Listing achievements is what sets the top candidates apart from the crowd.
See, most job-seekers only talk about their previous responsibilities and day-to-day tasks on their resume.
But that’s not enough to make you stand out.
The hiring manager knows exactly what responsibilities your profession includes. After all, they’re the ones who wrote the job description!
So if you want to get ahead of the competition, you should talk about your professional achievements instead.
Your achievements speak volumes about your skills and potential, and they can make your resume stand out.
This guide will cover:
How to List Achievements on Your Resume (and Get the Job!)
Where to Mention Your Achievements
171+ Achievements You Can Use (covering 55+ professions!)
Let’s get started!
Achievements on Your Resume
So, why are achievements so important on your resume?
Just compare these two examples:
Incorrect:
Contributed to the number of sales.
Correct:
Hit and exceeded department KPIs by 20% for 5 months in a row.
See the difference?
The first example doesn’t say much about the candidate at all. If you worked in sales, it’s already pretty obvious you did sales, and it doesn’t specify how you contributed. You could have barely met your KPIs or outperformed the whole department, and the hiring manager will never know.
But the second example shows exactly what you bring to the table. Saying you managed to hit KPIs is good, and exceeding them is even greater. By also adding the short timeframe, the hiring manager can see you’re a top performer and might prefer you as a candidate.
Where Do I List My Achievements?
Ideally, your achievements should be mentioned in several sections across your resume.
Just add them in separate bullet points, the same way you would list your responsibilities.
Here’s an example:
The next place we recommend including achievements is your resume summary.
This summary of your career sits at the top of your resume, right next to your contact information and job title. Here’s an example:
This section is an introduction to the rest of your resume, and it’s the first thing the hiring manager is going to read, so you want to make sure it grabs their attention.
The average resume summary goes like this:
Resume Summary Without Achievements:
Experienced project manager with 5+ years of work experience seeking a position at Company X. Previous experience includes working at Company Y, developing software for clients such as Client A and Client B.
This summary example is, at best, okay. All it says is that you’ve worked as a project manager across two companies within the past five years.
Newsflash: So have all the other candidates.
There’s nothing in that resume summary that makes you stand out.
But here’s what happens if you add an achievement or two:
Resume Summary With Achievements:
Experienced project manager with 5+ years of work experience seeking a position at Company X. Managed cross-department teams of 15+ people. Successfully spearheaded the development of several software projects, including Project A and Project B.
Just like with everything else, there’s a right and wrong way to list achievements.
See, the more details you add to them, the more you’ll stand out.
Let’s compare these two examples:
Correct:
Improved product sales by 12%, which led to a 20% increase in annual revenue.
Incorrect:
Significantly improved sales.
In the first example, “significantly” doesn’t say much. You could’ve improved sales by selling one extra product, or you could have lifted company revenue by 10%.
The hiring manager has no way of knowing what the impact of your work was! This is why backing up your achievements with data is important.
Whenever possible, each of your achievements should include:
#1. Timeframe
The timeframe of your achievement provides the hiring manager with context. Achieving something over a weekend is more significant than achieving the same thing over several months.
Adding a timeframe can also highlight your time management skills and ability to prioritize tasks, as well as set benchmarks for future performance.
Ask yourself these questions to figure out the timeframe of your achievements:
How long did it take you to complete the task?
(E.g.: Resolved a major client's technical issue in under 12 hours, exceeding the 48-hour expectation.)
Over what time did you work on the task?
(E.g.: Increased customer satisfaction rate within three months of employment at Company X.)
How many times per day, week, or month did you work on this task?
(E.g.: Talked to 50+ customers daily.)
#2. Scale
Adding the scale of your achievements demonstrates the impact and reach of your work.
You can measure the scale of your success through different factors, like the number of people affected or the financial impact. This data backs up your credibility and helps future employers see the value and expertise you can bring to their company.
Here are some questions to measure the scale of your achievements with:
How many people did you manage or work with?
(E.g.: Managed a team of six to create award-winning ad campaigns for Company X.)
How big was the budget?
(E.g. Successfully carried out X marketing campaign, going under the designated budget of Y USD.)
How many clients or customers did you work with?
(E.g.: Managed campaigns of 5+ SaaS clients in the fin-tech industry.)
#3. Results
Of course, the results of your achievements show the effectiveness of your efforts.
Specific results, like percentage increases in sales or customer satisfaction ratings, give the hiring manager tangible evidence of your skills and success and make you a more appealing candidate. (E.g.: “Delivered a 1.8x ROI on a total ad spend of $22,000”.)
By backing up your achievements with clear outcomes, you’re giving potential employers an idea of how you can contribute to their team. This approach makes your resume stand out by showcasing what you've done, how well you've done it, and the positive impact you've made.
What If I Don’t Have the Data?
This is one of the most common questions among job-seekers.
Unless you were actively keeping track of your results at your job, you probably don’t know much about the impact your work had or what your greatest accomplishment was.
The solution here is pretty straightforward: just reach out to your previous employer and ask for the data. They should be more than happy to send it over!
Moving forward, though, we’d recommend keeping track of your results and achievements in your next job. This also makes it easier to answer interview questions down the line.
You’ll thank us for it later!
What if My Job Isn’t Achievement-Oriented?
If your previous roles weren't achievement-oriented, you might have trouble listing accomplishments.
What you can do instead is focus on the times when you contributed to the workplace.
Think about instances where you helped your team, improved a process, or were recognized for your work. Take the opportunity to show off your soft skills, like problem-solving and teamwork.
The same approach can be applied to your personal projects or volunteer work. Just highlight relevant skills that helped you succeed instead of giving a generic description of what you did.
Achievements can be about growth and impact, not just numbers. So long as you align your past experiences with the job you want, you can show the hiring manager how you can be a valuable addition to their team.
How to List Achievements as a Student
If you’re a student or a recent graduate, you probably don’t have that much work experience, so you can’t exactly list a lot of achievements on your resume.
But what you can do is list your achievements in several other sections, such as:
Education.Your achievements during your time at university can make you stand out from candidates with a similar education and no professional experience.
(E.g.: “Maintained a 3.8 GPA while working and studying full-time.”)
Projects. Any type of project you’ve worked on can come with noteworthy achievements, like the marketing strategy you created for a class.
(E.g.: “Created a marketing strategy for Company X as part of my Marketing 101 course and was rewarded at the top of the class.”)
Recognized for outstanding customer service, receiving a 95% positive rating in customer feedback surveys.
Implemented a new cash handling procedure that reduced end-of-day balancing errors by 40%.
Helped onboard three new bank tellers, bringing them up to speed with the bank’s rules and policies.
For more examples, check out our bank teller resume example and full guide.
#17. Banker Achievements
Managed a loan portfolio of $10 million, maintaining a default rate of less than 1%.
Developed and maintained relationships with 50+ high-value clients, leading to a 25% increase in client assets managed.
Successfully negotiated and closed 15 high-value commercial loans, contributing significantly to branch revenue.
For more examples, check out our banker resume example and full guide.
Business Achievement Examples
#18. Branch Manager Achievements
Achieved the highest employee retention rate across the region through effective management and staff development programs.
Participated in community affairs to increase branch visibility and create new and enhanced existing business opportunities, increasing annual revenue by 20%.
Provided a superior level of customer relations and promoted the sales and service culture through coaching, guidance, and staff motivation.
#19. Data Analyst Achievements
Conducted a data-driven market analysis that informed the development of two new successful product lines.
Played a pivotal role in a data migration project, ensuring a smooth transition with no data loss.
Developed a predictive model that reduced forecasting errors by 25%, significantly improving business planning.
For more examples, check out our data analyst resume example and full guide.
#20. Business Development Manager Achievements
Established new key partnerships with Company X and Company Y, resulting in a 20% increase in annual revenue.
Secured ten new client accounts within a year, exceeding the target by 25%.
Started a partnership program, kick-starting work with four implementation partners in Europe.
Negotiated with media vendors to secure prime advertising slots within a monthly ad budget of $20,000.
Maintained an ad spend ROI of 1.8 for Company X’s ad campaigns over the past three months.
Reduced Company X’s Search Ads average CPC while maintaining the same conversion rate, saving $2k in monthly ad spend.
#25. SEO Specialist Achievements
Fully managed Company X’s SEO and conducted comprehensive keyword research for over 500 terms, optimizing content for diverse audience segments.
Increased Company X’s monthly organic traffic from 0 to 200,000 within two years.
Led a team of four freelance writers, creating and publishing 10+ SEO content pieces every month with around 70% currently ranking on page 1 of Google.
IT and Software Development Achievement Examples
#26. IT Specialist Achievements
Successfully managed the IT setup for a new office location, ensuring seamless network and system integration for 100+ users.
Led the upgrade of an enterprise-level software system, improving system efficiency and user satisfaction.
Consulted in the redesign of a company’s website, resulting in a 25% increase in traffic.
For more examples, check out our IT resume example and full guide.
#27. Software Engineer Achievements
Led and managed a team of six in developing new financial management software and delivered the product two weeks ahead of schedule
Developed a new application feature that increased user engagement by 30%.
Created, maintained, and monitored the entire cloud infrastructure of Company X, while working on 20+ microservices for 5 clients.
That’s all there is to adding achievements to your resume!
Now, let’s briefly recap what we talked about:
Listing achievements instead of just responsibilities can boost your chances of getting hired.
You can mention achievements in your resume summary and work experience section. If you don’t have a lot of work experience, you can also mention any achievements from your education, volunteering, or personal projects.
When listing your achievements, make sure they include a timeframe, scale, and results.
If you can’t think of any achievements, just scroll back up to get inspiration for any of the professions we gave examples for.
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Andrei combines academic knowledge with over 10 years of practical experience to help job seekers navigate the challenges of resumes, interviews, and career growth. Through the Novorésumé Career Blog, he offers actionable advice to simplify and ace the job search process.
