Achievements in your CV

An achievement means that a particular objective has been reached. Achievements are defined by:

• Describing what was used to reach the objective.
• What objective was reached.

Example: Used new sales channels to increase market share beyond the state borders. The result was a 25% increase in turnover for the company.

What does the above statement say?

Skill Used: creativity, sales channels, initiative.

An achievement statement must impress, "increase turnover" will not get you anywhere unless you define the results, preferably with actual figures. Vague adjectives are to be avoided since they do not give a clear indication your results.

When employers read impressive achievement statements they will want to discuss this further and analyse if you can implement these achievements in their business.

Securing an interview is not an easy business; you have to provide the right reasons for potential employers to want to speak to you!