Past Achievements For Your Professional Summary
On the third line of your Professional Summary, you will list three to five phrases that describe your demonstrated past success. No need for numbers here as youll dive into that in detail in your work experience section, so here youre sharing the how of your High Scores. Any type of achievements or attributes for which you have received recognition are appropriate, and those that best demonstrate your mastery of your prior roles are best.
Summarize the three to five most important achievements of your recent career to make a concise case for why past success is indicative of future results.
Examples:
- FDA Review Expert Acquisition Identification Received 17 Patents
How To Write Resume Accomplishments
It can be challenging to sit down and actually lay out your resume accomplishments. To start generating ideas for your summary of accomplishments, ask yourself the following questions:
- Did I make or save the company money? If so, exactly how much?
- Did I reach my goals quickly? If so, what was the exact time period?
- Did I exceed my goals often? If so, to what degree?
When answering these questions, think primarily in terms of money and time. High-quality resume accomplishments are quantifiable and measurable. Dollar amounts, timespans, volume, and percentages are all great ways to quantify your accomplishments on a resume.
Consider the CAR formula if you get stuck. CAR stands for Challenge, Action, and Result. Every accomplishment should include the problem or challenge, the action you took, and the stellar result of your hard work. You can also invert this formula by leading with the result. Starting a sentence with a dollar figure or percentage will garner more attention.
Make sure your accomplishments are taken seriously by including context when possible. Saved $100,000 doesnt mean much on its own. Saved $100,000 year over year is an improvement but still doesnt paint a complete picture. Saved $100,000 YoY, decreasing operating budget by 52% is better.
Along with measurable results, resume keywords can make resume accomplishments stand out. Reference the job posting to figure out which keywords the hiring manager will be looking for most.
Think Beyond Your Job Duties
Hiring managers don’t want to read a list of your job duties. They want concrete examples of your accomplishments in previous positions that show how you can make a difference in this new position. Rangel noted that specific merits are more engaging to read than just your experiences. For example, “I reduced operating expenses by 23% in six months” is far more interesting to an employer than “I have 30 years of sales experience,” she said.
When deciding what information to keep or cut out of your resume, focus on striking abstract traits and qualifications in favor of concrete, quantifiable results.
“The best resumes highlight a job candidate’s actions and results,” said Bob Myhal, director of digital marketing at CBC Automotive Marketing. “Employers want employees who get things done, and who take great joy and pride in what they do. Rather than a laundry list of your qualifications, your resume should reflect your accomplishments and enthusiasm for your career.”
You shouldn’t ignore your skills section either. Sade reminded job seekers to list any industry-relevant apps or programs they’re familiar with, and find ways to incorporate examples of their soft skills into their job descriptions.
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The Resume Format Is Consistent
Think of your resume as part of your personal advertising campaign. It’s your calling card, and, in many cases, the first impression you will make with potential employers. Put your best foot forward. In addition to checking for spelling errors and other grammatical mistakes, make sure you use a consistent format for dates and locations throughout the resume. For instance, do you plan to spell out or abbreviate the states within your locations ? If you decide to include the month with your dates of employment, do you intend to use numerals to represent the month, spell it out entirely or use a three-letter abbreviation ?
It doesn’t necessarily matter which format you choose the key is to make a decision and remain consistent throughout the document. There’s no better way to demonstrate that you’re a detail-oriented professional than to deliver a polished professional resume with a slick, consistent format.
Highlight Your Relevant Job Skills
Hiring managers are on the lookout for candidates who have relevant, job-specific skills. While listing a heap of skills on your resume doesnt actually prove youre skilled, incorporating your various skills into different sections will catch the eye of whoever is vetting your application.
For instance, you can showcase your hard and soft skills in your introduction and work experience section. And of course, you should also list your most valuable abilities in your resumes skills section.
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Adding Absolutely No Value
Mistake number five is probably the worstand the easiest to fall into Mistake number five is writing a statement that basically fills space but doesnt tell the hiring manager anything about the value you bring to the table. This can also be confused with the too vague statement
EXAMPLE: To obtain a position within my chosen field where I can utilize my skills as a hard-working, well-educated employee in exchange for a steady market-fair paycheck.
Congratulations. Youre educated and youre hard working and you want to make money. So what? So are 90% of the people youre going up against. Why are YOU the ideal candidate? What makes the hiring manager want to bring YOU in over everyone else? See what we mean?
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY:
How are you going to fulfill the needs of the company?
When writing your resume objective, you should always have the intention of answering this question.
Creating A Resume Skills Section
The skills section is an essential part of your resume. However, there are several different ways to approach creating yours.
Here are a few examples demonstrating the different ways you can format your resumes skills section:
Example 1
If you have many relevant hard and soft skills, add them to your resume skills section using separate bullet points, like this:
If youre a student or recent graduate and have no significant job skills yet, there are still plenty of things you can list in your resume skills section. Heres an example of a skills section written by a candidate with no work experience:
Example 2
Another way to organize your skills section is by using bars to provide employers a rough estimate of your proficiency.
This type of skills section is particularly popular with more creative professions, like graphic design or social media management:
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Here Is A Good Sample For Someone Who Is In The Middle Of A Career Change:
This is a good example because it hits on everything we discussed above. Its specific. We know exactly who this person is , what company theyre applying to , both how they benefit the company and what value they bring and best of all, its short and to the point.
In just a few words this individual has taken what might seem like a totally unrelated field and shown how the skills and experiences they have directly translate to the job theyre applying for. Brilliant!
Basic Resume Type #: Chronological
The chronological resume is exactly what its name implies. Your work history is listed in order, according to dates. Begin with your most current position and end with the earliest. Many employers prefer this type because it gives them an overview of your experience.
This basic resume type is best for those people with a solid employment background who have no lapses in their work history. It is also beneficial if most of your experience coincides with the job you are interested in.
Generally, the last 10-15 years should be listed on the resume. Start with the most current position and work backward. It is not etched in stone that only full-time jobs should be listed. Include part-time positions, volunteer work, or anything else that will emphasize the skills you have to offer.
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Resume Accomplishments Examples To Demonstrate Your Value
Resume accomplishments are achievements that are measurable. Heres where and how to write them!
Resume accomplishments are work achievements that are both measurable and unique to a job seekers experience. These accomplishments on a resume are different than duties or responsibilities in that duties and responsibilities are similar for any employee in a similar role, which accomplishments are unique, provable statistics.
Using resume accomplishments in place of responsibilities makes the most out of resume space by showing the hiring manager that you are results-driven and have a history of going beyond the expected requirements. Unlike many employees, you actively work to make improvements and create an impact within the company.
Software Developer Work Experience Example
Working within IT, there are also a lot of different ways you can list your work experience section – depending on the job, which might have been full-time or freelance work.
As an IT, you will most likely have to include achievements as well as responsibilities.
Though if youre a developer, you might not be able to show your achievements through your code.
Instead, you can show the impact of your code through the frame of the bigger picture.
For example, lets say you worked on an internal software project:
Correct Example:
- Developed a new internal HR approval software and significantly increased the speed for processing applicants in the company
Look into how you assisted the overall project development through your code.
When it comes to most tech jobs, your work experience is the single most important section on your resume.
Make sure you include all the relevant details, and try to keep your list of responsibilities up to six bullet points at most.
Feel free to also include any technical details and examples you can come up with , as the HR manager will have some knowledge of what youre talking about.
But on the other hand, dont fill up your work experience with jargon and buzzwords either.
For more examples, check out our guide to a software engineer resume.
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Start With A Resume Summary
Begin your resume with a resume summary to grab the attention of employers and show them why youre perfect for the job. A resume summary is a statistics-heavy resume introduction that highlights your most relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.
Lets break down an IT resume summary to see how you should write one. Heres the first sentence:
IT specialist with 7+ years of professional experience in information security and digital forensics.
From this first sentence, the hiring manager knows immediately that you match the job opening.
Its a direct response to the hiring managers job description: In this case, the hiring manager is seeking someone with 3+ years of professional experience in information security and digital forensics.
Here are the final two sentences of this resume summary:
Expert with a wide variety of security, engineering, networking, and operating system software. Possesses an associate degree in Information Security and Digital Forensics
Again, placing the associate degree so prominently in the resume summary tells the hiring manager, I have all the necessary requirements to do the job, so please read the rest of my resume.
List Your Jobs In Order
Begin your resume work history with your most recent job and work backward through your last decade of employment. The total length of your resume should not exceed two pages, although it is often better to only use a single page if you have less experience. Omit short-term jobs or those with minimal relevance if necessary.
Related:Resume Format Guide
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How Do I Format My Resume
The ideal format for your resume depends on your educational background and work history.
The majority of job-seekers will use one of these three standard resume formats:
Craft A Career Snapshot
More recently, career experts have urged job seekers to do away with the old “objective” statement and instead consider including a brief summary, called a “career snapshot,” at the top of their resumes.
“With the career snapshot, you present a branding statement that briefly explains your unique value as well as your skills and qualifications,” said Tomer Sade, founder and CEO of FACTORE. “This would then be followed by a few bullet points that highlight your experience and your accomplishments. Whatever you list here should be relevant to the position you’re applying to.”
“The top third of your resume is prime resume real estate,” added Lisa Rangel, an executive resume writer and official LinkedIn moderator at Chameleon Resumes. “Create a robust summary to capture the hiring manager’s eye.”
Think of your career snapshot as an answer to the question “how would you describe your work experience in one sentence?” The summary is an opportunity to sum up your most relevant and important skills, experience, or assets right off the bat.
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How To Write Your Resume Employment History
The employment history is an integral part of any resume. This section details your previous jobs and explains what you achieved in each position. A compelling work history will clearly demonstrate why you’re a good fit for the job that you’re applying for, so it’s important to understand how to write it effectively. In this article, we explain how to write a strong resume employment history and give you examples to reference when writing your own.
Why Should I Use A Resume Template For My Job Application
A resume template simplifies the job-seeking process. The best template provides you an attractive, well-formatted resume layout that conforms to industry standards. Simply fill out your template and start sending it to employers.
Additionally, using a premade template guarantees that you have an applicant tracking system friendly resume, and that its easy to read.
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What Is A Resume
You should also familiarize yourself with the difference between a resume and a cover letter:
- A resume is typically sent with a cover letter, which is a document that provides additional information on your skills and experience in letter form.
- A resume is a concise, often bulleted summary, while a cover letter highlights and expands on certain traits or accomplishments that would be unique or ideal assets for the particular job.
Tailoring Your Work Experience To A Specific Job
When reading a resume, the HR manager is looking for information relevant to that specific position, with its own unique requirements.
Because, guess what, if you send the same resume to every job ad you can get your hands on, its going to be very obvious that youre using a generic resume, not optimized for any of them in particular.
To avoid that, show the recruiter that you actually took the time to read the job ad , and that your resume is tailored to their requirements.
To do this, actually read the job ad in detail, not just give it a quick glance and call it a day.
For example, take this ad:
Theyre looking for someone:
- With 5+ years of experience in creating digital experiences
- Proficient in standard UX software
- With specific knowledge of interface patterns for mobile, web, and responsive design
- With good understanding of HTML,CSS, JAVA, and more
The point is that theyre looking for specific knowledge within the general position.
So in this case, they want someone with a B.A. degree, 5+ years of experience and with a good understanding of basic front-end development.
You can mention how you excel at all this within your work experience entries
Correct Example:
- Developed mobile applications with Java, optimized for both Mobile and Web
Now, with all that knowledge combined, lets take a look at some exceptional real-life resume examples that work.
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Use your connections go through your business and professional contacts to see if you know anyone from the company. Improve grammar, word choice, and sentence structure in your resume writing. A format is the style and order in which you display information on your. A job application letter, also known as a cover letter, should be sent or uploaded with.
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Dont Include Archaic Elements
Putting an objective at the top of your resume is a thing of the past, says Rasheen Carbin, co-founder of two recruiting and staffing startups. This is an outdated practice and does nothing to illustrate your skills or experience, he says.
Another element that makes him cringe: Saying that youll provide references upon request. Again, this is outdated. Plus, I assume that you would provide references for anybody whos trying to hire you.
Of course, resume standards might vary by industry and by company so do some research before you submit.
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