Inventory Your Qualifications and Achievements
Why do so many resume-writing and job-search guides ask you to list your ten most significant achievements? The answer has to do with the power of positive thinking. With your greatest achievements in mind, you are more likely to think about — and represent — yourself as a valuable job candidate, full of potential.
It's not so easy to draft a summary of your qualifications, and don't worry if it takes some time. Start by asking yourself this question: What skills have I demonstrated in the past that will make me valuable in my chosen field in the future? Think of problems you have solved, instances of collaborative teamwork, or projects you managed with great success.
The best way to pick out your important achievements is to think in terms of the job or field you're aiming to enter. Freeform lists of random accomplishments are not as effective. You don't want to rely on your reviewer to figure out or analyze the significance of anything in your resume; it's your job to make your value clear.
Achievement summaries are the heart of any good resume. That's what makes a resume content-rich. They should be enough to convince the reviewer of your commitment, your qualifications, and your obvious value. It's important not to skimp on the time or energy you put into summarizing your past accomplishments; to a potential employer, your past has everything to do with the future.
