3 steps to writing achievements for your CV

Achievements are a key (and often missing) part of your CV and prove you have the skills and abilities the recruiter is looking for, and that you can deliver results for your new employer. 

Can you solve their problems, impact their bottom line, increase efficiency, decrease costs, improve customer service?

Many CVs read more like job descriptions, with responsibilities and no achievements, therefore they do not tell the recruiter/employer how you will positively impact the company.  

For example, you could have on your CV that you were “Responsible for the company website.” 

How much stronger does this sound – wouldn’t you rather hire someone who has this on their CV “Rewrote company landing page resulting in a 15% increase in enquiries.”

Adding Important Achievements to your CV

Understandably, many people worry about overselling themselves or omit achievements as it feels uncomfortable, as if they are boasting.  By quantifying your achievements, they are proven i.e. not just your opinion.  The fact this person’s action in the example above led to a 15% increase in enquiries proves they are good at what they do, there is no disputing it.

So, how do you put your achievements on your CV?  When I work with a client, we spend time discussing their roles and what was achieved and it’s surprising that through talking to someone else what people remember!  If you’re not hiring the services of a CV writer, this is how I suggest you work on your achievements.

Gather your achievements

Think of and write down 3-4 achievements for each role on your CV.  To help you, consider the following:

  • Positive feedback received (look back at appraisals, customer feedback).
  • Awards and commendations.
  • Targets achieved.
  • Things you have changed/implemented/actioned that have saved the company money/time/resources or that have increased profits/customers/sales/enquiries.
  • How you have overcome a challenge.
  • Speak with others (where appropriate).

Remember the achievements must be yours, not those achieved by the team or company generally.

Brainstorm

Write as much as you want about each achievement, adding as much detail as you want as in the next stage you will then pull out the key information and refine the brainstorm into a strong, succinct bullet point.  To help with your brainstorm, you can use the STAR technique – Situation, Task, Action, Result.

Example of an achievement brainstorm:

Situation: As a senior customer service manager, our latest feedback poll showed customer satisfaction had dropped significantly.

Task: At our monthly senior management meeting, I was asked to investigate the causes of the drop and what could be done to bring the levels up.

Action: I collected all the data and customer comments on why they were dissatisfied,  I then reviewed with my customer service team leaders and asked for their input. I devised ways of improving on these areas e.g. more regular product training of customer service staff; reviewing customer feedback more regularly to ensure issues resolved quicker.

Result: Within a month, customer service had increased by 20%

Having a result with figures/stats/percentages is great, but many roles mean achievements aren’t measurable, so what can you do?  Consider things such as the number in your team, number recruited, how you developed a client relationship, contracts renewed, specific projects (objective, results), feedback, how often you do a task, have you saved time, streamlined a procedure, negotiated a discount, presented to an audience of xx, avoided fines, kept up to date records, met audit requirements?

Refine the achievements

You need to convert your brainstorm into 1-2 succinct sentences that really sell you; ensure the achievements / parts of the achievement are relevant to the role you’re applying to.

  • Lead with the result of achievement which will grab the reader’s attention (the Result in STAR), then follow with how you did it (Situation, Task, Action).
  • Start with a positive action verb e.g.  increased, implemented, developed, improved, won, spearheaded, accelerated, oversaw, established, collaborated, secured, attained, delivered, examined, devised, directed, identified, supported, reorganised, investigated, upgraded, negotiated.

So, for the example above, the refined achievement would be:

Increased customer satisfaction by 20% in a month, by analysing customer feedback, seeking input from the team, and implementing new measures such as more regular training.

Final tip

I suggest keeping a “base” CV on your computer, and tailoring it for each role so you always return to the original CV.  Have all your brainstormed achievements in a document, then you can select and refine the ones relevant to each application.  When you are in your next role, update this document and your base CV regularly, so when you next need it, you don’t need to spend lots of time remembering what you have done with all the details.

If you need help setting up your base CV, visit our professional CV writing services page. Alternatively, if you’re writing cover lettters, read this helpful resource on the 7 mistakes to avoid making.

This blog was written for Sally Smy of Queen Bee Styling.  Sally is a personal stylist who helps busy people curate an authentic wardrobe that works hard for them, and encapsulates an updated, refreshed version of their own unique style.