Is Your Resume a Mere List of Responsibilities?

Take your resume to the next level by turning a list of responsibilities into a list of accomplishments.

Occasionally I see people write a resume that is a simple list of their core responsibilities. The resume reads fine. It adequately communicates the information about the responsibilities a person has had in a particular job. The resume also explains the skills a person has developed.

However, a stronger resume is one that shows accomplishments when performing responsibilities. You can easily turn a boring list of jobs into a resume that will get you a job.

For an example, a core responsibilities resume might state something like this statement:

Worked as a liaison between marketing and production
Kept the marketing informed on the status of product supply versus demand

However, an accomplishment-oriented resume might describe the same responsibilities, but the wording has more zing and creates a success story. The wording discusses the same responsibilities but with the added punch of accomplishments and might read something like this:

As liaison between marketing and production, increased communication efficiency by 25% by implementing digital texting
Enabled marketing and production to respond with 100% accuracy to accelerate or decelerate production as required in the marketplace
Reduced costs thirty percent (30%) in the first six months on the job

Therefore, as you are looking over your resume, you might consider areas where you can use more effective wording to peak a hiring manager’s interest and to enable your resume to rise to the top of the pile by adding an accomplishments twist to what might otherwise be a bland recap of your duties. Emphasize accomplishments and success. Focus on areas where you made a difference.

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