Highlight Achievements Over Duties in Your Resume or LinkedIn

When applying for a job, your resume or LinkedIn profile is your first opportunity to impress employers. Instead of simply listing job duties, focus on highlighting your achievements—real, measurable results that demonstrate your value to the company. By emphasizing accomplishments over duties, you can stand out and show employers the unique value you bring to their organization.

1. Understand the Difference: Job Duties vs. Achievements

Job duties are the basic tasks you’re expected to perform in your role. They provide a general overview of your responsibilities but don’t necessarily communicate your impact. Achievements, on the other hand, showcase how you excelled in your role and contributed to the company’s success. They demonstrate your skills, problem-solving abilities, and overall value.

Example:

• Job Duty: “Managed customer service inquiries.”
• Achievement: “Resolved over 100 customer inquiries per week, achieving a 95% customer satisfaction rate.”

By framing your work in terms of achievements, you illustrate that you went above and beyond the basic expectations.

2. Use Action-Oriented Language

When describing your achievements, use strong action verbs to make your contributions stand out. Words like “led,” “improved,” “increased,” “launched,” and “streamlined” add dynamism to your descriptions and highlight the proactive role you played.

Example:

• Instead of “Responsible for managing a team,” say “Led a team of 10 to successfully complete projects on time and under budget.”
• Instead of “Handled client relationships,” say “Cultivated strong relationships with clients, resulting in a 30% increase in repeat business.”

Action-oriented language shifts the focus from what you did to how you made an impact.

3. Quantify Your Achievements

Numbers speak volumes. Adding specific figures, such as percentages, dollar amounts, or time saved, helps employers understand the scale of your contributions. Whenever possible, quantify your achievements to show the impact you had on the business.

Example:

• Job Duty: “Managed social media accounts.”
• Achievement: “Increased social media engagement by 40% in six months through targeted content strategies.”

Including numbers adds weight to your resume and gives your potential employer a clearer picture of your abilities.

While you focus on showcasing achievements on LinkedIn or highlighting your achievements on your resume, it’s also helpful to be aware of some common mistakes in job hunting. Learn more about the common mistakes to avoid in job hunting by checking out our article on Job Hunting Dos and Don’ts: Common Mistakes to Avoid.

4. Use the CAR Method (Challenge, Action, Result)

The CAR method is a simple framework for effectively communicating your achievements. It helps you tell a concise, compelling story of how you overcame challenges and delivered results.

• Challenge: What problem or challenge were you faced with?
• Action: What action did you take to address the challenge?
• Result: What was the outcome? Include measurable results when possible.

Example:

• Challenge: A high employee turnover rate was affecting team performance.
• Action: Introduced a mentoring program and revamped the onboarding process.
• Result: Reduced turnover by 25% and increased employee satisfaction by 15%.

This method not only highlights your problem-solving skills but also proves your ability to create positive change.

5. Focus on Key Contributions

Think about times you went above and beyond your regular duties or were involved in initiatives that had a significant impact. These are the achievements that will help you stand out.

Example:

• Job Duty: “Assisted with inventory management.”
• Achievement: “Implemented a new inventory system that reduced stockouts by 20% and saved the company $50K annually.”

By focusing on key contributions, you show employers that you didn’t just do your job—you actively enhanced the company’s success.

6. Tailor Achievements to the Role

The best way to make your achievements relevant is to align them with the job you’re applying for. Read through the job description and identify the skills and qualities the employer values most. Then, adjust your achievements to reflect these priorities.

Example:

• If the job requires leadership skills, highlight achievements that demonstrate your ability to manage teams, make strategic decisions, or drive change within an organization.
• If the role requires strong analytical skills, focus on achievements that showcase your problem-solving or data-driven approach.

7. Avoid Overloading with Job Duties

Your resume or LinkedIn profile isn’t the place to list every duty you were responsible for. Instead, focus on the most important achievements that directly relate to the role you’re seeking. Employers don’t need to know every task you did—they want to know how well you did it and what kind of results you delivered.

Example:

• Job Duty: “Participated in team meetings.”
• Achievement: “Proposed new marketing strategies that led to a 15% increase in lead generation.”

8. Use a Two-Part Format for Clarity

Sometimes, it’s helpful to clearly separate your responsibilities from your achievements under each job. This format makes it easy for employers to see the context of your work and your standout accomplishments.

Example: Marketing Manager – XYZ Corp.
               January 2018 – Present
Responsibilities:

• Manage the company’s digital marketing campaigns.
• Oversee content creation and SEO strategies.

Key Achievements:

• Launched a successful social media campaign that increased website traffic by 50%.
• Developed email marketing strategies that led to a 30% conversion rate.

This structure allows you to show both the scope of your responsibilities and the impact of your work.

9. Show Progression and Growth

If you’ve been in your role for a longer period, show how your achievements evolved. Employers want to see that you’ve taken on more responsibility and that your achievements grew over time. This reflects your ability to take on new challenges and consistently contribute at a higher level.

Example:

• Early Role: “Managed the company’s social media accounts.”
• Later Role: “Developed and executed a digital marketing strategy that increased brand visibility by 30%, resulting in a 20% growth in sales.”

By showing your growth and progression, you demonstrate your commitment to developing professionally and driving results.

Conclusion

Highlighting your achievements over your job duties is one of the best ways to make your resume or LinkedIn profile stand out to employers. It shifts the focus from just what you did to how well you did it and the impact you made. By using action verbs, quantifying results, and using frameworks like the CAR method, you can clearly show your value and demonstrate that you’re not just another applicant—you’re the right candidate for the job.