How to write Achievements in your CV
By Craig from Jobulo
Many people don’t even include a section on their CV for ‘Achievements’. These people are missing a trick as it’s a great opportunity to show off a little, and prove to an employer that you can succeed, even if it is in a field unrelated to the industry you’re looking to work in. You should use your achievements to demonstrate your success at previous job placements as this helps your new prospective employer to visualise how you can improve their company. With this in mind here are our tips on how to maximise the use of your achievements on your CV:
#1 Make Use of Statistics
Optimise your use of the achievements section by demonstrating real improvements you’ve made in previous job roles or volunteer positions. Think back through your experience both in and out of the workplace to moments where you made a genuine improvement to an organisation you were involved with. Maybe you helped increase sales from a specific client by 25% or you decreased injuries by 10% by changing the training plans of your local sports team. Listing tangible instances like this can really catch an employer’s eye and prove to them you can make a real difference. Also think of any skills you have mentioned elsewhere in your CV and try to list a related achievement that demonstrates that skill.
#2 Build a Picture
This section can really help portray the ‘real you’. You’re not just a list of qualifications and previous job roles and listing some of your achievements in life and work can help build a real picture of you and your character. Employers appreciate this greatly as it helps them to imagine how you would fit in within their organisation. It also adds depth to your CV content, lifting it above the boring hum-drum CVs that are just an endless list of skills and qualifications.
Achievements section
#3 Make it Relevant
This is where you can really get your achievements working on your behalf. When an employer reads a CV they are always looking for points, words and skills that match up to the job role they’re hiring for. They have an imaginary tick-box type list in their head and the more of those boxes you can tick, the higher the likelihood of them inviting you to interview becomes. So, when listing your achievements be sure to focus on the ones relevant to this specific job role. This will highlight to the employer that you have what it takes to make an impact within their organisation. For example; if you’re applying for a customer service role why not include an instance where you were credited for assistance you provided a customer, or an example of some excellent feedback you received from a client?
#4 Achievements Outside of Work Count Too
This section of your CV is an area that doesn’t have to be dominated by career based points. The achievements section is there for you to show off previous experiences that you are proud of both in and out of the work arena, so don’t be afraid to include something that is totally unrelated to the work environment. Although you may not think it, achievements in made in your spare time can still impress an employer, as they can show that you are a determined individual that likes to meet their goals. If you’ve got completed a challenge, or achieved something you are proud of and you think it will show you in a good light then definitely consider including it.
#5 Show That You Can Make a Difference
This section of your CV is all about proving you can make a real world difference to your future employer. Your previous achievements are proof that you’ve made a positive impact in the past, and they stand as good evidence to the employer that you can push on to achieve great things within their organisation. So don’t be shy when considering points for this section as this is certainly a part of your CV where you should be showing off and shouting about how great you are!
Tip: If you’re struggling to think of a specific official achievement to include in this section of your CV then instead focus on times where you’ve improved something, or assisted a colleague or client in achieving their goals. Any real world instance that has resulted in a positive improvement, or change, can be worth including as an achievement on your CV. As always, if you’d like to read more on subjects like this, you can pop over to Jobulo for further in depth CV advice.
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You may also want to check out the 5 Ways to Shorten a Lengthy CV.
