How do you determine what accomplishments to include on your resume?

Think about what you do each day at your job and how you demonstrate your proficiency at various tasks. What makes you so good at what you do? How do you exhibit your determination to succeed? Dig a bit into the why?s and how?s of what you do so well and you will start to understand the essence of true achievement.

What is an accomplishment? To hone in on this better, ask yourself the following:

• What tasks and responsibilities did I do at my last(current) job?
• How did I perform those duties better than others in my line of work?
• Did I improve the work environment by the job I did?
• How did my work add to the bottom line? Get specific.

How you answer these questions gives you some insight into what you accomplished on your last/current job. The best way to list your accomplishments in your resume is to use statements with measurable quantifiers. What? :) Relate your successes in terms of money saved, money earned, percentages increased, etc.

For example, if you are a manufacturing supervisor, you might list something like this: Decreased absenteeism on the floor by 25% while increasing production of product A by 15%. Those are results that speak volumes to prospective employers.

As you create a list of your accomplishments, you will get an extra benefit from going through this process. You will feel more confident aboout yourself. Keep all of these good vibes with you while you are writing your resume, your cover letter AND as you interview. The positive flow of energy that will emanate from you will be so contagious that the hiring manager will take notice of you immediately. Everyone likes to be around someone who is self-assured and energetic. What is the best part of all of this? No blue smoke and mirrors were needed to create this scene.