it was so much, now it is so much)
- Maximum turnover in the dealer department up to $10,000,000 (it was so much, such figures were achieved within such and such a period)
- Best performance sales among department employees.

If your task was regional development, you can give the following example:

Development of the region from "0". Since January 2002, due to good growth sales volume and exceeding the plan, the Central region was allocated as an independent region.
- Creation of an effective and professional team sales representatives in different cities.
- Building trusting and mutually beneficial relationships with the management of branches of national distributors.

If your work was related to procurement and brand development, an example option could be:

Transfer of all Russian suppliers to work with deferred payment.
- Development of two new product lines and bringing them to the TOP of sales.
- Building a full cycle of work with claims and returns of goods with manufacturers from .....
- Increasing profits due to the introduction and development of a new product range against the backdrop of a general decline in demand in the market for the entrusted product line.

For an administrative position, the following example of professional achievements can be given:

Effective organization of department document flow (sales, administrative department, marketing department).

Creating an archive of documents from scratch.
- Search and selection of suppliers of office supplies on delivery terms favorable to the company.

To summarize, we can say with confidence that professional achievements in a resume are an important part of the resume itself, which in no case should be neglected if you are writing a resume yourself and hope to make good impression to the employer. Highlight from your work experience your actual merits and achievements, participation in projects, implementation of some goals and objectives. Remember that in any position and profession you can highlight some merits and achievements. Feel free to talk about yourself and “praise” yourself a little, make your resume interesting for the employer and an invitation to an interview will not take long!

Constantly writing a resume, I always recommend everyone to write achievements in their resume. This makes the resume stronger and more impressive, the applicant looks more respectable and you want to talk to him.

What achievements will give you on your resume

• Achievements will show you as a successful and productive person. You don't just work and fulfill your responsibilities, you lead the company to prosperity. You do it! Not your boss, but you!
• Professional achievements on a resume play into employers' egos. They also want you to increase their profits, reduce costs, speed up some processes, simplify, secure, invent, etc. Owners want these achievements and that's why they need you.
• Your successes show your responsibility and determination. I don't like it when people are on their resume list personal qualities indicate responsibility, dedication, commitment... Such a listing does not say or prove anything, but your achievements prove it. These are indisputable facts that confirm that you are achieving your goals.
• Your accomplishments on your resume hint at your career and growth. They emphasize that you value and love your job and want to succeed in it, grow, and achieve more. This, in turn, is a subtle hint at a high salary and a serious position.

Of course, there are other advantages of listing achievements on your resume, but I don’t see the point in listing them.

How to write achievements on a resume

Now let's figure it out How indicate your successes. I recommend following three rules.

Professional achievements on your resume

Specifics

Personal achievements in the resume need to be formulated specifically - increased by 17%, accelerated by 6 seconds, trained 3 managers, wrote 74 articles, passed 4 audits, drew 23 advertising poster etc. It doesn’t matter what units you measure, as long as your result is expressed in numbers.

If the result is difficult to measure, write without numbers and try to describe the essence.

2. Linking achievements to the place of work

Usually the employer is interested in the last 2-3 jobs, so it is better to describe your successes specifically for them. Each place has its own list of achieved goals.

3. Compliance with the desired position

Very often in consulting, I come across the fact that people indicate achievements that are not suitable for future work. Many people confuse the level of manager and subordinate. For example, they are looking for a job as a chief accountant, but successes are written at the level of a junior economist. Or a person wants to get a job as a programmer, but before that he worked in his own business and describes his achievements at the highest management level.

So, what achievements should you include on your resume? If you are looking for a management job, make sure that your level of success is at a management level. If you are looking for a job as a line specialist, meet this level.

It doesn't matter what you did before, what matters is what you want to become now. Submit your resume future job, and do not describe what is now.

Examples of achievements in a resume

I want you to see not just examples of achievements on your resume, but also standard errors, so I made a sign in the “right - wrong” style.

Think about how to describe achievements in your resume in a way that is tasty - look for good wording. This determines whether they will invite you for an interview.

Here are a few more examples of successes and achievements from real resumes:

• Organized the transition from GAAP standards to IFRS standards.
• Organized the merger of two CASCO/OSAGO databases into one database of a single format.
• Made the transition from 1C 7.7. on 8.2.
• Successfully passed 4 tax audits.
• I discovered a direct loss - selling products at prices below cost.
• Licensed 18 fuel stations.
• Took first place in terms of clothing models produced and sold in a year.
• Increased the base of regular English-speaking clients by 70%.

If the details of your work are a trade secret

If you are prohibited from sharing details of your work, metrics and numbers, then stay on the edge of what is possible. Anyway, tell us about your achievements - a little vague, without names, but tell us.

If you feel like there are no achievements

It seems to you. Everyone has successes and to find them you just need to start looking for them. Perhaps you will not have super achievements and feats, but will end up with a modest list. So what of that!? Everyone's success is different.

I want to make a reservation right away, there are a number of positions where achievements do not matter - cleaner, loader, handyman, cashier, fast food restaurant worker, driver, etc. If your job is listed as unskilled labor, do not write achievements. They will be superfluous there.

Also read

»How to write a resume correctly

»How to list key skills on a resume

»How to specify weaknesses and shortcomings in the resume

By posting his resume on a recruiting portal, the applicant expects that he will soon start receiving calls from employers. But it happens that this does not happen, and there are no invitations to interviews or there are very few of them. Obviously, the problem lies in the content of the resume - the candidate failed to interest the recruiters.

This situation can be changed by your professional achievements. How can you do this so that the recruiter wants to invite you to a personal meeting? Read the tips.

The main thing is specificity
For example, consider the resume of the head of the sales department, discussed on our portal. We read a description of the candidate’s achievements at his last place of work - in the Russian representative office of an international concern for the production of PVC profiles.
"Main achievements:
- ensuring sustainable growth of turnover in the region;
- maintaining all key clients during the crisis;
- increasing the efficiency of the regional sales department;
- implementation current system balanced indicators."

The author is perplexed: why don’t recruiters invite him to interviews? He has serious experience in sales - almost 15 years, he has higher education and even an MBA degree. But the fact is that, when drawing up a resume, the applicant made a very common mistake - he made it too typical. A resume with a list of responsibilities and achievements typical for a given position does not stand out among dozens or hundreds of similar CVs. How can a recruiter discern behind the many words that this is a truly valuable specialist?

To attract the attention of hiring managers, you need to be as convincing as possible about your professional achievements. In this case, the main thing is specificity: name specific numbers, give real examples of your initiatives. There is no need for general phrases like: “sustainable sales growth”; “increasing the efficiency of the department.” It is much more useful to provide concrete evidence of how effectively you worked. Three or four points (but convincing ones) will be enough to make your resume work.

For example, the head of the sales department can indicate in the “Achievements” section how much he managed to increase the level of sales over a certain period of work in the company, how many clients he attracted, which tenders for the supply of goods or services were won. PR manager - how many mentions of the company in the media occurred with his participation, how this figure increased over the entire period of work, how many press conferences were organized, for example, during last year what was their effectiveness? The head of the IT department should mention, for example, successful implementation from scratch new system production automation, which accelerated the work of the design department by 30%. For a journalist - about victory in a creative competition, about the great activity of readers when discussing his articles, etc.

Here is an example of a successful description of professional achievements in a resume for the position of sales director:
“- building a sales service for the company’s services from scratch;
- annual sales growth in 2012 - 350%, in 2011 - 270%;
- attracting more than 100 clients, including 40 companies with a staff of over 150 people;
- victory in 15 tenders.”

Let trade secrets remain secrets
Of course, accurate numbers of your success can convince the recruiter that you are truly an effective employee. However, does the applicant always have the right to indicate specific financial indicators? The employer is unlikely to be happy to see that former employee discloses trade secret company, and such an employee is unlikely to receive good recommendations.

However, it is possible to convincingly describe achievements without naming exact numbers, but still remaining specific. Use phrases like: “by 30%”, “by 2 times” to show the degree of your effectiveness. It is advisable to indicate the period during which the achievements were achieved. impressive results- six months, a year or more.

If you have nothing to brag about yet
Availability of information about the applicant’s work results and professional achievements increases his value in the eyes of the recruiter. But what to write in the “Achievements” section for those who, due to the specifics of their work, cannot boast of “increased efficiency”, “increased citations” and “victories in competitions”? That is, those whose job involves performing the same duties every day, such as office managers, dispatchers, or payroll accountants?

In such cases, experts advise focusing specifically on your reliability and ability to ensure uninterrupted and high-quality permanent job. Try to convincingly prove that the absence of emergency situations in your work is already a significant achievement.

Of course, the “Achievements” section of a resume can tell a recruiter a lot about a candidate. After all, behind the numbers that convincingly speak of professional victories, one can see the analytical mind of the applicant, and his ability to prove his point of view, and determination. And this, in turn, can make the path to your dream job shorter and easier.

“Give an example of your achievements” is one of the questions asked in a competency interview. This type of interview is a reliable and widely used method in personnel selection, which makes it possible to verify professional competencies candidate to successfully perform the job.

For those who have no experience with this type of interview, the main thing is to understand the basic concept:

In a behavioral interview, you must bring specific examples successful application of skills and abilities from past work experience.

This type of interview is based on the fact that, based on the employee’s past behavior in a given situation, his future behavior in a given situation can be predicted. new job. And all the candidate needs to do is is to give convincing examples, that clearly demonstrate the required competencies specified in the job description.

The most commonly tested competencies are:

• communication skills
• teamwork
• initiative
• leadership
• problem solving skills
• analytical thinking
• stress resistance
• time management
• negotiation skills
• planning
• result-oriented
• process oriented

For example, if the job profile requirements indicate that the candidate must be able to analyze, then the interviewer will definitely ask you to give an example of when you used this skill in your work and what results you achieved.

Competency questions begin with:

• Tell me about a time when you...
• Give me an example...
• What steps have you taken...

Here are examples of the most popular questions:

• Give an example of your achievements.
• Describe a time when you had to overcome a major obstacle to achieve a result.
• Tell me about a time when you had to juggle several important projects.

Most often, candidates do not pay due attention to competency issues. And in vain. After all, if you manage to pass and then fail the first behavioral question, you will still leave the interview empty-handed. Even if you have many years of experience labor activity, but without prepared examples you will not be able to make a favorable impression and confirm your competencies. It is quite difficult to answer such a question, because in your daily activities you cannot highlight or remember immediately without preparation something really worthwhile that you should tell a potential employer about.

Unfortunately, more often than not, it is candidates who are less competent but well trained who outperform more experienced employees. And so that this doesn’t happen to you, it’s time to remember everything and create a good story from your past work experience.

I recommend having at least three examples in stock of the competencies specified in the vacancy in order to advantageously emphasize your skills during the interview. strengths. The easiest way to effectively answer any behavioral interview question is to prepare three shining examples of your main achievements. Remember the most interesting projects, difficult tasks, problematic situations. If you have little experience, you can use examples during your studies or internship.

As always, we'll use the STAR method as a basis for storytelling, which will help you focus on key details and make your story structured, concise, and memorable.

3. R — Results

Formulate the results of your actions: what happened, what was done, what you learned. Finally, it is very important that your good story according to the STAR method, there was always a happy ending, like in a fairy tale. The last part of your answer should describe the positive results of your actions. Specific results are always particularly impressive, for example: an increase in sales by 32%, a halving of the budget, etc. But you can also refer to positive result due to emotional evaluation, especially from the boss or clients. It will be the best way convince the interviewer that the story you tell is real. For example: m My client was very pleased, my manager appreciated my contribution to the final result and highly appreciated my work, etc.

Sample answer:

When I presented the new and improved reporting to my manager, he was so impressed that he couldn't believe I had done it all myself in such a short period of time! I also received high praise from senior management and I was included in the Talent Bank program in our company.

6 tips: How to answer the question: Give an example of your achievements"

1) Take enough time to remember shining example from past work or study experience. Select an example that truly demonstrates several competencies and personal qualities.

2) Listen carefully to the questions and if you do not understand, do not rush to answer, but ask for an explanation. This is better than answering the question in a completely different direction and giving irrelevant examples.

3) Be prepared for clarifying questions, as the interviewer will want to get more information from you and check if your answers are genuine. Here are examples of such questions:

• Tell me why you did it this way
• Explain how you achieved this result
• Do you think it could have been done differently?

4) Be specific. Don't try to answer in general terms that don't say anything about you. For example: " I consider myself a very responsible and organized employee, as I always achieve high results and complete assigned tasks on time.” Thus you do not answer the question posed. You can count whatever you want, but you are required to bring real example from your past experiences to prove your point.

One of the most controversial sections of information about an applicant is personal results. On the one hand, it largely influences the impression of the applicant. On the other hand, they are the most difficult to describe. It is very important to choose a suitable example: your achievements in your resume must fully meet the recruiter’s expectations. But this is not enough. It is important to formulate them correctly.

What to write

Not everyone can correctly distinguish between responsibilities and achievements in a resume: examples suggest that you need to distinguish between the concepts “did” and “did.” What would be a sample work achievement for an accountant's resume:

1. “Passed tax audits.”
2. “Successfully passed tax audits for 4 reporting periods in a row.”

In the first case, the employee simply did what he was told to do. job description. In the second, he achieved certain results, which distinguishes him from other representatives of the profession.

Let's compare these concepts with functions. This is an even broader concept. So an example of achievement for a resume is double specification.

Table. Examples - responsibilities, functions, achievements in a resume

How to write

Let's look at examples of what achievements can be listed on a resume, and most importantly, how to formulate them. We offer 5 golden rules:

1. The focus is on the benefit for this employer. Are you applying for a position as an architect? You shouldn’t describe your successes at the McDonald’s cash register. You need to show your results as the sought-after professional. Here is an example of what achievements to include in your resume: received an award in an industry competition, brought your company to nth place in the ranking for 2017.
2. Specificity is an indicator of credibility. Describe what specific results you achieved and for how long. Not “increased sales,” but “increased sales by 33% in two months.”
3. Brevity - best friend applicant. Choose the most important things and don't get carried away with the details. They distract from the result.
4. For every responsibility there is a result. You will determine a sufficient number of points based on the responsibilities listed above. Show that you strive for the maximum in everything.
5. Verbs are everything. Let's give an example: successes and achievements on a resume, expressed in short participles, are mentally transferred to someone else. "Implemented innovation system project management" - and who implemented it? “I implemented the system” - of course, it was you.

You can tell a story about how you excelled in your last job and make the recruiter bored. Or you can attract his attention with bright facts and show your candidacy as the most suitable. And do it based on the same information.

What won't attract a recruiter?

It is better to clear your story from the following facts:

1. Not related to vacancies. When you indicate professional achievements in a resume, examples for a manager are only important for an applicant for a similar position.
2. Lack of results. Not getting worse doesn't mean getting better.
3. Personal growth. The recruiter is not interested in the fact that at your last job you finally mastered a computer or learned how to communicate with clients.