Top Accomplishment Examples for Resume Success

The resume accomplishments are your chance to show the impact you’ve made in previous roles. The responsibilities show what you were hired to do. The accomplishments - inform what you actually achieved. 

Think of this section as your personal highlight reel. You want the recruiters to say: “We need this person on our team.” Maybe you increased the sales, improved a particular process, or reduced some costs. Perhaps you led a successful project. All those wins are proof of your value as an employee. That’s how you write a resume that makes you memorable.

The job market is getting more competitive by the day. Employers are no longer satisfied with vague claims or a laundry list of tasks. They want to see results. That’s what the accomplishments in your resume will deliver. They will reflect your strengths and skills in action, but they will also help the resume get past the ATS. Why? They give you great space to include some keywords and measurable outcomes. 

The real question is: how do you write this section in your resume? Let’s break it down! We’ll explore the resume trends when it comes to accomplishments and why the section matters. Most importantly, we’ll teach you how to write and format it. 

What Are Accomplishments for a Resume?

The accomplishment section is all about the results you’ve achieved in your professional experience. It’s very different from the listed responsibilities, which describe what you were hired to do. Accomplishments show what you actually did with that role. They give tangible evidence of your value. They show your ability to make an impact, and that’s what a new employer wants to see. 

Let’s define what an accomplishment is. It’s a specific, measurable success that reflects your skills, initiative, and work ethic. Accomplishments can include meeting sales targets, making a workflow more effective, launching a successful campaign, and everything in between. The purpose of including such details in your resume is to prove that you’re more than just a doer. You’re a results-driven professional who delivers!

Accomplishments vs. Responsibilities

Job seekers often confuse these two terms. But there’s a critical difference. Think of a responsibility as something you were expected to do. For example, “Managed a team of five customer service representatives” describes a responsibility. An accomplishment shows how well you did through a practical example. Like this: “Improved project delivery times by 25% and reduced customer complaint resolution time by 40%.”

Responsibilities tell. Accomplishments sell.

Where Accomplishments Appear in a Resume

You can feature accomplishments in a few different places:

• Under each job title in your Work Experience section, featured as bullet points. 

• In a separate section, which you can label as “Key Accomplishments,” “Career Highlights,” or “Notable Achievements.”

• At the top of your resume, especially if you’re an executive or senior professional. If you check some executive resume summary examples, you’ll see notable accomplishments mentioned there.

Wherever you place them, the accomplishments should be easy to scan, impactful, and backed by data. Most of all, they must be believable, and the recruiter should be able to verify them. 

How You Can Name This Section

If you decide to create a separate section for your accomplishments, you can use one of these alternative headings:

• Achievements

• Key Contributions

• Professional Highlights

• Performance Milestones

• Selected Accomplishments

• Notable Results

Why Resume Accomplishments Section Matters

Everybody wants their resume to stand out. But the job market is too competitive, so listing your daily tasks simply doesn’t cut it. Many other candidates will list similar experiences in their resumes. Recruiters and hiring managers are scanning for impact. The accomplishment section is where you can deliver what they want to see. Mentioning your key achievements doesn’t just improve your resume; it transforms it from a basic job history into a compelling success story. 

These are the main reasons to include this section in your resume:

ATS and Recruiter Scanning Preferences 

All job hunters must know that companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) to filter resumes before hiring managers even see them. These systems prioritize resumes that include keywords and metrics that show performance. When writing about your accomplishments, you’ll include action verbs, job-specific terms, and quantifiable results. All these details increase your chances of passing the ATS scan. 

Recruiters will skim resumes for hard numbers and outcomes. They want to quickly see how you’ve made a difference. A resume packed with accomplishments will make that easier. 

Results Matter More than Mere Task Completion

Of course, you’ll list job responsibilities so that recruiters can get some details about your experience. But they only show that you did what was expected. Accomplishments show you went above and beyond. For example, “Managed social media accounts” tells us what you did. But if you write: “Grew social media engagement by 60% in two months,” - it proves you made an impact.

An employer won’t just hire someone to do a job. They are looking for someone who can make the role better. 

Demonstrate Initiative, Impact, and Problem Solving

Maybe you’ll share that you launched a new project, improved a system, or helped retain clients. All these results show you’re proactive and effective. Employers love candidates who bring value without micromanaging. If you can show that with real examples, you’ll definitely get an interview.  

Employers Don’t Want Job Descriptions - They Want Results

Hiring managers read hundreds of resumes. Many of them sound the same, so job candidates often rely on a cover letter writing service to make a difference. But it’s not just the cover letter that makes you stand out. The resume’s accomplishments show how you’ve delivered value in measurable ways. They turn vague claims like “excellent communication skills” into proof, like “Presented weekly client reports in front of top management.”

Simply put, this part of your resume answers the question every employer is asking: “What can this candidate do for us?”

Types of Accomplishments to Include in a Resume

If your instincts tell you to write every achievement you can think of, they are wrong. When writing a resume, a bit of reasoning goes a long way. You will need to list only the best achievements, which stress out your strengths and align with the job you’re applying for. Remember: everything has to be relevant. 

You should be especially careful if using AI resume writing. Remember to narrow down the suggestions only to relevant and impactful types of accomplishments. Here are some tips on what to include:

Quantified Results

Numbers speak louder than words. When you quantify your success, you’ll give clear evidence of the impact you’ve made. Here are a few examples that would work:

• Increased monthly sales by 35% within one quarter

• Reduced operational costs by 15% through negotiations with vendors

• Generated over $500K in new business in FY22

Notice that these examples are very specific. If the resume says you increased the monthly sales, the hiring manager will wonder: “How much?” When you write, you increased them by 35%, they will wonder how long it took you to get there. Metrics are not just about percentages. They are about getting as specific as you can get. Awards and Recognition

Formal recognitions are worth mentioning. If you received any awards, they will prove that your performance was acknowledged. Here are a few examples to help you figure out what to write:

• Received “Employee of the Month” award three times in one year

• Recipient of the 2023 Regional Sales Leader Award

• Earned company-wide “Customer Champion” award for client satisfaction

The listed examples are relevant for a resume because they’ve been received on the job. Again, you need to get specific, so include the dates, frequency, and any other important details. 

Promotions and Career Progress

The promotions will be visible in your Experience section since you’ll write them as separate job titles. But being promoted is an important accomplishment, which you can mention in its own bullet point. It shows you’ve exceeded expectations and were trusted with more responsibility. It’s especially worth mentioning whether the promotion was achieved with fast-track progression. Like this:

• Promoted to team lead within six months of joining

• Chosen to train new hires after only 90 days on the job

• Progressed from early-level analyst to serious analyst within 18 months

These milestones speak volumes about your leadership potential. They prove you’re focused on growth within a single organization. 

Successful Projects

If you led a product launch or contributed to a high-stakes client project, you should mention it. Such successful initiatives are strong achievements. They are particularly impactful when they have measurable results. Check out these examples:

• Led a cross-functional team to launch a marketing campaign that boosted engagement by 80%

• Managed a software migration that reduced downtime by 50%

• Delivered training program to over 200 employees, which improved compliance by 40%

When writing about successful projects and campaigns, mention your role and the outcome. 

Process Improvements and Innovations

Employers are after people who make systems more efficient. They are happy to hire someone who introduces better ways of doing things. These examples of achievements can prove you’re such a candidate:

• Reformed reporting process, cutting data entry time by 30%

• Introduced a ticketing system that reduced customer response time by 45%

• Automated inventory tracking, which saved 10 hours per week

Just think of your forward-thinking experiences, which show some problem-solving skills. 

Customer Satisfaction

If you’ve had customer-facing roles so far, think: can you express your ability to build loyalty and resolve issues through examples? Like this:

• Achieved 98% customer satisfaction scores across 12 months

• Resolved customer complaints with a 90% first-contact resolution rate

• Retained 95% of high-value clients during company reconstruction

Those are some real accomplishments that show your people skills and reliability.

Leadership

Even if you can’t brag with a formal leadership role, you can express team impact skills through the influence you had on team culture and productivity. Any kind of mentorship is worth including. 

• Mentored three junior colleagues who all received promotions within a year

• Guided weekly brainstorming sessions, improving team performance by 20%

• Coordinated team schedules and reduced overtime by 25%

Such examples show a candidate’s ability to support others and lead by example. 

Other Notable Accomplishments

Depending on your field, there are lots of other achievements you can include in your resume:

• Publications: “Published an article in Nature Physics.” Of course, you can include the article’s name and publication dates there.

• Certifications: “Earned Google Analytics Certification in 2023.”

• Volunteer contributions: “Led nonprofit fundraising event that raised $10,000.”

• Language skills: “Translated company materials into French and Italian for global rollout.”

Anything that shows your well-roundedness and relevant skills is good to list in your resume. But you have to be careful not to go overboard. You’ll have to select only the most important and relevant achievements to include… which leads us to the next point:

How to Identify and Write Your Accomplishments

This part of your resume is not about bragging about your experience. It’s about communicating real results you’ve achieved. You may be just starting out, or maybe you have several years of experience. In any case, it’s easier than you think to identify some meaningful experiences. You just need to know where to look and how to frame them. 

The CAR and STAR Methods

We’ll guide you through two popular methods for writing accomplishments:

• CAR (Challenge, Action, Result)

• STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)

Both of these methods help you structure your accomplishments by focusing on the context, what you did, and the outcome. 

This is how it works with the CAR method:

Here’s what the final bullet point would look like:

• Implemented new help desk software and trained staff, reducing customer response times by 40%. 

That structure helps you express an accomplishment concisely. It’s results-focused, so it immediately shows why you would be a valuable employee. 

Use Action Verbs

It’s only natural to start a strong accomplishment sentence with an action verb. It will instantly make your resume more dynamic. Action verbs communicate your role in the success. Here are a few examples of action verbs to use:

• Led

• Created

• Improved

• Reduced

• Designed

• Managed

• Launched

• Resolved

So instead of writing “Was responsible for coordinating events,” you can go with “Coordinated 10+ company events annually and increased employee engagement scores by 20%.”

Focus on Outcomes, Not Tasks

When writing about your accomplishments, the main rule is to avoid listing what you were expected to do. There’s a place for your tasks in the Experience section. Here, you should show what you actually accomplished. Every bullet point should answer this question: “What was the result?”

If you’re thinking about writing something like “Handled customer inquiries over the phone,” it won’t work. Try something like this: “Resolved 50+ customer inquiries weekly with a 95% satisfaction rate.”

The outcome shows you made a difference for the company you worked for. 

Brainstorming Tips: Figure Out Your Accomplishments

If you’re struggling to come up with things to write in this section, you can rely on these tips:

How to Format the Accomplishments Section

You can’t fully rely on resume builders for this section since the content has to be specifically written for your experience. But such tools can definitely help with formatting; you’ll just add the content. If you want to format your resume properly without using an automated tool, it’s still easy. Just make sure your achievements don’t get buried in a sea of text. Follow these tips:

Bullet Points under Each Job Experience

This is the most common and effective way to show your accomplishments. Just list them as bullet points under each job title in your Work Experience section. These bullets should always start with strong action verbs. When writing, focus on results. 

Like this:

Marketing Specialist

Moulinex | 2021-2023

• Launched a product campaign that increased website traffic by 50%

• Reduced advertising expenses by 20% while maintaining conversion rates

• Trained 3 interns; all of them transitioned into full-time roles

This is a good format because it naturally integrates achievements into the context of your responsibilities. It helps recruiters understand the impact you made in each role. 

Separate Section 

If you have notable wins that span multiple roles or you’re in a senior position, you have enough material for a dedicated Key Accomplishments section. You can also name it Career Highlights. This format works well when positioned right after the summary, at the top of the resume. It’s important to place it before the Work Experience section since you want the recruiter to first notice these strengths. 

Use Bold for Emphasis

The point of proper resume formatting is to guide the reader’s attention. You can use bold formatting for important numbers or keywords. But you mustn’t overdo it. Just highlight the results or metrics! 

For example: 

• Increased sales by 40% YoY through a targeted outreach strategy 

When the recruiter is skimming your resume, this simple yet effective tactic will bring the most important details to their attention. 

Keep the Formatting Consistent

No matter what format you choose, keep it consistent. If you’re using bold for numbers, do so throughout the entire resume. Keep the layout, bullet style, and verb tense aligned across roles. Consistency shows attention to detail. It’s an underrated soft skill, but a really important one. 

What to Write in the Accomplishments Section: Industry-Specific Examples

Your resume must be relevant and compelling. That’s why you should tailor your accomplishments to fit your industry. You can keep the format the same, but the type of results and terminology can vary widely across different fields. You should pay special attention to this part of the content if you’re changing careers. 

We’ll give you a few specific strong accomplishment examples for a resume for different industries. They will inspire you to write your own resume. 

Corporate Roles 

Sales:

• Increased regional sales by 35% within 2 years; became a top-performing representative in Q3.

• Closed over $1.2 million in new business through strategic partnerships and client referrals.

Marketing:

• Launched an SEO campaign that improved organic search traffic by 120% in six months.

• Managed product rebranding initiative, which led to a 25% boost in customer engagement.

Administration:

• Implemented a digital filing system that reduced document retrieval time by 60%. 

• Coordinated travel and scheduling for a 10-member executive team, which improved logistics efficiency. 

Technical Roles 

IT:

• Migrated company infrastructure to a cloud-based solution, which reduced downtime by 40%. 

• Developed an internal ticketing system, which cut IT response time from 4 hours to under 1.

Engineering:

• Designed and tested a prototype that reduced material waste by 18%. 

• Initiated safety compliance policies, which resulted in zero incidents over 12 months. 

Data Science:

• Built a predictive model that increased customer retention by 15% using churn analysis. 

• Automated reporting processes, which saved the analytics team 20+ hours monthly.

Healthcare

Nursing:

• Managed care for 12+ patients per shift while maintaining a 98% patient satisfaction score. 

• Trained 5 new hires on infection control procedures, which reduced incidents by 30%. 

Medical Administration:

• Implemented an electronic health records system, which reduced appointment processing time by 25%. 

• Coordinated a vaccination campaign that reached 95% of the clinic’s patient base. 

Education

Teaching: 

• Improved student test scores by 20% through customized lesson plans and interactive methods.

• Led an after-school STEM club, which placed 3 students in the state science fair. 

Academic Administration:

• Increased enrollment by 15% through targeted outreach programs and campus events.

• Guided the student onboarding process, which cut processing time in half. 

Creative Fields

Graphic Design:

• Designed digital assets that increased social media engagement by 70% over three months. 

• Created branded templates used across 6 departments; that brought design time down by 30%. 

Content Writing:

• Wrote a landing page copy that improved conversion rates by 45%. 

• Produced 50+ blog posts that drove 200K+ monthly views and ranked for high-volume keywords. 

Nonprofit and Public Sector

Nonprofit:

• Wrote grant proposals that secured over $300,000 in funding within 12 months. 

• Managed volunteer program, which increased participation by 40% and retention by 25%.

Government/Public Sector:

• Managed budget planning for municipal projects totaling $2M; all projects completed under budget.  

• Led a recycling education campaign that raised public participation by 50%.  

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Listing Resume Accomplishments

If you decide to write your resume from scratch, you should be aware of some common pitfalls in the resume's accomplishments section. Avoiding these mistakes will ensure your resume truly shows your impact and makes a strong impression on hiring managers:

Need help?

This section is more than a list. It’s proof of your value. When you show measurable results, wins that are relevant to your industry, and a clear impact, you’ll make a great impression as a job candidate. If you don’t feel confident enough to write about your achievements, you can always rely on our resume service! A pro writer will help you include all the right listings, and they will help you set yourself apart from candidates who simply list tasks!