Highlighting Personal Achievements in Your CV: A Step-by-Step Guide

Highlighting Personal Achievements in Your CV: A Step-by-Step Guide

Your CV is your personal marketing tool that showcases your professional accomplishments. It speaks volumes about your skills, achievements, and experiences. A well-crafted CV is essential for grabbing the attention of recruiters and landing your dream job. Personal achievements in your CV can be a powerful addition that shows recruiters that you are a high-achiever and can contribute significantly to their organization. In this article, we will discuss a step-by-step guide to highlighting your personal achievements in your CV.

Step 1: Identify Your Achievements

The first step in highlighting your personal achievements in your CV is to identify them. Think about all the achievements you’ve had in your career. These could be anything from sales targets met, new clients secured, or successful projects completed. Make a list of all these achievements, no matter how small or significant they may seem.

Step 2: Quantify Your Achievements

To make your achievements stand out in your CV, you need to quantify them. Use numbers, percentages, or timeframes to measure exactly what you accomplished. For example, instead of saying ‘increased sales profits,’ you should use ‘increased sales profits by 25% in the first quarter of 2021’. Quantifying your achievements adds credibility to your claims, and it gives recruiters a clear idea of the scope of your achievements.

Step 3: Use Action-Oriented Language

When describing your personal achievements in your CV, use action-oriented language that paints you in a positive light. Begin each achievement with a strong action verb such as ‘ delivered,’ ‘ created,’ ‘ exceeded,’ or ‘ accomplished.’ This language makes it clear that you are a doer and can be counted upon to produce results.

Step 4: Tailor Your Achievements to the Role

Every job is different, and each requires specific skills and experiences. When highlighting your personal achievements in your CV, you need to tailor them to the role you are applying for. Look at the job description and make sure that the achievements you highlight demonstrate skills that the employer is looking for. This targeted approach showcases your ability to match the employer’s requirements.

Step 5: Add Relevant Keyword Phrases

Including relevant keyword phrases in your personal achievements section can increase your chances of getting past the applicant tracking system (ATS). The ATS is used by many recruiters to scan CVs for the relevant skills and experiences. Including the appropriate keyword phrases makes it more likely that your CV will be selected for further review.

Step 6: Keep it Succinct

While highlighting your personal achievements in your CV, keep it concise and to the point. Recruiters don’t want to read long paragraphs that describe every detail of your achievements. Use bullet points to break up the text, making it more readable and easier to skim.

In conclusion, highlighting your personal achievements in your CV can be a powerful tool that showcases your skills, experiences, and accomplishments. By following this step-by-step guide, you can effectively highlight your personal achievements in your CV and increase your chances of landing your dream job. Remember to quantify your achievements, use action-oriented language, tailor your achievements to the role, include relevant keyword phrases and keep it succinct.