I understand – nobody, especially the British, likes a bragger! Modesty and humility have long been seen as very noble traits. However, when it comes to CVs, erring on the side of modesty could be impacting your success in job applications.
Imagine you are a hiring manager reviewing applications for a role, and under each job title on a CV you see a description of everything that person did in that role - a description that could very easily be obtained via a quick Google search.
Would a job description like this help you to understand the specific contributions that individual made to that company or position? No.
Would a job description provide insight into individual’s way of working, such as leadership style, capacity for making improvements, or capacity for balancing a varied and demanding workload? Probably not.
Key achievements i.e., what YOU brought to the role, are a crucial component of a CV and provide vital context to the reader. When presented effectively, achievements provide insight to the reader of what you achieved in each of your positions, how you went about it, and the benefit or impact of what you did. Furthermore, they demonstrate your capacity for shaping the culture or viability of an organisation. They are reflective not only of what you have contributed across the course of your career, but also what you will be capable of your next role. They set you apart from other candidates, especially those who may simply feature job descriptions on their CV.
So, what kind of information should you include as part of demonstrating achievements, and how should this be included in your CV?
- Results led:
Open the achievement with the result, for example, “Played a key role in saving £10million per annum in operating costs through <description of how you did this>”. This will ensure the value of your contribution is at the forefront of the bullet point
- Data driven:
Data is not always relevant to achievements; however, it is advisable to include it where possible. Any measurable facts you can include in the form of financial statistics, percentages or numbers, is a helpful way of quantifying the significance of your achievements
- Contextual:
Adding context to the achievement is very helpful because it demonstrates not only that you achieve results, but how you are able to do it. An example of this would be “Played a key role in saving £10million per annum in operating costs, undertaking an end-to-end analysis of all business processes and using insights to implement automation and improvement across enterprise-wide operational and technical processes”
In one bullet point alone you have demonstrated all of the following:
- The result of your achievement
- The scope and significance of your efforts
- How you applied your efforts to achieve results
- The fact that the changes positively impacted the entire organisation
Key achievements are specific to you, and a good CV writer will work with you to elicit the most appropriate level and presentation of achievements that align with your career goals. They may also push you out of your comfort zone and help you to recognise things you have taken for granted about yourself as being worthy contributions. Go toot that horn!
