How Do I Say...?

How to Describe Your Experience on Your Resume

Use accomplishments! Think back to your past jobs, internships, volunteering, class projects, student organizations, or other experiences where you went above and beyond, increased the value of the organization, or demonstrated success. You could have improved an event, corrected a problem, increased sales, obtained new information, streamlined a process, or de-escalated an issue. All of these are achievements or accomplishments!

Accomplishment Statements vs Responsibility Statements

Responsibility statements more closely resemble job descriptions that tell a potential employer what you do. These are not as effective for your resume.

Accomplishment statements tell an employer on your resume how well you do what you do using strong action verbs, quantifying and qualifying your experience and skills, and showcasing results or purpose in ways that are tailored to your industry. Accomplishment statements are bullets that go under the job, activity, volunteer program, or other experience on your resume. These are very effective for your resume.

How to Write an Accomplishment Statement

Power Verb (What skill did you build?) + Detailed Tasks or Duties (What did you do?) + Results, Purpose, or Impact (Why did you do it? What was the result?)

Accomplishment statements are written as brief bullets using the formula above. Start each accomplishment statement with a strong, power verb. You can scroll to the bottom of the page to see lots of examples of these statements for your resume. Accomplishment statements on resumes can help employers understand your experience by:

  • Qualifying and quantifying experience with numerical values (How much? How often? How many?)
  • Highlighting the career competencies desired by employers in every industry 
  • Translating your experience toward your field of interest 

 

Examples of Responsibility vs. Accomplishment Statements

Red X Incorrect 
  • Served food to guests
 Green check mark Correct
  • Communicated daily with group of 7-14 coworkers to provide high-quality customer service

 

Red X Incorrect 
  • Worked with team for student organization
 Green check mark Correct
  • Collaborated with 5-person executive board for XYZ organization to evaluate progress on annual goals

 

Red X Incorrect 
  • Completed group project
 Green check mark Correct
  • Developed 7-page action plan addressing regulatory and economic restraints for local waterwaste project

 

Add these accomplishment statements as bullets to describe your jobs, volunteering, class projects, and other experience to your resume. See these resume examples for more ideas of what your entire resume can look like.

EXAMPLES: COMMON STUDENT ROLES

Babysitter/Childcare Provider

  • Ensured safety and enrichment of 4 children ages 5-11 daily after school
  • Organized safe, fun, and educational activities such as visits to the park and artistic crafts
  • Developed and maintained client base through establishing relationships and consistent referrals
  • Educated children on concepts from homework assignments and supported independent problem solving
  • Listened to and interpreted needs of children and communicated any concerns clearly to guardians

Construction/Maintenance Worker

  • Studied specifications of building plans/maintenance projects to select appropriate materials
  • Outlined work completed daily and emailed 1-3 page document to update supervisor on progress
  • Followed detailed procedures and regulations to ensure team safety
  • Collaborated with 3-8 painters to gather supplies, paint houses, and meet specifications of job
  • Examined job/tested appliances after work completion and identified any problem areas

Lawncare Provider

  • Maintained lawns and landscaping for 10-14 clients weekly
  • Negotiated with clients to set reasonable rates and created detailed contracts for work completed
  • Developed and maintained client base through establishing relationships and consistent referrals
  • Organized weekly schedule for 2 staff members and shared clearly in writing
  • Promoted services through physical and digital fliers, emails, social media, phone calls, and word-of-mouth referrals resulting in 15 new clients over 3 month period

Lifeguard

  • Oversaw safety and experience of 20-40 swimmers daily
  • Certified in CPR and First Aid and prepared to perform life-saving techniques for children and adults
  • Coordinated with 6 staff members to ensure consistent lifeguard coverage and transition between shifts
  • Demonstrated attention to detail by managing financial transactions totaling up to $1,000
  • Communicated consistently with 10-15 staff members to seat and serve guests in fast-paced environment
  • Trained 4 new staff members on restaurant procedures and provided feedback on guest service

Sales Associate

  • Increased product knowledge and sales experience by working in different departments
  • Processed returns and purchases of $2,000+ with cash, credit cards, and gift cards
  • Responded promptly to customer questions to provide high-quality experience
  • Collaborated with 5-7 staff members to quickly organize store before opening to shoppers
  • Troubleshoot digital register and product inventory software to increase efficiency with technology for staff
  • Identified specific needs of customers to provide product recommendations

Secretary

  • Adapted Excel spreadsheet to clearly show names, locations, and numbers of physical files in the office
  • Maintained physical file organization for 15 staff members with member information
  • Listened and interpreted members’ needs on phone and through email to direct them to the correct department or resolve issues quickly
  • Interacted with 5-10 staff members to provide support on administrative duties such as delivering documents, typing handwritten documents, and proofreading emails
  • Logged items in digital and physical inventory systems, following detailed procedures to help future customers easily locate items

Server/Host

  • Effectively managed multiple tasks to serve 3-5 tables simultaneously
  • Managed guest relation issues to resolve quickly and to the satisfaction of the customer
  • Demonstrated attention to detail by managing financial transactions totaling up to $1,000
  • Communicated consistently with 10-15 staff members to seat and serve guests in fast-paced environment
  • Trained 4 new staff members on restaurant procedures and provided feedback on guest service

Student Assistant

  • Contributed to office administrative work by communicating regularly with 5 staff members about office needs
  • Analyzed current student file organization and wrote a brief proposal for supervisor about how to manage a more efficient system
  • Welcomed residents and checked in guests, following housing procedures, to ensure building safety
  • Built relationships with students, faculty, and staff who needed support with technical problems across campus
  • Reported office interactions with students in advising system (Navigate) to provide cross-campus communication

Student Athlete

  • Selected as 1 of 20 team members after completing a 20-hour intensive training period
  • Participated in 10 philanthropy events yearly to represent the university
  • Dedicated 20 hours per week to training and competition while balancing 15 academic credit hours

Student Leader

  • Professionally led all bi-weekly meetings to encourage networking and workplace skill development
  • Actively recruited 25 club members and appoint all 5 officer positions
  • Oversaw fundraising effort with a team of 4, raising $300 in one semester
  • Created and sent weekly emails to correspondence officer for distribution to 120-150 club members

 

EXAMPLES: EXPERIENCES BY AREA OF STUDY

Arts

Freelance Graphic Design

  • Consulted with 10-20 clients to determine and address branding needs
  • Created corporate branding package including logos, business cards, PowerPoint templates, and letterhead
  • Used Adobe Illustrator to create designs and shared printing specifications with clients
  • Consistently met deadlines to ensure quality experience for clients

Music Director

  • Directed young adult choir of 10-20 vocalists for local church
  • Organized and led 2 special music services annually, including auditions and rehearsals for choir
  • Played piano and accompanied young adult choir

Stage Technician

  • Coordinated with stage and production staff to ensure smooth coordination and implementation of 10 productions
  • Inventoried all stage equipment and recorded in Excel, reporting data monthly to supervisor 
  • Maintained cleanliness and order of performance and rehearsal spaces for ease of use by cast and crew
  • Oversaw and supported packing, loading, and transporting all equipment for off-site performances

Business

Human Resources Internship or Job   

  • Screened 40+ applicants for open positions daily, paying attention to detail 
  • Clearly communicated job requirements with applicants to identify best candidates to interview
  • Retrieved unemployment claims, collected confidential customer information, and conducted daily log entries diligently        

 

Management Internship or Job

  • Regularly scheduled and supervised duties of 6 employees
  • Conducted opening and closing procedures such as product inventory, store cleaning, and accessing multiple security systems
  • Exemplified reliability and punctuality by completing all assigned tasks in a timely manner

 

Sales Associate

  • Consistently exceeded $2,500 sales quota through 100 calls and product demos weekly
  • Identified and targeted prospects with consistent calls and emails, adding 30 new clientsover 6 months
  • Handled amounts exceeding $5,000 daily while maintaining accurate balances and deposits

 

Shadowing

  • Shadowed an insurance services professional for 2 days
  • Conducted 4 informational interviews with various staff members to gain industry insight
  • Accompanied a broker on a site visit and observed daily protocol, professional etiquette, and client-company confidentiality
  • Attended a staff meeting to learn about current projects including expanding the division

Communication

Marketing Class Project

  • Collaborated with 5-person team to develop action plan for addressing marketing strategies for Fortune 500 company
  • Researched client needs and created solution-based layout to best suit functionality requirements
  • Led project with confidence through organizing team meetings, tracking progress, and providing forum for discussion

 

Newspaper Staff Writer

  • Investigated 5+ stories each week by attending events, interviewing key individuals, and conducting online research
  • Wrote and proofread 2 stories on sports, news, or arts and entertainment for weekly publication
  • Consistently met deadlines to fact check up to 15 stories per week

 

Public Relations Class Project

  • Coordinated and supervised a 6-member committee and maximized committee potential by delegating to members’ strengths
  • Conducted personal outreach to various media outlets which led to first-time coverage from 4 outlets
  • Wrote press releases and secured media publicity through radio, paper, and internet sources, positively representing the brand

Education

Childcare Provider

  • Ensured the safety, health, and welfare of 2 children, ages 3 and 8, everyday after school, providing transportation home and activities
  • Organized fun and educational activities such as visiting the park and artistic crafts that promoted age-appropriate development
  • Supported learning by explaining homework and working through problems together

Student Teaching

  • Planned materials for thematic, age-appropriate units clearly and concisely for 30, 6th grade English students 
  • Implemented positive classroom management strategies to actively engage students in learning activities
  • Individually tutored students in English topics including grammar, vocabulary, and writing
  • Created, collected, and organized inclusive instructional materials and resources for classroom
  • Communicated with parents to schedule teacher conferences to discuss any student successes or struggles in a professional manner

Tutoring

  • Tutored students in various academic subjects including English and social studies
  • Facilitated 4-person group and individual tutoring sessions, increasing students reading comprehension by 2-3 grade levels in one academic year
  • Assessed student performance and progress through sessions and tracking course grades
  • Collaborated with department administrator through daily meetings and planning sessions

Healthcare

 

Medical Surgery Clinical Rotation

  • Performed basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and administer blood and intravenous infusions in a 90-bed medical center
  • Treated patients with acute conditions: heart attacks, respiratory distress, shock, observing advanced and invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
  • Educated patients on wound care, infection control, and proper usage of incentive spirometers

 

Pharmacy Technician                                                                   

  • Developed advanced understanding of the pharmaceutical industry language
  • Communicated effectively with customers, physician offices, and drug representatives about questions regarding prescriptions and drug interactions
  • Supported pharmacist by productively assembling, stocking, and distributing medications
  • Complied with rules, regulations, and procedures to maintain a clean and safe pharmacy for customers
  • Ensured data for insurance claims was accurate, updated, and consistent

 

Service Volunteer and Observer

  • Greeted patients, family, and visitors and directed to appropriate destinations
  • Compassionately talked with patients to ease anxiety during transportation to scans or procedures
  • Observed 3 physicians for 100 hours, discussing diagnostic testing and treatment plans with physicians
  • Gained knowledge about surgery as a medical specialty by observing 120+ patient contacts through making rounds and 25+ minimally invasive surgeries

Science

STEM Education Volunteer

  • Educated groups of 10-30 students about DNA isolation techniques including PCR and gel electrophoresis
  • Organized and coordinated 20+ volunteers to staff 30 STEM education tabling events 
  • Presented and explained DNA models to encourage high school students to consider STEM majors in college
  • Reviewed 15 student science projects and scored according to strict rubric

Student Researcher

  • Collaborated with primary investigator to outline and design experiment
  • Tracked and recorded experiment progress daily, inputting data into Excel
  • Designed poster and presented research at the Strong Researcher Conference
  • Learned and closely followed protocol on preparing hazardous waste for disposal

Veterinary Technician/Volunteer

  • Calmly greeted and communicated with pet owners to complete check in process
  • Organized animals and exam rooms, providing care for animal boarded or hospitalized
  • Collaborated with veterinarian to keep animals still and calm during medical exams

Technology

Electrician Assistant

  • Installed electrical wiring alongside licensed electricians, adhering to job specifications and local codes
  • Tested electrical systems using various devices to ensure proper functioning of system and safety of all on-site workers
  • Learned and followed safety protocol when using power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment
  • Maintained tools, vehicles, and equipment meticulously and kept parts and supplies in order
  • Composed detailed 3-5 page safety reports outlining work tasks to be completed and hazards associated with different roles and tasks

Robotics Club Project

  • Designed robot for national competition by collaborating with 2 team members
  • Programmed robot using LabView and completed 3D printing training
  • Created custom wiring for control of unit during competition
  • Awarded first place in Really Stellar Design Competition

Web Programming Class Project   

  • Directed project leader of 4-person team and developed a database to track animal adoptions
  • Used Visual Basic to establish a new user interface
  • Incorporated Java, HTML, and Flash for more interactive user experience