ACCOMPLISHMENTS - Make a Difference in your JOB search

Accomplishments..."ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS."

You must be able to convince a recruiter or H.R. manager that you will bring value to your employer.

Accomplishments come from two places. The first is from you — right out of your memory. Begin compiling your accomplishments by taking out paper and pen or opening up a computer document and just start typing away. The best place to start is your work history; get out that resume you need to update for this job-search.

Go through each job entry and recall all the things you are proud of, things that made a difference, added value to the company. Did you increase sales? Find a way to shorten the time to market? Improve an inventory system? Were you involved in crafting a successful marketing plan or developing a piece of software? Keep writing. It doesn’t matter how many accomplishments you have — the more, the better.
For now, write down the entire story associated with each accomplishment — what you did, how you did it, and how the company benefited from your effort. This is rich training for interviewing and it’s a great motivational exercise to build personal confidence.

Use the PAR (Problem, Action, Result) Process to define your accomplishments...

Problem: What was the problem or situation or challenge?
Action: What did you do to solve the problem or improve the situation?
Result: What was the outcome? Where possible, include percentages, dollar figures or other metrics.
For example:
Problem: A disorganised and inefficient warehouse
Action: Redesigned the layout to improve organisation
Result: Saved the company $175,000 in recovered stock

Once you have completed your P-A-R's, confirm the statements into bullet points. The most effective approach is to phrase each point as "action and result" with some slight integration of the "problem" and rephrasing of verb tenses as necessary.

More Examples:

1. Increased sales 150% over a two-year period through introduction of new products, revamped advertising program, disciplined pricing program and restructured domestic sales.
2. Reduced lead-time between order acceptance and delivery 25% through a revised engineering system. Established improved system of process engineering and inventory control to coordinate with production planning.

You may think you are just another cog in the wheel of a great machine — but if you are doing what you are supposed to be doing — and doing it well — that is a justifiable accomplishment.

Finally, remember too that accomplishments can come from outside your work experiences — from volunteer work, hobbies, civic involvement, and the like. And recent college grads can pull accomplishments from their college experiences.

For Additional Information...

http://www.newhopechurchpa.org...

Contact...

Len Deane Jr.

deaneL70@verizon.net