How To Present Your Accomplishments on a Resume

Formatting accomplishments the right way on your resume can turn a basic job history into a compelling story of growth and success. When your achievements are clear and organized, they do a better job of grabbing attention and proving your impact.

Accomplishments show employers what sets you apart from other candidates with similar job titles. While job duties explain what you were responsible for, accomplishments demonstrate what you achieved. For example, anyone with the title “Project Manager” could be expected to lead meetings and oversee timelines. But only you might be able to say, “Delivered 15 projects ahead of schedule while cutting costs by 12%.” This shift from duties to accomplishments turns your resume from a job description into a proof of impact.

Here’s how to structure your accomplishments so they capture the value of your experience.

Use Bullet Points Under Each Job

List your accomplishments as bullet points beneath each job in your experience section. Keep each bullet point short (ideally one or two lines) so your resume is easy to skim.

Examples:

• Designed a new employee training manual that reduced onboarding time by 30%
• Led a team of five to complete a $100,000 project two weeks ahead of schedule

The right number of bullets for each job depends on how relevant the job is to your current search. A highly relevant job may have many, while an unrelated job might have just one or two. For any job description with more than five bullets, consider dividing the points into smaller groups as in this template example:

Balance Brevity With Detail

Each bullet point should be long enough to give context, but short enough to scan quickly. A bullet that says only “Improved processes” is too vague, while one that runs over three lines may lose the reader’s attention. Aim for about 15–20 words, focusing on the action you took and the outcome you achieved.

If you have multiple accomplishments under one job, try to group them by theme. For instance, you might organize bullets under categories like leadership, process improvement, or customer success. This structure makes your resume easier to skim and highlights the full scope of your contributions.

Order Bullet Points by Relevance

Start each bulleted list with the achievements that best match your target role. For example, if you’re applying for a sales job, list “Increased revenue by 25% in one year” before less relevant details like coordinating office events. When you order bullet points by relevance, it helps ensure hiring managers will see your strongest qualifications first.

Tailoring your bullet points can be one of the fastest ways to customize your resume for different jobs. Let’s say you worked in retail and are now applying for a customer service role. In one version of your resume, your first bullet point might emphasize “Maintained a 95% customer satisfaction score across 12 months.” If you instead apply for a management track position, you could reorder the same experience so the first bullet is “Trained and supervised a team of eight employees, reducing turnover by 20%.”

This small change requires no rewriting, but it ensures that your most relevant accomplishments are seen first

Tip: Reordering bullet points is a great way to tailor your resume for each job application.

Keep a Consistent Format

Use the same sentence structure for most or all your accomplishment bullets. This approach creates visual consistency across each list, making your resume look more polished.

Here’s a reliable format to follow:

• [Action verb] [task or project] that [result or impact]

Example:

• [Designed] [scheduling system] that [improved employee coverage and reduced overtime by 35%]

Use Strong Action Verbs

Accomplishment bullets are most effective when they start with energetic, specific verbs. “Directed,” “Launched,” “Reduced,” and “Generated” show initiative and results, while weak openers like “Responsible for” or “Assisted with” downplay your contributions. Review each bullet on your resume and replace vague verbs with stronger ones to give your writing more impact.

Quantifying Your Achievements

Numbers make your accomplishments more credible and memorable. When possible, show the scale of your work with metrics like:

• Percentages: Increased efficiency by 25%, improved retention by 18%
• Dollar amounts: Saved the company $50,000 annually by streamlining contracts
• Timeframes: Completed migration project three weeks ahead of schedule
• Volumes: Processed 200+ invoices monthly with 99% accuracy

Even if you don’t have exact figures, use estimates based on available data. For example: “Improved onboarding time from three weeks to less than two.” Recruiters know not every achievement can be quantified, but they value any numbers you can provide.

Julia Toothacre

Chief Career Strategist

Julia Toothacre offers a multifaceted perspective on career development, drawing on over 12 years of experience in career counseling, coaching, and strategy.