How to land your dream job: Recruitment expert reveals the five simple things that will make your CV stand out
- A resume expert has revealed how ‘talking to achievements’ is crucial on CVs
- Carolyn Whitfield says there are five ways to ‘speak to your achievements’
- She says understanding them can also help you talk yourself up in interviews
A recruitment expert has revealed how ‘talking to your achievements’ instead of simply listing previous responsibilities on a resume can help you land your dream job.
Carolyn Whitfield from Total Resumes Australia told Seek there are five ways to speak to your achievements to give hiring managers a sense of what you can do.
The five key things to remember are knowing the difference between duty and achievement, asking yourself questions, quantifying your achievements, identifying non-quantifiable achievements and mapping the achievements listed in the job description.
Ms Whitfield says people write what they did – not what they achieved – which is why it’s vital to distinguish between a duty and an accomplishment.
Knowing the difference between duty and achievement, asking yourself questions, quantifying your achievements, identifying non-quantifiable achievements and mapping the achievements listed in the job description are the five ways to ‘speak to your achievements’
She said duties don’t paint the full picture and should be elaborated on because resumes ‘must tell a story’.
Ms Whitfield says you have to be able to illustrate what skills you have to set you apart from the crowd.
She also says asking yourself questions can help you work out how you are successful.
Ms Whitfield says people write ‘what they did’ – not what they achieved – which makes the first point, to know the difference between a duty and an accomplishment vital (stock image)
They help people work out why the company is better because of them – for example how has a project you’ve been on made the company money?
She says it is important to include the qualifications which match the job being applied for.
The next job is to quantify your achievements.
‘Every accomplishment should include the problem or challenge, the action you took, and the result of your work,’ Whitfield said.
If the result can be quantified in a figure then that should be included.
The final step is to map out the achievements according to the job description.
This can be done by looking at the requirements and making note of how you meet them with skill and experience.
Being comfortable to talk about your achievements will also make for a stronger interview.