Accomplishments

Accomplishments are more effective in increasing the marketability of a resume than any other section appearing in the document.  The message the writer wants to convey to potential employers is this:

"I was able to successfully direct the efforts of others to achieve a variety of goals at the organization.  Look at all the things I have accomplished, there is no reason to believe that I could not do the same for your organization."

When putting together a list of accomplishments, first create a large, comprehensive list.  Then reevaluate, and look closely at, the achievements having the largest impact on the organization.

When writing accomplishments, it's important to quantify the impacts, wherever possible.  Recruiters, and potential employers, give more weight to listings that provide factual information.

For example, an accomplishment statement might say something like:

Managed a team of eight associates, which were successful in launching five Six Sigma process improvement initiatives, targeting the area of operational efficiency.  Bottom line benefit to the company exceeded $5 million annually.

A resume is no place to remain modest.  It's important to take control, and give yourself ample credit. Understating accomplishments is just as bad as overstating them.

Accomplishments will appear as a section in chronological resumes, functional resumes, and combination resume formats.