Examples of Resume Accomplishments by Experience Level & Role to Put on Your Resume

Your resume is the key to getting noticed by potential employers and securing the job you want. Including accomplishments that demonstrate your skills and value can make all the difference. But with so many candidates vying for the same job, how do you make your accomplishments stand out?

In this article, we'll show you how to highlight your achievements and make a lasting impression on potential employers. We've compiled a comprehensive list of examples of accomplishments that you can tailor to your experience level and job role, so you can make your resume shine and land your dream job.

3 Key Takeaways You'll Get From This Article

• What resume accomplishments are
• Why resume accomplishments are important for job seekers to include on a resume
• Examples of resume accomplishments by experience level and role

What Are Resume Accomplishments?

Resume accomplishments are specific examples of your achievements in your past work experience, education, or other relevant areas that demonstrate your skills, abilities, and value as a candidate.

Accomplishments can include any notable contributions or achievements that you have made in your previous roles, such as saving the company money, increasing sales, reducing costs, implementing new systems, earning awards or recognition, completing a project ahead of schedule, or exceeding performance metrics.

Accomplishments are typically presented in a bullet-point format on a resume and should be quantifiable and measurable wherever possible to provide concrete evidence of your abilities and impact.

Why Do You Need Resume Accomplishments on Your Resume?

There are several important reasons why you need to include accomplishments on your resume:

To showcase your abilities and skills

Including accomplishments on your resume is a way to demonstrate your abilities and skills to potential employers. By highlighting your accomplishments, you provide concrete evidence of your past achievements, which can help convince employers that you have the necessary skills to succeed in the role.

To demonstrate your value

Employers are always looking for candidates who can add value to their organization. By including accomplishments on your resume, you demonstrate your ability to solve problems, increase efficiency, and achieve results, which can help convince employers that you are a valuable asset to their team.

To increase your chances of getting hired

Ultimately, the goal of including accomplishments on your resume is to increase your chances of getting hired. By showcasing your skills and demonstrating your value, you can make a strong case for why you are the best candidate for the job, which can help you get hired over other candidates who may not have included accomplishments on their resume.

To stand out from other candidates

Your resume will likely be competing with those of other candidates who have similar qualifications and work experience. Including results-driven accomplishments for previous job responsibilities can help you stand out from the crowd and demonstrate why you are the best candidate for the job.

To build confidence

By reflecting on your accomplishments and recognizing your strengths, you can build confidence in your abilities. This can be helpful during job interviews or when negotiating salary and benefits.

Hiring managers will be looking for action-oriented verbs and buzzwords that are tied to these resume achievements. Words like “developed,” “led,” “improved,” “increased,” and “managed” are some of the most common. Incorporating any relevant numerical data to back up your accomplishments can give you a competitive edge.

What Should I Write for My Resume Achievements?

Achievements and accomplishments are quantifiable ways to demonstrate your commitment and performance in previous jobs or education. It's how you show that all your experiences until this point have been more than enough to prepare you to take on the position you're now applying for.

The more specific you can be, the better. When you're thinking about your past experience, ask yourself if you have any of the following that you can list on your resume:

• Praise or recognition from people you worked with
• Any promotions, academic awards, or professional awards that can be tied back to your performance
• Committees or special groups that you were selected to join and contribute to
• Notable outcomes with a number attached e.g. increasing revenue by a certain dollar amount or percentage, improving project turnaround times from one time frame to another, or academic achievements like a GPA or test score.

What you choose to note down will look different from someone else, but that's what makes your resume accomplishments unique.

Using Teal's Resume Builder with built-in AI, you can quickly and easily customize your resume to make your achievements stand out to hiring managers and applicant tracking systems. To get quality, metric-driven achievements, make sure to attach a job description to incorporate relevant keywords.

Make sure to carefully proofread and edit the bullet point achievement with specific metrics, tweaking it as needed using the Achievement Assistant tool. Remember: AI tools are intelligent, but they're not foolproof. You want to ensure you actually have the experience that AI says you do, and you want to double-check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity.

Need a stronger action verb? Swap it out. Need to change the verb tense for consistency? Go ahead and do that.

Take a close look at the job description for the position you're applying for and tailor your resume. Use Teal’s Resume Builder to quickly compare the skills and keywords in the job posting to those in your resume. Make sure to add any relevant experience to your tailored resume and personalized cover letter.

If you're looking for inspiration, we've provided tons of sample achievements in our new resume examples collection.

Resume achievements by experience level

Accomplishment examples for students and recent graduates

As a current student or recent graduate, you might be concerned about what you can put down on a resume as an achievement or accomplishment. When you have little work experience, how do you show that you've made an impact?

Even without a formal work history in the industry you're trying to break into, you can still pull some helpful examples from other life experiences and turn these into positive reflections of your character. If you've thrived in academia, call out making the Dean's List, a stellar GPA, or any merit-based scholarships.

You can also pinpoint moments during volunteering opportunities, internships, or even extracurriculars that show important skills like teamwork, leadership skills, and time management. Have you worked directly with customers in a retail store or as a server? Put that down to highlight your excellent customer service process and communication skills!

On a resume for an entry-level position, example achievements may include:

• Active member of Student Senate and appointed Treasurer for 2021-22
• Maintained a 4.0 GPA and place on Dean's List throughout entire undergraduate program
• Completed an extra credit paper and presented research findings on ecological engineering in the United States, earning a final grade of 97%
• Promoted from server to team leader during first six months of employment at a local restaurant
• Spearheaded a fundraising campaign that raised $5,000 for a local charity as the President of the Student Government Association
• Coordinated a volunteer event that served 200 individuals experiencing homelessness, resulting in an 80% increase in attendance compared to the previous year
• Conducted a research project in collaboration with a professor, resulting in a publication in a peer-reviewed journal

While your accomplishments may not be industry or job-specific, they clearly show various transferable skills and responsibilities that any company can benefit from.

Accomplishment examples for experienced professionals

When you have several years of job history behind you, you should have at least a handful of key accomplishments that you can add to your resume. These will look different depending on the industry you work in and the seniority you've had, so let's look at a few examples.

For a marketing executive or account manager role, you should have several data-driven achievements to note, regardless of the type of marketing you've done before. Work accomplishment examples could be:

• Increased online leads 278%  via these social media accounts and marketing channels and improved customer engagement rates 67% over a 12-month period
• Improved cost-per-click of digital ads, resulting in annual marketing savings of over $50,000
• Designed and launched a successful holiday email marketing campaign that generated over $450,000 revenue in 4 days
• Member of executive committee that oversaw the company's largest rebrand in over 20 years

More accomplishment examples for experienced professionals:

• Developed and implemented a new sales strategy that increased revenue by 25% in the first year
• Improved client retention rate by 15% by implementing a new customer service program and training staff to provide exceptional customer service
• Successfully delivered a complex, cross-functional project ahead of schedule and under budget, resulting in a cost savings of $500,000
• Streamlined production processes resulting in a 20% reduction in production costs over a six-month period
• Spearheaded a new product development initiative resulting in the launch of a new product line that generated $1 million in revenue in the first year

Accomplishment examples for leadership

A good leader has the ability to inspire, motivate, and guide their team towards achieving common goals. Proving you have these abilities through accomplishments on a resume is an effective way to stand out as a qualified candidate.

List accomplishments demonstrating leadership to prove to potential employers that you have the ability to lead and inspire a team, and showcase your ability to make strategic decisions, solve problems, and drive results.

Leadership accomplishments on a resume could be:

• Successfully managed a team of 20 employees, resulting in a 30% increase in productivity and a 20% reduction in employee turnover
• Led a cross-functional team to successfully deliver a complex project ahead of schedule and under budget, resulting in cost savings of $500,000
• Implemented new process improvements that reduced production time by 30% and resulted in cost savings of $200,000 per year
• Mentored and coached a team of five employees, resulting in three promotions and two successful career transitions within the company
• Successfully developed and implemented a new company culture initiative, resulting in a 20% increase in employee satisfaction and a 10% reduction in turnover
• Led a crisis management team to successfully navigate a major company crisis, resulting in a 90% retention rate among employees and customers

Accomplishment examples for career pivoters

Showing your strengths and accomplishments on a resume is particularly important for career pivoters because it can help to highlight the transferable skills and experiences that you have gained from previous roles.

By showcasing your accomplishments, you can demonstrate to potential employers that you have a track record of success, even if it is in a different field. Additionally, by highlighting your strengths and accomplishments, you can show how your unique set of skills and experiences can be valuable in your new career path.

Resume accomplishments for a career pivoter could be:

Pivoting from education to tech:

• Developed and executed an edtech program that resulted in a 20% increase in student test scores and a 15% increase in graduation rates.
• Implemented customer feedback mechanisms and developed new customer support processes that resulted in a 25% increase in customer satisfaction ratings (use customer instead of parent/student/administrator, etc.)
• Developed and implemented new data analysis processes that resulted in a 25% increase in data accuracy and a 15% reduction in data processing time

Pivoting from marketing to customer success:

• Developed and executed customer engagement initiatives that resulted in a 30% increase in customer engagement and a 10% increase in upsell opportunities
• Led the development and execution of successful customer campaigns that resulted in increased customer loyalty and retention
• Implemented customer retention initiatives that resulted in a 15% increase in customer retention rates

Achievements showing specific impact when pivoting from engineering:

• Reduced production costs: Implemented new manufacturing processes that reduced production costs by 20% while maintaining product quality
• Increased efficiency: Optimized supply chain management processes, resulting in a 15% reduction in lead times and a 10% increase in productivity
• Developed new products: Led the development of new products, resulting in a 10% increase in revenue and a 5% increase in market share.

Achievements showing specific impact when pivoting from finance:

• Increased profitability: Developed and executed a financial strategy that resulted in a 10% increase in revenue and a 5% increase in profit margins
• Developed financial models: Created and implemented new financial models that improved forecasting accuracy and reduced financial risk
• Improved financial reporting: Led a team that improved financial reporting processes, resulting in a 25% reduction in reporting errors and a 20% increase in reporting efficiency

Resume achievements by role

Resume accomplishment examples for someone in human resources:

• Successfully managed and maintained personnel files for a team of 100+ employees, resulting in an organized and efficient HR process
• Cut down training length by 2 days through implementation of a new onboarding process
• Resolved employee relation issues and supported managers and supervisors in the fair application of company policies and procedures, resulting in a positive work environment and increased employee satisfaction rates by 25% over the year
• Increased employee retention rate by 16% by developing a performance appraisal program and conducting coaching and feedback sessions

Resume accomplishment statements for an administrative assistant:

• Coordinated with prospective employees and scheduled interviews in a timely manner, leading to 15+ new full-time hires
• Managed calendars of the executive team and coordinated weekly team-wide meetings for over 50 people
• Managed schedules with subcontractors, clients, and vendors, across 6 job sites, generating $9M in revenue
• Worked as a liaison and point of communication between 12 executives and 40+ staff members

Listing achievements on your resume if you are a software engineer:

• Worked closely with the product team to re-configure the processing of invoices, saving customers over 45,000 manual hours of work per month
• Improved member's connection to healthcare by 22% by fine-tuning the search engine
• Through A/B testing of different components and combinations improved customer conversion rate by 12%, representing $250,000+ in incremental annual revenue
• Helped sales team close 6 major deals generating more than $180K in revenue by presenting easy-to-understand software solutions

Accomplishments examples for a business analyst:

• Reduced operations cost by 12% by driving continued growth of the business with a focus on standardization, repeatable processes, and scalable assets
• Increased customer satisfaction by 29% by implementing new technologies and business processes
• Saved company a minimum of $8M annually by supporting a broad range of business process improvement initiatives with reporting and analysis using a variety of software tools
• Increased revenue by $16M through analysis of data surrounding customer behaviors, vendor relationships, stakeholder goals, and workflows

Accomplishments on a resume for a project manager:

• Successfully managed deep sewer and water pipeline projects valued at up to $100M, resulting in a profit margin of 20%
• Managed and scheduled subcontractors effectively, resulting in a project completion rate of 95%
• Coordinated with foremen to anticipate and order materials and schedule employee and equipment resources, resulting in a 15% increase in productivity
• Conducted weekly meetings for project specific scheduling, budgeting, and planning with supervisors, resulting in a project completion rate of 98%

Listing accomplishments for a business development manager:

• Made an average of 8-10 dealership visits per day, resulting in a 20% increase in new sales prospects
• Collaborated with company leadership to set strategic goals and drive initiatives, resulting in a 15% increase in revenue
• Traveled locally and across the country to present partnership opportunities, resulting in a 30% conversion rate for new partnerships
• Assisted and trained dealers on documentation required for expedited funding, resulting in a 25% increase in loan approval rate

Accomplishment examples for administrative roles

If you've previously worked in an administrative role, there are plenty of professional achievements you can list around time efficiency, organization, and productivity, including:

• Scheduled and coordinated meetings for 15 senior leadership team members, resulting in a 30% reduction in meeting time requirements
• Developed a new client communication process, leading to time savings of 45 hours per month across the account management team
• Onboarded accounting department interns and provided ongoing training on company processes, procedures, and best practices

Accomplishment examples for management positions

Manager or supervisor positions will require you to show high levels of responsibility and leadership. You should include relevant accomplishments like:

• Oversaw a 35-person software development team with 40+ projects per quarter and total budgets exceeding $4.5 million
• Developed and implemented new hiring plan to help department fill open positions 17% faster than the previous year
• Managed a dispersed marketing team of 10 (7 direct reports) across 3 offices and 2 time zones, consistently exceeding monthly KPIs by 20% or more

What Achievements Should I Not Include in My Resume?

Irrelevant accomplishments

Many of your past experiences will likely strengthen your resume, but you need to be mindful of what achievements are most relevant for the applications you're submitting. Read through your resume carefully and pull out anything that could be irrelevant.

Confidential information

You may want to avoid potentially confidential details, like sales figures or annual revenue.

Academic achievements, once you've gained work experience

Once you've been in the working world for two years or more, most of your academic achievements can likely come off your resume and be replaced by job-specific accomplishments. 

Incorrect numbers

You also need to be sure that your data is correct. Employers may ask your references to confirm some of the achievements you've highlighted, so never embellish or over exaggerate results to make your resume look better. To avoid this, keep a record of any outcomes you might want to use during a future job search while in your current job.

Where Should Achievements Go On A Resume?

Some people put achievements in a professional summary at the top of their resume. Your professional summary is a chance to talk about your career in aggregate and highlight particularly notable results that are directly related to the jobs you're applying for.

Use the AI technology integrated within Teal's Resume Builder to generate professional summaries that highlight key achievements, work accomplishments, and past successes directly within the Teal platform.

For most people, though, achievements should be integrated in your "Experience" section as bullet points under each of your previous roles. This gives your professional accomplishments more context for the hiring manager by showing them how these skills and outcomes were relevant to your work. Any academic achievements should be noted under your “Education” section.

When you're formatting your resume achievements in your work experience section, this could look like:

Job Title, Company Name

January 2021 - January 2022

• Planned, directed, and implemented company SEO strategy, leading to a 212% increase in organic web traffic conversions year-over-year
• Increased page one, non-branded keyword rankings by 40% in under six months
• Trained digital marketing interns on SEO, content, and web best practices
• Served as community manager for all brand social media channels

What if you could drag and drop your work experience into a ready-made resume template? Think how much time designing and formatting your resume you'd save. Luckily, this scenario becomes a reality with Teal's Resume Builder.

Final Thoughts

It's easy to overlook exceptional results and performance outcomes when going about your day-to-day work. But for your next potential employer, those details are evidence of your success and indicate what you could do as part of their team. 

Be proud of what you've accomplished and let your results do the talking.

By using Teal's Resume Builder, you can export your resume directly as a PDF and get it into the hands of hiring managers to land you a job interview.