{"id":16744,"date":"2020-08-28T09:57:12","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T09:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/?p=16744"},"modified":"2024-03-20T03:44:45","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T03:44:45","slug":"how-to-write-highly-persuasive-resume-achievements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-to-write-highly-persuasive-resume-achievements\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Radically Improve Achievements In Your Resume [With Examples]"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p>If achievements in your resume lack the punch and persuasion of Conor McGregor (yes, I\u2019m a Conor tragic \u2026 can you tell?), it&#8217;s likely that you&#8217;re unnecessarily missing out on great job opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>The obvious question needs to be asked, then &#8211; how do you write persuasive, compelling resume achievements to ensure that your resume communicates <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/personal-value-proposition\/\">your commercial value<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>By the way, do you want to be absolutely certain that your resume hits all of the right notes? Consider using my:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"Resume.io\" href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/recommends\/resume-io-builder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\"><strong>recommended free resume builder<\/strong><\/a>, if you&#8217;re on a budget.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-writing-services\/\"><strong>best resume service in Australia<\/strong><\/a>, if you&#8217;re a mid-career professional.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-writing-services\/\"><strong>executive resume writing service<\/strong><\/a>, if you&#8217;re a senior leader.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Are Achievements And Responsibilities The Same?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, most people lose the game of resume achievement writing before they even begin: simply because they confuse achievements with responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>If you retain anything from this article, I urge you to remember this: <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-to-write-a-resume\/\">the most effective resumes<\/a> are be achievement-centred. Not responsibility-driven<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s the difference?<\/p>\n<p>A job responsibility describes a task you were accountable for, while an achievement explains how well you performed it. For example:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em>&#8220;As a senior sales executive, I was responsible for driving sales while mentoring and training 5 junior salespersons.&#8221;<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Versus&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em>&#8220;Delivered YOY revenue growth of +190% in FY18, exceeding sales targets while developing a capable, motivated and high-performing BD team of 5 through astute people and performance management, with one member winning the President\u2019s Award.&#8221;<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Does that make sense?<\/p>\n<p>By the way, poor achievements are also a hallmark of substandard professional resumes. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-writer-fails\/\">this article<\/a> for a full debrief on shortcomings of so-called &#8216;professional&#8217; resume writers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2><b>How To Write Highly Effective Resume Achievements.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The process of writing achievements intimidates many people because, on the surface, it appears to be a very time-intensive and complex task.<\/p>\n<p>Well, I have some bad news for you. This is somewhat true (mainly due to the amount of thought and revision that is required to do it well).<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that you can save yourself a great deal of time (and sanity) by learning how to write achievements by using one of the three professional methods below.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s dive right into it then. I&#8217;m about to pull back the curtain on the exact methodology used by top resume writers to <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/resume-writing-tips\/\">craft outstanding professional resumes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But first, let&#8217;s discuss a couple of common mistakes you should avoid.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-61817\" src=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/achievements-in-resume.jpg\" alt=\"achievements in resume\" width=\"450\" height=\"442\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2><b>The Wrong Way To Write Resume Achievements.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Consider this achievement for\u00a0Vice President, Sales\u00a0of a luxury goods brand:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><i>\u201cAchieved 125% to annual sales target in 2016.\u201d<\/i><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>What do you think?<\/p>\n<p>This person certainly seems like a high performer. But are you interested in finding out more? Do you find yourself thinking \u201chold the phone, I\u2019ve found my new Head of Sales\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>Probably not.<\/p>\n<p>The main problem with an achievement like this is that it lacks context, and therefore leaves the following questions unanswered:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Wasn\u2019t<\/strong> 2016 a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bain.com\/about\/press\/press-releases\/spring-luxury-update-2016.aspx\">pretty good year for luxury spending<\/a>, anyway?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>How<\/strong> did their three biggest competitors perform that year?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>How<\/strong> did the sales team do under the previous VP of sales?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In other words, an achievement like this creates more questions than it answers.<\/p>\n<p>And when recruiters are left with too many unanswered questions, they tend to do the worst thing possible \u2013 put your resume into the \u201ctoo hard basket\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(Related Article: <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-long-should-a-resume-be-australia\/\">What&#8217;s The Best Font For An Australian Resume?<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2><b>3 Methods For Writing Outstanding Achievements (Used By Pro Resume Writers).<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>It should be becoming clear to you why resume achievements \u2013 as they\u2019re written by the vast majority of people \u2013 aren\u2019t very effective at helping people get jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Let me show you how it should be done.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3><b>Method 1: Achieved Result By Taking Action (ARTA).<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>The title of this method gives away the mechanics of this approach.<\/p>\n<p>If you were to rewrite the above example using the ARTA method, you\u2019d get:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em>\u201cDelivered 125% to 2016 sales target<\/em> <strong>[Achieved The Result]<\/strong> <em>by developing a new-to-company strategy to target the Asian markets<\/em> <strong>[By Taking Action]<\/strong>.\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>ARTA is useful for communicating straightforward achievements\u00a0and is most of the time suited for entry-level roles.<\/p>\n<p>As you can see, the example above doesn\u2019t address all of the recruiter\u2019s questions, but it does provide more context in a confident tone while demonstrating some knowledge of the market.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3><b>Method 2: Challenges, Obstacles, Steps And Results (COSR).<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s dive straight into it and rewrite this resume achievement using the COSR method:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em>\u201cAddressed a decade-long trend of declining global sales performance<\/em> <strong>[Challenge]<\/strong> <em>and overcame effects of financial headwinds in Europe<\/em> <strong>[Obstacle]<\/strong> <em>by embedding a new-to-company Asia market strategy<\/em> <strong>[Steps]<\/strong>, <em>achieving 125% to 2016 annual sales target within the first year<\/em> <strong>[Results]<\/strong>.\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Now, this is a person whom you probably want to have on your team.<\/p>\n<p>In one sentence this achievement demonstrates that the person has\u00a0strategic chops, deep knowledge of global markets and an impressive ability to influence stakeholders.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3><b>Method 3: Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR).<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>This is a method that\u2019s quite commonly used by professional resume writers.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a fairly universal method and is often seen on resumes of middle management employees.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at the example of our Sales VP again \u2013 this time written by using the STAR method:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><em>\u201cAddressed downward overall spending trends<\/em> <strong>[Situation]<\/strong> <em>and met sales turnaround and growth goals<\/em> <strong>[Task]<\/strong> <em>by identifying and targeting opportunities within the lucrative Asian luxury goods market<\/em> <strong>[Action]<\/strong>, <em>achieving 125% to 2016 sales plan<\/em> <strong>[Result]<\/strong>.\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Pretty straightforward, right? Right.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-post-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2><b>Key Point To Remember About Resume Achievements.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>To do a great job of selling yourself for a particular role you need to <a href=\"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/job-search-advice\/resume-writing\/\">write a resume<\/a> which\u00a0positions you as the person who has the skills and abilities to do that job successfully.<\/p>\n<p>Use one of my three resume achievement writing methods above to show a proven, highly relevant track record of success on your resume. This will help eliminate a recruiter\u2019s or hiring manager\u2019s doubt that you\u2019re the right person for the job.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Irene<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>Resume achievements are not difficult to write, however to write them well you need to know the &#8216;secret methods&#8217; used by resume professionals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,38],"tags":[80,5],"class_list":["post-16744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-resume","tag-resume-achievements","tag-resume-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How To Radically Improve Achievements In Your Resume [With Examples]<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Resume achievements are not difficult. 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Arielle Executive helps leaders get noticed while Arielle Partners &amp; Talent Avenue connect organisations to Australia's best leadership talent.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/irenekotov\/"],"url":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/author\/irene-mcconnell\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Steven McConnell","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/resume-achievements.jpg",1700,957,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/resume-achievements-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/resume-achievements-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/resume-achievements-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/resume-achievements-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/resume-achievements-1536x865.jpg",1536,865,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/resume-achievements.jpg",1700,957,false],"alm-thumbnail":["https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/resume-achievements.jpg",150,84,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Irene McConnell","author_link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/author\/irene-mcconnell\/"},"uagb_comment_info":6,"uagb_excerpt":"Reading Time: 4 minutesResume achievements are not difficult to write, however to write them well you need to know the 'secret methods' used by resume professionals.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16744"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101313,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16744\/revisions\/101313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}