Download Accomplishment Statements for a Résumé

ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS
GOAL: SHOWCASE YOUR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH YOUR EXPERIENCES
Accomplishment statements describe your achievements and value in the experience section of your résumé.
Many applicants make the mistake of simply writing what they did in a past job, but the more important task is
showing how past experiences prepared them for the position they are applying to now.
1) Planning Your Statements
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1. List the skills required for the position for which you are applying
2. List all of the tasks from your past experiences
3. MAKE THE CONNECTION: Each skill should be demonstrated through an experience
Plan like this:
Skills required for the new job
Communication skills
Teamwork skills/Organization skills
Knowledge of a specific technical skill
Organization skills
Your past experiences
Gave speech at a National Student Conference
Led a group in planning a campus-wide event
Created a specialized MS Excel database
Planned a week-long summer camp activity
2) Writing Your Statements
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A well-formulated accomplishment statement has two parts when possible:
1. The result(s) or benefit(s) of your work should
be stated in the most tangible way possible.
2. The action you took to achieve the results,
such as steps or techniques you used.
Things to remember
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Each statement should be bulleted. Limit one statement per bullet.
Do not simply list your former job duties or copy your old job description
onto your résumé; instead, focus on highlighting relevant skills acquired
If possible, provide times when you went above and beyond the call of duty
Back up skill-claims with experiences; helping you gain confidence in
showing your value
Never use personal pronouns such as I, me, my, us, or we.
Be concise and clear: If a phrase does not show your qualifications or clarify
your statement, remove it
Periods are optional, but make sure you are consistent in your formatting
Avoid repetitive word usage
Use past tense for past experiences and present tense for current ones
Spell out numbers one through nine, and write 10+ numerically
Think of a time when you:
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Increased profits
Reduced conflict
Improved quality
Found a less costly solution
Prevented a problem
Received an award
Provided new resources
Developed a new procedure
University Career Center | Union West Building Rm. 103 | (915) 747-5640 | www.utep.edu/careers | [email protected]
ACCOMPLISHMENT statements
3) Tips for Exhibiting Your Skills Effectively
A.
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Always start with an action word
Example: Directed team of three classmates to complete project on time.
B.
State the benefit to the employer (result) and then what you did to accomplish that result (action)
Example: Increased student involvement by 15% through a creative marketing strategy using various social media outlets.
C.
Attempt to quantify at all times by using numbers (#), percentages (%), dollar figures ($), and time
frames (daily, weekly, etc.)
Example: Routed over 100 calls daily to a staff of 20.
D. Use descriptive and colorful action words
Example: Created and implemented a new training program that increased participation of new hires by 30%.
Sample Breakdown
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D
A
B
C
This verb emphasizes the
measurability of the result
The result is listed
before the action
This percentage demonstrates
the effectiveness of the result
This verb implies the
use of teamwork skills
Reduced annual transportation costs by 12% by collaborating with a
colleague to create and implement a more efficient delivery schedule.
D
These verbs imply the use of
creativity and initiative
Sample Statements WITH Measurable Results
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 Increased revenue by 10% by leading a team of eight volunteers to organize monthly community fundraisers.
 Increased average GPA of participants from a 2.9 to a 3.3 by initiating a residence hall tutoring program.
Sample Statements WITHOUT Measurable Results
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 Organized and served on over 10 informative panels for prospective students for the past three years.
 Trained six new employees on store operations and procedures through one-on-one and group interaction.
University Career Center | Union West Building Rm. 103 | (915) 747-5640 | www.utep.edu/careers | [email protected]
RD: 07/15