Resume mistake #3: Focusing on duties, not accomplishments
Posted By Amanda Collins on July 17, 2010
Imagine that a custodian position was open and the ad required each candidate to submit a résumé. One candidate’s résumé says things like: “Responsible for maintaining 30-office building with crew of five.” The other talks not only about what he did, but he also says, “Saved company $13,000 annually by suggesting transitioning to low-water-use commodes.” Which applicant do you think would get the interview?
Companies want to know a bit about what you did, but—more importantly—they want to know what you can do for them. Accomplishments are a great way to showcase those areas in which you have added value in the past. Make sure you have both a result (numbers are best) and an action. That way, the employer will say, “Wow, she added 25% in revenues with this training program we’ve been considering implementing. I need to talk to her!”
The way I incorporate both tasks and accomplishments is to lead with what you did in the position, in a paragraph style. Maybe three to five sentences about how many people you oversaw, your budget, and what a typical day was like. Then, in bullets, have your accomplishments. I front load them so the result is first, mostly because most people don’t read résumés (they scan them). That’s an easy way to share your value—and make it pop!