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Welcome to the Job Search That Works Podcast. I’m you host, Ray Gooch. Over the next few minutes, we will answer your questions about how to navigate the challenges of looking for new job landing you quickly and safely into a career you love with a bright future.
In today’s episode, we are talking about how Employers Are Not Interested In What You Do As Much As What You Have Accomplished
Highlights From the Previous Episode
But before we do, in our last show, episode 006, we talked about Five Reasons Your Resume Is Rejected And How To Turn It Into Your Own Personal Marketing Machine.
- Poor Format
- It is too long
- Your Objective limits you
- You fail to highlight your Accomplishments
- Wrong keywords
If you missed it, you can listen by going to JobSearchThatWorks.com/006.
On This Episode
Employers Are Not Interested In What You Do As Much As What You Have Accomplished
There’s a big difference between Duties and Accomplishments.
Duties:
- Are all the routine things you do in the performance of your job.
- Are done as a part of the minimum expectation in the performance of your job.
Accomplishments:
- Are those achievements beyond the daily routine.
- They bring added value and benefit to your employer.
A Pharmacist’s duty may be to greet customers and count pills. However, an accomplishment may be that the pharmacist grew the pharmacy from 150 scripts per day to filling 450 scripts per day within a 12 month period by speaking to neighborhood groups and civic organizations on dangers of common drug interactions.
Perhaps you are struggling to recognize your accomplishments. Consider that:
- We all have them.
- We get so good at performing our responsibilities that we often fail to recognize how we distinguish ourselves from our co-workers.
- Employer reviews don’t tell the whole story. You may get a pat on the back for doing a good job and that’s about it. Who knows? Maybe your boss might think you will want a big raise if they point out too many exceptional things you have done.
Accomplishments demonstrate that you have made your company money, saved your company money or improved processes within the company. These activities show your worth beyond being a warm body that can deliver the minimum requirement.
Here’s a simple way to identify your accomplishments and move you toward being able to articulate them.
Take out a piece of paper and make three columns on it. Next, put heading on those columns. Title the left column “Challenge”, the middle column “Action Taken” and the right column “Results”.
Challenge | Action taken | Results
Fill out a page for each position you have held within each company for which you have worked.
I said this task is simple, not easy. It takes some thought. If you are having difficulty, consider the things your co-workers came to for. These will be indicators of your strengths. We are usually confident about something we do well. That is where we usually make a valued contribution.
The second step to this process is articulating our accomplishment.
Let’s continue the Pharmacist example.
- Our pharmacist writes down the challenge in the first column. It is 150 scripts per day which is a low number. In the second column, she writes down how she attends neighborhood groups and civic organizations like Rotary or Kiwanis talking about some common drug interactions that are commonly overlooked. She offers herself as a resource for safely administering medications. Especially to children and aging parents who are often unaware of potential danger.
The she writes in the third column how the number of scripts kept improving over the year reaching 450 per day. That is a 66% increase in the number of daily prescriptions fill in just one year.
A student in one of my classes spoke up saying, “ I am a bailiff in a federal court. I don’t have any accomplishments.” To the contrary, if you don’t maintain order, will that slow down proceedings? “Yes.” he answers. Does it cost the court money when there are delays that you have direct control over? “Yes.” he answers again. Do you think the judge might have something to say to you if delays were a result of something you did or did not do? “Yes.” he replied. Then you have accomplishments. You simply need to use the formula you have been given to recognize them and learn how to share them.
- Assembly worker? What about a 15% increase in hourly production by re-positioning the parts supply within reach and the natural range of motion?
- Or a Pizza Delivery Manager who reduces accidents by 13% through adjusting the customer expectation from 30 minute to 45 minute delivery times. There was a national chain that did just that.
Click here to download the Accomplishment Worksheet I mentioned in the podcast. You can use to help you identify the contributions you make to your employer.
Here are seven examples of where you will use the accomplishments you uncover.
- In your 30 second elevator pitch during networking opportunities.
- On your resume or CV.
- In your cover letter.
- During Informational Interviews
- In formal telephone or face to face interviews.
- During offer negotiations.
- When you are asking for a raise.
Imagine how much more confidence you have when you know your worth and can talk about the value you bring. It is nothing less than life changing.
I have interviewed many thousands of job seekers over the years and it is truly rare when a candidate can communicate their value. Be one of the few and you will stand head and shoulders above your competition. Rest assured that you will be remembered by the hiring authority.
Someone who can communicate their worth is a breath of fresh air in the drudgery of interviewing scores of candidates, looking for that rare jewel. Knock the dust of and polish your presentation. Be that rare jewel the next hiring manager you speak with is looking for.
Recap
In review, we talked about the difference between duties and accomplishments. How knowing how to talk about your accomplishments will cause you to stand out in the crowd.
Something to Ponder
“By taking the time to stop and appreciate who you are and what you’ve achieved – and perhaps learned through a few mistakes, stumbles and losses – you actually can enhance everything about you. Self-acknowledgment and appreciation are what give you the insights and awareness to move forward toward higher goals and accomplishments.” – Jack Canfield Thank you for spending time with me today. I truly appreciate it.
What are your thoughts?
I want to make sure our time together is beneficial for you. Let me know some of the struggles you are having with your job search. I would love to help. You can go over to http://www.JobSearchThatWorks.com and click on the the voice message icon on the left side of the page. As long as you have a microphone on your device, you can just tell me your challenge and I might just include you asking your question here on the show. You can also share your thoughts with us in the comment section of the show notes. Until next time ….
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Ray,
Great job in presenting to job seekers the importance of listing accomplishments on their resume! Your advice was spot on and every job seeker would benefit from listening to your podcasts. You have a no nonsense approach and provide the needed information (without the fluff) to help everyone thinking about, or involved in, a job search.
Hi Steve. Thanks for you feedback. This may be a new concept to many, but a resume is a marketing brochure. Just like any advertising, the reason to buy the product must be front and center. Where skill sets and duties let the employer know that they are in the right isle in the supermarket, accomplishments are the reason for choosing you … your brand … over other applicants. Everybody claims their brand “gets clothes cleaner, brighter and smell fresher,” accomplishments are the proof! Do you have any examples where highlighting accomplishments has paid off for you?
Ray – I REALLY appreciated this podcast and found your advice here amongst the most valuable thus far. Two big challenges in this realm, however are: (1) how to let go of the negative feelings regarding a recent job? I’ve been struggling with this for awhile. I LOVED the recent role and was doing an excellent job (and was well compensated which, of course, doesn’t hurt!) In fact, I may have been taking on too much responsibility and leadership because, while those at the company at large were grateful and appreciative, my direct supervisor felt threatened. The more that others turned to me for help, input, work, and advice, the more threatened she became. And I believe she was looking for an excuse (any excuse, however bogus it might have been) to weasel me out… I’ve been sad and angry for so long now b/c of this experience; it’s hard to move on from that negativity and let it go (no matter how much I know that would help). I essentially felt unrecognized and unappreciated; and, worse, even though others at the company (including our entire team except the supervisor) recognized & appreciated my worth and value in that circumstance, I was, nonetheless, shoved aside. So, I feel out here, all alone; you know what I mean? (Truth be told, that isn’t the first circumstance in my work history where I have felt unrecognized and undervalued — at least, as in that situation, by the one I reported to.) (2) What do you do when others take credit for your work? This happened in the situation described. And in many situations that I’ve been in. It does impact how you present yourself to potential employers b/c you’re not certain whether references will back you up on what you described as your role, responsibilities, and accomplishments. I pride myself on giving credit where credit is due, especially when people report to me. In fact, one of my strengths as a coworker, colleague or supervisor (when I’ve had that opportunity) is that I recognize peoples strengths and contributions and I express gratitude about what they bring to the team on a regular, almost constant, basis. Feedback I’ve received is how much people generally like working for or with me because I bring out their best. So, I feel particularly resentful when others (usually superiors) take credit for my work and don’t acknowledge or recognize my contribution. Thanks for listening!!
Hi Jackie. Thanks for listening and I’m glad you are benefitting from the podcast.
Letting go of negative feelings is difficult as long as we see the source of those feelings coming from someone outside ourselves. It is difficult, if not impossible to change another person.
Letting go of negative feelings comes much easier when we accept total responsibility for our reaction to circumstances. In all likelihood, the people who have treated you unfairly aren’t losing any sleep. So all your negative emotion is only hurting you.
Leave it in the past and realize that your future is created in the present moment. Don’t waste the present moment pondering negativity. That only creates more of what you don’t want in the future. Keep the present positive.
Take it a step further and forgive those who have wronged you. It frees you from negativity. Besides, we grow as a result of tough times. Those unpleasant experiences offer the opportunity to become a stronger, wiser individual … one that we may have never become without the challenge.
Remember the Biosphere project from several years back. One of the issues they had in that self-contained environment was limbs falling out of the trees. Kind of a hazard. Later it was attributed to a lack of wind inside the Biosphere. No wind resistance for the trees. Similarly, if we don’t have resistance in our lives, we become inflexible and brittle.
Regarding others taking credit for your work … my advice would be very similar to what I shared above with one caveat … document your accomplishments and save any reviews or communications that support your work.
Participate in groups with similar interests, such as active groups on Linkedin. Join in the conversations and add your thoughts. Then, start your own dialog that others can contribute to. Become known as an expert in your field.
Hope this helps. – Ray