Have you ever done an inventory of the accomplishments in your life?
An accomplishment is something notable that you have successfully completed. They can be both personal and professional, big and small, be recognized by other people, or just something you know about yourself. Moreover, they can be used to boost your resume and get you noticed by recruiters and employers!
There is an exercise I loved called “20 ACCOMPLISHMENTS”.
The idea is to acknowledge what you have done, then analyze what it took to accomplish it. To do so, you need to know how to describe the accomplishments in story form.
Here is a structure for storytelling:
Context –> Challenge –> Action –> Results –> Attributes (Skills, Knowledge, Natural abilities)
If you think about your stories this way, you will find consistencies between your personal and professional life. Who are you with your co-workers? With your friends and family? What are you proud of? Who benefited from what you did? What obstacles did you have to overcome?
It’s important to do this type of assessment. The ways that you are successful in your personal life can impact your professional life.
Here are some examples:
- One of my clients was a Boy Scout. When he went to summer camp, he was given a tent to put together. It was hard! How did the metal frame go together and hold up the fabric? He figured it out himself, then went around to help the other boys. He lit up when he told me what he did, and was clearly still proud!
- Another client sold chocolates when he was in 4th grade, and sold the most of anyone in the school! He was very proud, and realized that he had a natural sales ability. He has since had a very successful career in sales.
- I have worked with many clients who have mentored people who then went on to great success in their careers.
This exercise might seem easy, but figuring out 20 accomplishments can be deceptively tricky. You will probably find it easy to identify maybe 10 or 12, but you may be stumped to try to reach 20. If so, you should talk with other people who know you, both personally and professionally, who can think it through with you. The process will surprise you, and it should give you some more confidence in yourself.
Your resume is about much more than just your work history. Employers rarely hire based entirely on professional experience. They want to get to know you and learn what makes you tick! Your accomplishments can make a big difference in how hirable you are by helping you stand out from the pack! If you’d like to talk with me about how we can effectively use your accomplishments to supercharge your resume, feel free to book a free consultation! Let’s add one more accomplishment to your list: landing the job of your dreams!