What’s something you’ve done that makes you proud? Can you think of a time at work, school, or volunteering when you made something work better, fixed a problem, or helped someone? Have you ever had a supervisor or client call out your work as extra special in some way?
These are accomplishments! Big or small, public or more private, the things you did that created a positive outcome are your accomplishments. Gathering these and taking a closer look at them can help you understand your skills and abilities, interests, and values. Sharing these on a resume or in a networking meeting or interview, can set you up for a successful job search or career advancement.
Let’s look more closely at why accomplishments are so important to communicate throughout your career and how to do so effectively! Developing strong accomplishment statements helps you to stand out to your network and potential employers. By clearly stating your achievements and impact, rather than just your job duties, others can better understand how you can contribute to their organization.
Let’s see an example:
Imagine that you’re a hiring manager and interviewing two candidates for a customer service position: Xavier and Maria.
Xavier states, “I have previous experience in customer service at a fitness center.”
Maria states, “I have experience in customer service roles, where I consistently earned 5-star ratings 95% of the time on customer service feedback surveys. The reason I was able to achieve those ratings was my commitment to accurately fulfilling customer orders and proactively reaching out to my coworkers to catch any possible errors.
Who do you want to hire? Maria! Maria doesn’t just explain her job duties. She talks about what she accomplished in her role, which helps you understand more about the person you’re hiring. This ability to recognize and communicate your value strengthens your employability skills of communication and self and social awareness.
Throughout this lesson, you’ll :
--Learn to explain your achievements in a way that connects and resonates with your peers and potential employers.
--Develop your accomplishment statements in a concise and impactful way.
--Practice communicating your accomplishment statements across various situations and audiences.
Being able to communicate your accomplishments helps you build a narrative about who you are and what you bring to the table. It empowers you to take control of your job search and career management to find purposeful work. So let’s start writing your career story!
