There are many things that can make the difference in your resume. There are plenty of objective and subjective reasons why HR authorities choose one resume over another. Resume experts compete to unravel the secret of a successful resume/CV. Some say it is all about specific content, while others say that it is all about how you organize the information. At Prime-Resume we don’t believe there is any secret that will grant you anything. It is rather a combination of resume writing techniques that can bring positive results. No secret, no magic, no success formulas. Nevertheless, there are certain components that are essential for an effective resume. In this blog post, we are not going to list them all, but rather focus on what we think can make the biggest difference in one’s resume. 
Common resumes are all around job responsibilities. Job seekers used to focus on what they did, for whom they did it, and when they did it. In addition, they try to add acquired skills and qualifications by inserting long fluffy statements that often bring in no useful information at all. That is the picture of a run-of-the-mill resume submitted for a job opening. Sometimes it can get you an interview or two, sometimes it doesn’t. We believe that such a resume is not good enough when one wants to get a decent job. In order to increase your chances of opening an interview door, we recommend you to consider highlighting your accomplishments. When we say accomplishments, we don’t mean those great things you perceive as accomplishments. What we mean is performance statistics that demonstrate how well you performed at your position. Obviously, when such statistics is negative there is no way it will help you in any way. When your resume revolves all around accomplishments (and not boring job descriptions), you will stand out among the crowd of other candidates.
The reason for that is that measurable accomplishments tell more about your qualifications than fluffy statements about how skillful and professional you are. If you manage to focus your resume on the accomplishments, you will likely set yourself apart from the rest. However, it is not always easy to come up with measurable accomplishments on one’s resume. Well, if you are a sales expert, there is nothing easier than that. In such cases, conveying your success in $ in revenue is essential. Many people mistakenly assume that this can be done for sales or financial industries only. Measurable accomplishments could be created for any position; those are not going to be dollars for any position though.
Now, remember, the whole idea is to persuade the hiring authority representative that you are a qualified specialist who will be a good match for a position. If you are applying for a customer support position, then mentioning specific % by which you have increased customer base or how many new client accounts you acquired will be a good idea. If looking to fill up an HR position, let them know on your resume how you increased employee retention rates. For a lawyer, it would make sense to demonstrate how many cases you have won. And the list can go on and on. It is important to keep in mind that it is not just about the numbers. What makes the numbers more effective is an explanation about how you achieved those numbers. Besides, in those explanations, you could mention some other important skills. One of the most important things is to tailor your resume/CV to every job opening. If you keep the aforementioned things in mind, you will increase your chances of getting an interview. It’s all up to you from there.
If you wonder how you can turn your duties into accomplishments, check this new article.
