It is not a secret at all that it is the first impression that determines the success of your resume and possibly even the outcome of your job interview. Each prospective employer wants the best for themselves, and as an employee, you should take this into account. It is important to know what you want, but it is even more valuable to understand the needs of your future boss! We will tell you in secret – this is almost the key to success.

Even if you are a novice in a field and don’t have any experience, you need to know how to present yourself correctly. Here we are going to give you some useful guidelines. Trust us – this is not as difficult as it might seem. But first, let us start with the basics.

The Basics of Creating a Successful Resume

When talking about accomplishments, there comes a question – what is the accomplishment itself? Unfortunately, some candidates confuse it with duties and responsibilities and avoid writing about their advantages.

Accomplishment is any positive thing you have managed to achieve, both at work and in your personal life. Good news: there isn’t a single person across the globe who doesn’t have any accomplishments!

We all know that it isn’t only the result that counts but also the efforts you put through. Anyway, you shouldn’t forget that your future boss looks through many resumes and probably won’t go into details. Be concise, use numbers and brief descriptions.

Be specific – HR managers and directors see lots of generic descriptions with common expressions. Don’t be afraid to express your emotions, and this will help you prove how passionate you are about the desired position. This will serve you as an advantage. Try finding the fine line between conciseness and emotionality.

Speed up Your Job Search with the Help of a Smart Resume Builder

At the very beginning of the article, we promised to help you simplify the process of creating the resume. We kept our word!

Some might complain that everything is getting digitized, and it makes matters worse. However, this isn’t the case in the world of work. We are happy to present our best resume builder and explain how to make a resume online. Save your time and create a resume online!

All you need to do is to register on the ResumeBuilderPro and make a resume for free. This is a professional resume builder with lots of useful options, which will make building a resume a simple and engaging task.

Don’t worry about your contact details. On our website, you will see a selection of various templates. Your resume will then be created automatically in the correct order of sections. Just choose the options specific to your position! You won’t even be able to make any spelling or semantic mistakes and will get detailed instructions for each step. All this proves ResumeBuilderPro to be a convenient and easy resume builder. It is really simple to make a resume for free!

As a result, you will get your perfect CV made with the help of this smart resume builder. The size is also foreseen — it will only comprise one page, which is the perfect size for the employer.  Build the perfect resume in no time, and your dream will come true!

Now we are about to proceed with more handy tips on how to show yourself to the best advantage. Stay tuned!

How to Present your Achievements on a Resume

We strongly recommend making a list of your accomplishments.  Even if you think you don’t have any, think twice! Even a positive, constructive comment from your boss will do. Consider talking about difficulties you overcame on the professional ground and all kinds of awards you have received. Use numbers and dates, if possible!

If you don’t feel brave enough, try drafting them on a blank sheet of paper or in an application. Once you’ve done that, it’ll be easier to include your achievements in your resume.

Let’s have a look at examples of successful accomplishments:

1. Increased sales by 20 percent for the ABC company from 2019 to 2020 (Sales);
2. Was the employee of the month for the period of six months in 2018 (Sales);
3. Improved the scores of my chemistry students with an average of 25% in ABC School (Education);
4. All of my students could successfully pass CAE with the following results: 50% got grade C, 20% grade B, and 30% grade A (Education);
5. Was a university photojournalist, took photos of every single event at ABC State University from 2014 to 2016; (Student resume);
6. Managed to translate all emails, created ready templates for business correspondence. It greatly facilitated the interaction with foreign clients and helped to attract a couple of new ones (Translation);
7. Saved 700 000 dollars for the company (Accounting);
8. Won several clients to the company, notably: ABC, DEF, GHI, etc. (All spheres).

Please note: Do not report any confidential information! If you don’t know what is considered confidential, ask your boss for details.

Now you will see examples of successful accomplishments that aren’t related to work but reveal your strengths. Although you should place a priority on your professional goals, you shouldn’t avoid mentioning other events you are proud of:

1. Ran a marathon in 2018, 2019, and 2020;
2. Organized an English-speaking club for my colleagues;
3. Hitchhiked in Western Europe in 2015;
4. Came up with an idea to raise money for charity in ABC company and made a contribution of 5000 dollars in total;
5. Organized separate waste collection at my workplace.

Crystal clear as it may seem, it might be confusing for some to express the cause-and-effect relations in their resumes. Let’s make it loud and simple.

Cause and Effect in a Resume: What and So What Technique

Achievements are described through a simple two-step formula:

1. What I did (What)
2. The result of my actions (So What)

Let’s take the example from the previous section:

1. Created ready templates for business correspondence (What);
2. Helped to attract new foreign clients (So What).

At first glance, it might seem that you just ‘helped,’ but look at So What, and you will see how invaluable your contribution was. If you think you overestimate your small victories, try doing this exercise over and over.

Now that we finished with dos let’s talk about don’ts: things that shouldn’t be mentioned in a resume.

Things to Avoid in a Resume

1. Confidential information about your previous workplaces;
2. Odd topics that don’t relate to your professional achievements or personal qualities (religion, politics, etc.);
3. Old achievements. If you are a top specialist with solid experience in the field, don’t mention your school or university achievements, as they aren’t that important compared with your recent experience;
4. No accomplishments so far. We warned you against this, but it is important enough to repeat again – any person has accomplishments, whether you are an absolute beginner or a qualified specialist.

Conclusion

According to the proverb, the key to success is hard work, which is generally true. Nevertheless, some people follow this rule but still can’t find the right job. The main reason is that staying confident and presenting oneself in the right way isn’t easy for everyone. Luckily, there are lots of instruments designed to help candidates to get their dream jobs.

We will stay positive and wish you the same: stay confident, talk facts, and be passionate about your job!