I was talking to a potential client recently and he expressed concerns about developing his executive resume with achievement-driven statements because in his words, "I don't work in sales or finance, so I don't have strong achievements to talk about it - I didn't increase revenues or cut costs. How do I get around that"
So often, when we hear about a company's success, it is all about the revenues and profits or cost containment and new market expansion. However, you have to keep in mind that it takes a lot more than sales and finance to keep a company running smoothly and performing well.
What would happen to a company's growth if:
- The employees were disgruntled and underperforming
- The customers were complaining and dissatisfied with customer service and/or the product
- The internal operations lacked technological innovation and its performance lagged behind competitors
- The turnaround time on product development and delivery was lengthy
- There were no standard policies and procedures for getting things done, so everyone used a different approach
- Senior management had no easy way to monitor progress in the company
- The staff lacked proficiency and were not properly trained
See where I am going with this - did any of these ring a bell with you?
It's not always about dollars and cents. I cannot count the number of times that I have worked with professionals who were convinced that they did not have any achievements worth mentioning.
Ask yourself this question - what have I done within my career that has helped to:
- Save time
- Improve efficiency
- Enhance accuracy
- Turn around a critical situation
- Expand product or service to customers
- Expedite a process
- Create a new service or product
- Increase brand recognition or customer loyalty
- Decrease employee turnover or dissatisfaction
I may not know you personally, but I KNOW that you have plenty of achievements to put on your resume and to talk about in your interviews...trust me.
Abby M. Locke, Executive Director of Premier Writing Solutions (www.premierwriting.com),
is a Nationally Certified Resume-Writer and Personal
Brand Strategist who helps senior-level
professionals and C-level executives achieve personal success with customized,
branded executive resumes
and career marketing documents.
