Showcasing your achievements in your CV
Category: Tips and Advice
Publish date: 06/04/2021
Once you’ve identified your key achievements (from any of your military experience) and aligned them to the job you’re applying for, you’re then ready to write powerful achievement statements that will clearly highlight your fit for the role. Remember though, your reader will want to see this information quickly, so make your statements clear and concise – give headlines, not the full story.
Here are some of our top tips to get you started
Keep each statement succinct Don’t try and pack too much information into a single statement. Recruiters and employers are looking to identify and process your key points quickly, so make sure the overarching message of each achievement statement is clear and to-the-point; not going off on tangents.
Present them in the right way Use bullet points at the start of each statement to increase legibility and improve the reader experience. Also, begin each statement with past tense actions verbs (organised, delivered, led etc.) as this will grab the reader’s attention for a more immediate impact.
Simplify where you can Remember, civilian employers are likely to be unfamiliar with the technical terms, acronyms and processes used within the military. Try to simplify your statements by using layman’s terms as much as possible to improve accessibility.
Lead with an action or result Try to think about whether it’s best to lead with the action you took or the result you generated. Write out your achievement statements both ways, so that you can see which style best matches your achievement to the skill/requirement of the role you’re trying to compliment with your statement.
For example: “I conducted over 45 service technician training programmes throughout the UK, reducing customer complaints by 22%” OR “I reduced customer complaints by 22% through the delivery of over 45 service technician training programmes throughout the UK.”
Achievement statements are an extremely powerful tool in helping make your CV a more impactful document. For more information or support on writing powerful achievement statements, you can arrange a meeting with your CTP Career Consultant at a time that suits you.