Identifying your career accomplishments can be challenging. This is particularly true if it has been 5, 10, or 20+ years since you last updated your resume or interviewed for a new job. How should you identify your career accomplishments? What wins should you include on your resume?
40+ Questions To Identify Your Career Accomplishments
In this article, I share 40+ questions to ask yourself to identify your career accomplishments. As you reflect on how you would answer the following questions, try to get as specific as possible with descriptive stories, examples, and results. When possible, be sure to include relevant numbers and percentages, and if you do not have the answer to a question, that is OK, just move on to the next one.
Questions To Identify Your Leadership Accomplishments
- When have you served in a leadership capacity?
- What projects have you led or supported?
- When have you taken on responsibilities that were beyond your day-to-day duties?
- What partnerships have you developed?
- How have you demonstrated flexibility?
- What challenges have you addressed?
Questions To Identify Your Operational Accomplishments
- What new systems and procedures have you implemented?
- What processes have you improved?
- Where have you saved your organization time?
- How have you improved quality, customer service, or other metrics that are important to your organization?
Questions To Identify Your Financial Accomplishments
- How much revenue have you generated for your organization?
- How have you saved your organization money?
- How have you saved your organization resources other than money?
- When have you delivered a project under budget?
Questions To Identify Your Human Resources Accomplishments
- What has been your involvement in hiring decisions?
- When have you trained and coached colleagues?
- How have you empowered colleagues to reach new heights?
- When have you mentored new hires and emerging leaders?
- How have you influenced people you did not manage?
Questions To Identify Your Culture Accomplishments
- What conflicts have you resolved?
- What steps have you taken to improve your workplace culture?
- How have you strengthened communication within your organization?
- How have you improved collaboration within your organization?
- How have you supported a culture of inclusion and belonging?
- In what ways have you made your workplace better?
Questions To Identify Your Professional Development Accomplishments
- What education, certification, and advanced training have you obtained?
- What courses have you completed?
- Where have you delivered speaking engagements?
- Where have your words been published?
- What board and volunteer positions have you held?
- What awards, honors, and recognition have you received?
Additional Questions To Identify Your Career Accomplishments
- Why did your organization originally hire you?
- What goals have you met or exceeded since joining your organization?
- What sets you apart from your peers?
- How have you outperformed your peers?
- What kind words have you received from clients and colleagues?
- When have you made your manager look good?
- What positive remarks have you received on your performance evaluations?
- What positive feedback have you received during one-on-one meetings with direct reports and supervisors?
- What are you most proud of from your career?
- My favorite question: If your organization was conducting a reduction in force, how would you convince them that they should keep you over your peers?
How To Decide Which Accomplishments To Include On Your Resume
Now that you have a list of your top career accomplishments, choose which ones to include in your resume. Use a target job posting to guide you, and highlight the accomplishments that are most closely aligned with the qualifications outlined in the job posting. Doing so will help a recruiter understand the value of your transferable skills.
But don’t stop there. Also include accomplishments that set you apart from other job seekers. In other words, share stories, examples, and results that help showcase your fabulousness. This will allow you to stand out in the saturated job market and increase your chances of landing an interview. You’ve got this!
