How to write CV achievements that get noticed
The bullet points under each job are the most important part of your CV. Recruiters skim them to answer one question: how well did this person do the job? Duties don’t answer that. Achievements do.
Duties versus achievements
| Duty | Achievement |
|---|---|
| Responsible for helping users with IT problems | Resolved 60 support tickets a week at 96% within SLA |
| Looked after patients on the ward | Cared for 6 to 8 patients per shift on a 32-bed surgical ward |
| Did the monthly reports | Cut month-end reporting from 6 days to 4 by automating the pack |
| Worked in a warehouse | Picked 120 units an hour at 99.5% accuracy |
A simple formula
Action verb + what you did + the result or scale.
- Action verb: Led, reduced, built, delivered, trained, resolved, improved.
- What you did: the task, project or responsibility.
- Result or scale: a number, a percentage, a time saved, a size, or a clear outcome.
For example: “Introduced a falls prevention checklist (what) that cut ward falls by 40% (result)” starts with “Introduced” (action verb).
Where to find your numbers
You probably have more numbers than you think. Look for:
- Volume: patients, tickets, customers, orders, calls or shipments per day or week.
- Size: team members, budget, number of sites, beds, users, megawatts or devices.
- Time: how much faster something became, or how often you delivered on time.
- Quality: accuracy rates, satisfaction scores, audit results, zero incidents.
- Money: savings, revenue, sales against target.
If you don’t know an exact figure, a fair estimate is fine (“around 50 calls a day”). Never invent a number. You may be asked about it at interview.
When there’s nothing to count
Some achievements are about trust or improvement rather than numbers. Show them with specifics:
- “Chosen to act as nurse in charge on night shifts after one year.”
- “Wrote the onboarding guide now used for every new starter.”
- “Trained two new colleagues on the stock system.”
How many bullets per job?
Three to six for your current or most recent roles, and one to three for older ones. Put your strongest achievement first in each role, and lead with the ones that match the job you’re applying for.
Get examples for your job
Every page in our CV examples includes achievements written this way, with [X] where your own figures go. Open one for your job, then click “Build this CV now” to start the builder with those bullet points ready to edit.
Build an ATS-friendly CV
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