Creating a professional resume is the first step in the application process. Many resumes focus on responsibilities and daily tasks; but in the current market, candidates need a way to stand out. The best and most effective way to impress recruiters and potential employers is by including powerful achievements.
Why is it important to include achievements?
By including your achievements, you are not only describing your experience to potential employers, you are also demonstrating the results of your hard work. Achievements are a compelling way to show to future employers that you can do more than simply fulfill your everyday task. They emphasise the value that you are bringing to the company.
This may seem obvious, but are you adding achievements to your Resume? And most importantly, are you adding relevant achievements?
What type of achievements should I add?
Financial Achievements–Let’s talk numbers! This is what most businesses look for, especially in the private sector. Include any financial contribution to the business. How did you increase revenue? Did you reduce any costs?
Efficiency– Time is valuable. Include any situations or examples where you made any process more efficient and reduced time wastage
KPI’s or targets– This is the best metric for employers, hitting and exceeding targets is one of the best ways to prove your performance
Growth– Demonstrate any instances where you helped to grow any valuable assets within the company. New clients/customers, database information, sales, engagement, and any other important metrics
Awards or professional/academic recognition –Awards emphasize your talent. It is a way to tell recruiters that you can do more than simply perform tasks and day-to-day activities.
What not to include?
I would stay away from irrelevant awards or promotions. For example, adding that you were employee of the month during your high school retail job, or that you got promoted three times within a year. Don’t get me wrong, they are massive, and they make you look great but they do not necessarily demonstrate what you are bringing to the company.
It is worth listing your promotions, but don’t highlight them under achievements. Instead, justify how you contributed to the companies’ goals and success. For instance, instead of mentioning that you were promoted to Team Leader, mention how you increased productivity within your team or what practices you introduced that were more efficient.
How to add achievements?
Clearly list your achievements, they must be specific, relevant to the role that you are applying for, and quantitative. When adding an achievement consider the following:
Dates or timeframes - When did you get the award? How long did it take you to achieve it? During what period?
Scope and Scale - How many people were involved? What was the budget for the project? Did you get a national or international award?
Impact - What was the purpose of the project? What did it mean to the company?
Challenges - What challenges did you have to overcome? What did it take to solve them?
Results - What was the ROI? What was the percentage of improvement?
Examples
Insurance Broker
Highlight the growth and retention rates of your portfolio.
Successfully serviced and maintained a portfolio of 300,000 whilst generating $20,000 in new business, and maintained a retention rate of 95%
Successfully grew a portfolio from $200,000 to $500,000 in income and growing a team of 2 brokers in the last three years
General Insurance Underwriters
Highlight growth and retention rates of your portfolio.
Achieved a new business strike rate of 25% and a renewal retention rate of 95%
Mentored and trained junior underwriting assistants in effective and thorough use of underwriting tools and systems
Successfully created and implemented a new process in consolidating the renewal list
Life Insurance Claims
Highlight your return-to-work outcomes.
I managed to reduce my portfolio by 30% due to achieving significant claim closures.
I have consistently received over 95% in my QA scores.
After only three months in my role, I received my delegated authority
Customer Service
Highlight KPI’s and communication skills.
Exceeded my KPI’s by 20% during the period of June-August 2022
Onboarded 10 new clients each week with a closing rate of 25%
Office Manager
Highlight achievements that focus on leadership, communication, and efficiency.
Negotiated new deals with suppliers and reduced the cost by 15%
Onboarded 15 new employees during my time working at XXX due to an expansion
Internship
Highlight any academic achievements, or community involvement.
During three years of college, I maintained a GPA of 3.8
I won an award for Most Innovative Product Design 2022 at the regional science fair
Demonstrate that you are a strong candidate by emphasising your achievements. Add facts and figures to your resume, and make sure that you have enough information to support them during your interview. Impress recruiters and potential employers by proving how your hard work contributed to a successful outcome.
Remember: Recruiters will work with you to demonstrate your value to potential employers, but there is none better to describe your achievements than yourself. Highlighting them in your CV will help. If you are unsure which achievements, should you list or are worth mentioning, get in touch with one of our consultants today, we are always happy to help.