90 Accomplishments for a Resume [Examples for 2024]
Create Your Resume Now
Putting examples of accomplishments on a resume is the key to making employers want to hire you. Most candidates only outline duties and responsibilities. But the employer knows what you did from your job title. Creating a list of your accomplishments for a resume shows how well you performed and what you achieved.
This guide will show you:
- 90 examples of accomplishments for a resume.
- Where to put career or personal achievements in a resume.
- How to list resume accomplishments to impress every recruiter.
- How to find your most relevant accomplishments to put on a resume.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
Need other ideas to improve your resume? Check the guides below:
- How to Update Your Old Resume
- How to Make Your Resume Stand Out
- How to Edit Your Resume
- The Best Things to Put on a Resume
- ATS-Compatible Resume
- 500+ Resume Examples
- Best Resume Templates
- Hard and Soft Skills on Your Resume
- Transferable Skills on Your Resume
- ChatGPT Resume
What Are Accomplishments for a Resume?
Accomplishments for a resume are your work achievements used to impress the recruiter with your job application. They impress recruiters more than your duties and responsibilities because achievements are demonstrated by numbers, unique to your experience and relevant to the job you’re after.
Here are some facts about resume accomplishments:
- The best resume achievements examples are those that are relevant and impressive.
- Resume accomplishments can come from many areas of your life. You might want to highlight work accomplishments examples, but they can also be related to your education, especially if you’re writing an entry-level resume.
- You can also think of personal accomplishments examples, such as receiving a professional award, getting a job promotion, or earning a new degree.
And since 73% of recruiters struggle to find relevant candidates, you need to prove you have relevant skills and have achieved something applicable in their company.
To make sure your best accomplishments grab recruiters’ attention, use the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula. Using it will also help to distinguish your achievement, which produced concrete results, from a day-to-day responsibility.
Let’s see how it’s done.
Pro tip: If you’re unsure which of your accomplishments will work best on a resume, revisit the job ad and investigate exactly who they are looking for. Visiting a company’s social media ad website can also give you a great update on what they’re currently facing.
Where to Put Resume Accomplishments?
You can put your resume achievements in different sections of your resume. It all depends on where those accomplishments are coming from.
Work Experience Section
The work experience section of your resume is the most important part. Employers read resumes pretty much for the sole purpose of reviewing your work history.
Here’s how to list examples of achievements in the resume work experience section:
- Use up to 6 bullet points and action verbs in every entry in your work experience section.
- Focus on the business outcome of your actions and quantify your achievements.
- At the bottom of each work experience entry, add a section entitled “Key Achievement.” Describe the proudest, most impressive professional win.
Let’s use the following example: there’s a job for a Software Engineer, and one of the key requirements is proficiency in testing automation. A resume achievement example relevant to the position could read:
| RIGHT |
|---|
| Key achievement: Optimized the testing process by developing an AI-based test automation tool; reduced testing time by 55%. |
- Problem? Testing took too long.
- Action? New test automation tool.
- Result? Testing time cut by 55%.
You can use this method to make every responsibility on your resume sound like an accomplishment.
Education Section
If you’re a new graduate, you’re still a student, you’re looking for an internship, or you don’t have relevant work experience, including examples of achievements in the resume education section can be a great idea. Especially since that’s the more important part of your document in this scenario.
Here’s a list of accomplishments for the resume education section:
- Making the Dean’s list
- Achieving an exceptionally high GPA
- Graduating with honors
- Taking part in extracurricular activities
- Being a Phi Beta Kappa
- Being involved in a study abroad program
- Finishing relevant coursework
- Participating in academic projects
As you can see, there are plenty of education-related resume achievements examples that can impress your recruiters.
Resume Profile
A resume profile is the very first thing your future employers will see. There are three ways to build it right:
- If you have lots of relevant experience, the heading statement of your resume will be a resume summary.
- If you’re not that experienced, you’ll need a career objective.
- If you’re a very experienced candidate with many relevant accomplishments, you might consider writing an extensive summary of qualifications—a heading statement used in combination resumes.
See this example for reference:
Summary of Accomplishments Examples
Skilled customer service representative with 6+ years of experience. Received 98% favorable customer ratings at Second Level Industries. Customer retention for regular callers was 41% above the company average. Seeking to use proven service and sales skills to grow customer loyalty for Verizon.
It works as a perfect trailer for your entire resume and includes some great achievements that will make your future employer read on. And that’s a great win, considering that most recruiters spend 7 seconds looking at a resume.
Extra Sections
You might have some personal accomplishments examples in your life that are relevant to the position you’re trying to land but don’t quite fit the experience or education sections of your resume. In this case, use the additional sections to include those achievements.
Which additional sections of your resume can contain relevant achievements?
- Awards on a resume show you’ve actually won something and followed your career goals.
- Certifications and licenses on a resume show you’re a skilled pro who’s gained some knowledge and is ready to work.
- Attending conferences as a listener shows you’re really passionate and eager to keep developing.
- Publications on a resume position you not as a pro but as an authority in your field.
- Hobbies on a resume can perfectly back your soft skills.
So now you know where to list accomplishments on a resume, let’s see how to do it right.
Learn more about delivering a perfectly formatted resume. Read our guide: Best Resume Format for 2024
How to List Your Achievements on a Resume?
Positions in large companies attract as many as 250 resumes. The more detailed you present your achievements, the more you stand among other candidates. To make it right, base your accomplishments on one of these three factors:
1. Resume Accomplishments Based on Frequency
- How many times a week/month could you do certain tasks?
- How much work were you able to complete within a given period of time?
- How long and how complicated were the projects you’ve completed?
See these examples of achievements based on frequency:
- Resolved 50+ user tickets daily.
- Designed social media posts: 3 per week on LinkedIn, 3 per week on Facebook, and 6 per week on Instagram. Reached 30,000 customers/week with a monthly social media budget of $300.
- Coordinated an internal newsletter sent every day to 60+ coworkers.
2. Resume Accomplishments Based on Scale
- How many people were there on your team?
- How big were the budgets you’ve handled?
- How many countries/regions was the company active in?
Look at how it works in practice in these scale-informed accomplishments:
- Collaborated with cross-functional project teams of 24 colleagues from sales and operations departments to provide tailor-made customer experience to the clients.
- Trained and mentored 8 associate-level employees to reach a specialist position.
- Spearheaded the branding consistency across 8 national markets.
3. Resume Achievements Based on Range
If you can’t figure out the exact numbers, it’s okay to estimate, as long as the range you enter is well-informed.
See this example:
Negotiated with office supplies vendors, saving the company $12,000–$17,000 annually.
Even though there are no precise numbers of savings, this achievement still works well and impresses.
So now you know where and how to list accomplishments on a resume, let’s see some examples listed by the industry.
Pro tip: Whenever it’s possible, include the outcome that was the result of your achievements. That way, you show your recruiter that you understand the impact your actions have on the company.
Creating a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide and use content from Certified Professional Resume Writers to have a resume ready in minutes.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.
90 Examples of Career Achievements for a Resume
Here are the types of professional wins that recruiters expect to see on your resume to consider you as an attractive candidate:
List of Professional Achievements for Resume
- Revenue or sales you increased for the company
- Money you saved for the company
- Time you saved for the company
- Problems you identified and solved
- Ideas or innovations you introduced
- Procedures or systems you developed, implemented, or optimized
- Special projects you worked on
- Industry awards you won (i.e., Best Digital Marketing Campaign Award)
- Work-related awards you won (i.e., Salesperson of The Year)
- Promotions to higher positions you got in your job
- Additional training you completed and professional certifications you received
- Funding, grants or scholarships you received
- Popular publications, reports, or presentations you (co)authored
- Blogging and influencing on social media
- Media coverage you gained for the company
- Other accomplishments, such as volunteering or achievements in sports
Now, let’s see how that works in practice on resumes for different professions.
You can copy the examples below, paste them into your resume and make minor adjustments: enter your actual metrics and KPIs and list projects and initiatives in which you participated.
Resume Accomplishments for Administrative Jobs
Administrative Assistant
- Managed busy schedules and travel plans of 3+ corporate executives while performing general office administration duties.
- Saved $3,000 a year in office supplies after negotiating a new deal with the current supplier.
- Commended for creating the in-house newsletter to communicate management’s vision. Reduced email back-and-forth by 20%.
See more examples: Administrative Assistant Resume Writing Guide
Receptionist
- Managed training and travel schedules and budgets for an organization with 300+ employees.
- Implemented a new CRM with reporting capabilities. Cut costs by 30% and improved efficiency.
See more examples: Receptionist Resume Writing Guide
Office Manager
- Oversaw eight office assistants in a high-volume tech business. Led the team to grow new contracts by 22% per year.
- Built all daily work schedules. Grew the team through direct performance feedback and annual appraisals.
- Decreased clerical errors by 55% by sourcing new data entry automation software.
See more examples: Office Manager Resume Writing Guide
Professional Accomplishments Examples for Sales and Customer Service
Sales Representative
- Developed relationships with 110 new clients and typically exceeded sales goals by 20%.
- Maintained 99% accurate product knowledge in a high-volume retail store.
- Closed average 5 sales per day in outbound telemarketing.
See more examples: Sales Representative Resume Writing Guide
Customer Service Officer
- Maintained customer retention rate 45% above company average.
- Boosted new customer NPS scores by 10%.
- Placed and canceled an average of 200+ orders from customers, distributors, and agents a week.
See more examples: CSR Resume Writing Guide
Cashier
- Achieved Employee of the Month 3x through efficiency and accuracy, with 2nd highest sales rate for store rewards cards.
- Successfully trained and coached 3 junior staff members.
- Achieved 20% higher accuracy rates than all other cashiers store-wide.
See more examples: Cashier Resume Writing Guide
Examples of Professional Accomplishments for IT and Programming
Software Engineer
- Increased code efficiency of XYZ Corp customer portal by 55%.
- Reduced security breaches by 73% for all customers company-wide.
- Built security into new product features to achieve 100% compliance with industry best practices.
See more examples: Software Engineer Resume Writing Guide
Web Developer
- Increased user experience scores by 55% for XYZ, Inc.
- Prototyped an average of 25 new product features per year.
- Drove best practice implementation for 22 employees across multiple departments. Decreased rework by 23% and costs by 15%.
See more examples: Web Developer Resume Writing Guide
UX/UI Designer
- Completed all projects within deadlines, securing at least 90% client satisfaction scores.
- Created a mobile note-taking app that got 8000+ downloads.
- Deployed new features with 10% higher performance than the historical average.
See more examples: UX Designer/UI Developer Resume Writing Guide
Accomplishment Examples for Students and Recent Graduates
Entry-Level Candidate
- 2x Dean's List 2017–2019
- Chief Editor of the University Blog from 2016 to 2018.
- My article in the school paper on mobile computing was linked to by Techdirt.
See more examples: Entry-Level Resume Writing Guide
Internship Candidate
- Completed two study abroad experiences and a semester-long research internship with XYZ Corp.
- 1st Place, 2017 Innovation Award: awarded $10,000 for the best senior project (out of 400+ projects) by faculty vote.
- Completed a two-month internship with Adobe. Commanded by the internship supervisor for resourcefulness and attention to detail.
See more examples: Internship Resume Writing Guide
Work Accomplishment Examples for Education and Teaching
Teacher
- Increased standardized test scores in Math (30%) and Science (24%) by implementing creative coursework into the curriculum.
- Received Teacher of the Year Award in 2010 after demonstrating strong skills in teacher/parent communication.
- Developed AP Chemistry curriculum and helped 43 out of 50 AP students receive 3 or a better score on the AP Chemistry exam.
See more examples: Teacher Resume Writing Guide
Tutor
- Maintained 95% positive feedback from clients, and raised grades by one letter grade for most.
- Raised SAT scores 40% on average for SAT retest clients.
- Tutored three different students for the SATs. All final scores were higher than 1500.
See more examples: Tutor Resume Writing Guide
Research Assistant
- Identified cell changes under microscope, determining cell counts on hemocytometers and Coulter counters with 98% accuracy.
- My article, "Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology," was published by Chronicle.com.
- Delivered on-campus presentation on the impact of sex, conflict, and pathogens on modern genomes during the Annual Molecular Biology Conference.
See more examples: Research Assistant Resume Writing Guide
Academic Professor
- Supervised 22 BA theses, 9 MA theses, and 2 PhD dissertations.
- Published over 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
- Member of the Postgraduate Studies Board from 2014 to 2017.
See more examples: Academic CV Writing Guide
Achievements in a Resume for Healthcare
Nurse
- Implemented initiatives to reduce incorrect medication administration by 78%.
- Functioned as a mentor and resource to incoming nursing staff, students and LPN/PCA staff.
- Recognized for providing top-class total patient care in an L&D unit with about 4,000 deliveries yearly.
See more examples: Nurse Resume Writing Guide
Medical Assistant
- Received 95% positive reviews in post-visit patient surveys.
- Conducted proper and concise EHR documentation for all visits. Maintained 22% fewer errors than average.
- Managed inventory and supplies. Sourced a better vendor and saved 15%.
See more examples: Medical Assistant Resume Writing Guide
Dental Assistant
- Given three commendations for efficient 4-handed dentistry from Dr. Hampton.
- Decreased setup time for dental procedure preparation by 50%.
See more examples: Dental Assistant Resume Writing Guide
Examples of Resume Achievements for Finance, Business, & Human Resources
Financial Analyst
- Saved HUDA Inc. $2.7 million by identifying low-margin projects.’
- Used MS Access to identify and improve low-performing portfolios. Increased average client revenue by 19%.
- Maintained standard costs within 1% deviation year over year. This saved the jobs of five employees who had been marked for downsizing.
See more examples: Financial Analyst Resume Writing Guide
Business Analyst
- Implemented a customer service process that reduced refund requests by 32% and direct labor costs by $2.5 million.
- Completed in-depth analyses for business optimization projects boosting revenue by 11.8%.
See more examples: Business Analyst Resume Writing Guide
HR Specialist
- Cut lead time for recruiting by approximately 50%.
- Raised employee effectiveness by 18%, and training participation by 15%.
See more examples: Human Resources Resume Writing Guide
Banker
- Worked on and closed 20+ sell- and buy-side M&A deals each worth about $1B.
- Assisted and supported a deal team on a successful $3.5B acquisition of a public company by a large private equity firm.
- Generated over $50K in revenue by targeting high-net-worth clients.
See more examples: Investment Banker Resume Writing Guide or Personal Banker Resume Writing Guide
Resume Accomplishments for Management
Project Manager
- Managed the highly successful Lean Training project for three years. Improved quality by 32%, cut lead times by 21%, and cut costs by 48%.
- Created our popular supply room relocation project. Cut wasted foot traffic by 88% across all nursing staff.
- Wrote an article on advanced organizational scheduling techniques for “Northeast PMP Weekly” magazine. The article was linked to by “Forbes” magazine.
See more examples: PM Resume Writing Guide
Team Manager
- Implemented an employee engagement program to slash food costs by 15% and cut turnover by 25%.
- Boosted my department’s internal NPS scores by 25% in 6 months.
See more examples: Managerial Resume Writing Guide
Executive
- Handled full sales cycle. Grew business by 77% through creative strategies.
- Effectively managed a team of over 270 employees in 12 locations in 3 countries.
- Spearheaded communication with clients to understand pain points. Increased customer retention by 35%.
See more examples: Executive Resume Writing Guide
Resume Achievements for Marketing and Advertising
Marketing Specialist
- Enhanced the open rate for customer online campaigns by 28%.
- Increased landing page conversion rates by 22%.
- Grew a marketing blog from zero to 25,000 visits/month in eight months.
- Increased Facebook conversion rate by 35% with a new copywriting strategy.
- Led 7 cross-functional product teams to 25% efficiency improvement and $1.2M cost savings.
See more examples: Marketing Resume Writing Guide
Graphic Designer
- Developed 200+ graphic design projects (logos, brochures, advertisements, infographics) for 7 clients in a year.
- Contributed to a customer site that won a 2016 Shopify Ecommerce Design Award.
- Won the 2016 Leibowitz Branding & Design Award.
See more examples: Graphic Designer Resume Writing Guide
PR Specialist
- Managed multiple PR and marketing annual budgets ranging from $5,000 to $300,000.
- Lead a project team in designing and implementing a comprehensive social media relations strategy for a new line of lifestyle products—grew Facebook fan base from 0 to 19,000 in 4 months.
See more examples: PR Resume Writing Guide
Examples of Accomplishments in Engineering
Mechanical Engineer
- Planned, designed, and developed tools, engines, and mechanical equipment—achieved an 18% uplift in efficiency.
- Increased workflows by 10% in year one.
See more examples: Mechanical Engineering Resume Writing Guide
Electrical Engineer
- Upgraded XYZ’s old test system to a new system running on C++, cutting average testing time by 58%.
- Redesigned machine arrangements for improved efficiency. Increased production efficiency by 35% over the previous arrangement.
See more examples: Electrical Engineering Resume Writing Guide
Civil Engineer
- Completed 8 $3 million+ projects within budget and specs.
- Found three design flaws in ongoing projects, preventing catastrophic failure.
- Headed local playground design and project management for a $60,000 project.
See more examples: Civil Engineering Resume Writing Guide
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Key Takeaway
Here’s how to highlight your achievements on a resume:
- Include your achievements in one of the following sections:
- Work experience
- Education
- Resume profile
- Additional sections
- Base your resume achievements on frequency, scale, or range and focus on the outcome of your actions.
- Quantify your best results whenever possible and use action verbs to strengthen your accomplishments.
Thanks for reading! Now I’d love to hear from you. Do you have any questions about how to include achievements on a resume? Still finding it hard to describe your accomplishments? Drop me a line in the comments, I’ll be happy to help.
About Zety’s Editorial Process
This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.
