You Don't Have Any Accomplishments to List on Your Resume?!
You have no idea how often one of my clients will utter "I have no accomplishments to give you — I just did my job." You also have no idea how many times they were absolutely wrong!
Some of you may not have extraordinary accomplishments to include on your resume. Let's be frank and admit that some of you did not achieve employee of the year; did not become top 5 in your region in sales; did not devise a strategy that brought in millions to the company (stick with me. I am going to a happy place soon) and did not become the youngest executive in your company. Yes. Some of you "just" did your job. But, you did it right! Am I right? And if you did your job correctly you are a key constituent in a functioning team, you are valuable to your co-workers, and you are an essential part of your company.
As a former senior manager who has supervised more than 50 direct reports, I assure you, you are important to the success of your organization. Yes. I had my star performers who brought in massive amounts of revenue, enamored all customers (even the most difficult customers), and conceptualized revolutionary ideas. Yet, my team would not have worked as efficiently without the employees that performed their job right; because of these employees, we were able to maintain operations, administration, employee relations, customer service, and even sales at a functioning and workable level. (You know who you are and you know what I am talking about). You silently come and go, you stay out of the way, you don't create trouble, and you execute your job perfectly. I have deduced that this type of worker often has plenty going on out outside of work (perhaps attending school, family issues, or second job).
Now, this post does not apply to everyone and I am not promoting that you do not over achieve—my point is that in order to have leaders we need to have team members that are cooperative and willing to follow. (These folks make up a big part of our workforce and they need jobs as well). So, listen up. I am going to teach you how to highlight the value you bring your team in your supporting role. You will see how you can take a "just-my-job" statement and transform it into a hire-me achievement. Whala! Just like that. It is most magical. : - )
The Magical Transformation of Just-My-Job duties into Accomplishments
Study the following list and pay close attention to the verbs I used to position the accomplishment (formerly known as just-my-job (JMJ) descriptions). No. I won't be angry if you steal some of these verbs. I paraphrased statements that often short change clients. Don't ever use these horrible, value-stripping JMJ statements or I will be just a bit angry.
-
Entrusted with additional and more valuable accountabilities. (Before JMJ: I received sort of a promotion. They gave me more responsibilities that they did not give everyone else, but did not pay me for it)
-
Earned a salary increase for meeting all expectations. (Before JMJ: they gave me a raise once because I did my job correctly and performance reviews were up)
-
Alleviated under-staffing by working extra hours during holiday and peak times. (Before JMJ: they always asked me to work longer hours when things were really busy. They did not offer this to everyone)
-
Communicated with superiors and customers in a friendly and positive-oriented disposition, adding to a cohesive work environment. (Before JMJ: I got along well with colleagues, customers, and bosses. I was never a troublemaker)
-
Contributed to team efficiency by training and guiding new hires. (Before JMJ: I often helped new employees. They thanked me but there was no additional pay as I did not have to develop a training program. It was more side by side training)
-
Offered colleagues words of encouragement, nurturing company culture. (Before JMJ: everyone always came to me with a gripe about our leaders. I usually calmed them down)
-
Selected to help at another location or department. (Before JMJ: they once sent me to another location to help because I was a good employee)
-
Developed a reputation for consistency, reliability, and integrity. (Before JMJ: my boss once told me that everyone should be as easy to manage as I am. That she appreciates my work ethic)
-
Sustained work flow by maintaining an impeccable attendance record. (Before JMJ: I was always on time to work and never called out)
-
Saved the company time /money by preventing errors. (Before JMJ: One thing I always did is I made sure I did things correctly and did now screw up)
-
Aided coworkers by stepping up and working their shift, helping preserve a working schedule. (Before JMJ: my colleagues often asked me to work for them when they could not come to work and the schedule had already been established. It would have gotten them in trouble and our whole department schedule would have been out of balance)
Of course, the above are a few examples of how you can transform an ordinary-sounding sentence or comment into an accomplishment / achievement. These achievement statements are not 100% ready to become resume statements--a bit more polishing is in order. But, I hoped to quickly demonstrate the spin strategy. Now that you have been introduced to a different perspective, do you still think you just did your job?
Next week's post will begin something like this:
Help for the less-than-perfect Job seeker: If you fall in this category, you know why. You may have a track record of lateness; have been reprimanded or written up; and you have job hopped often. Sure, I will provide you some damage control and resume writing advice as well—we all need a job; don't we? But it comes with some good-old-fashioned talk to!
Come back—this should be fun and enlightening and if we are lucky, a bit controversial. Click Download Transform Just-my-job Sentences into Powerful Resume Accomplishments-print if you would like to download this post in PDF.
Rosa E. Vargas
Certified Resume Writer
Master Resume Writer
