It is often hard to remember accomplishments from past positions. Even if your memory is fresh, identifying your accomplishments requires thinking about your work in a different way.
The following 21 accomplishment questions will help. Use your answers to rewrite, reinforce, and improve your resume. Filling your resume with quantified accomplishments and results will make a dramatic difference in the results that it generates.
Use dollar figures, whole numbers, or percentages to describe the results whenever possible.
- Did you help increase sales? If so, by what percentages or amount?
- Did you generate new business or bring in new clients? How did that impact sales?
- Did you develop partnerships or affiliations with new organizations? What happened as a result?
- Have you led your company into expanded markets? How did that impact sales?
- Did you solve a particularly challenging problem? How and what was the result?
- Did you save your company money? How did you do it and how much did you save?
- Did you design and/or institute any new system or process? What were the results?
- Did you do something that increased efficiency? What was it and what was the impact?
- Did you do something that increased productivity? By what percentage or amount?
- Did you meet a deadline through extra effort? If so, what difference did this make to your company?
- Did you bring a major project in under budget? How much and what was the impact on your company?
- Did you suggest and/or help launch a new product or program? What was the result?
- Have you made recommendations that have improved products? What was the result?
- Did you introduce any new or more effective techniques for increasing productivity? What was the result?
- Did you improve communication in your firm? If so, with whom and what was the outcome?
- Did you increase profits? How did you do it and by how much?
- Did you improve customer relationships? Under what circumstances and what were the results?
- Were you involved in any negotiations? What was your role? How did this benefit the company?
- Have you done anything to help control costs? What did you do? What was the impact?
- Did you do something to correct inconsistencies or errors? What was the result?
- Have you ever done anything to increase cash flow? What did you do? What was the result?