How to showcase your job achievements

What distinguishes one electrical engineer from another? One convoy driver from another? One field nurse from another? The answer is the same for all professions: how well they do their jobs.

When writing your résumé, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and other career-marketing communications, it's not enough to focus on your job responsibilities. Rather, you want to showcase your achievements to distinguish yourself from other candidates with similar career histories and skill sets.

Note that some achievements are measurable (e.g., cost savings, productivity) while others are not (e.g., training and leadership development, technology optimization), but both demonstrate that you deliver results.

Think about the following as you identify your top achievements:

Accounting finance and contracts

-Improvements in organizational, operational and financial performance

-Design/implementation of cost controls

-Negotiation of contracts, including dollar amounts and cost savings

Engineering

-Design of new products and processes to enhance field operations

-Integration of advanced technologies

-Leadership of high-dollar projects

Operations

-Improvements in strategic and tactical field operations and results

-Your performance in difficult, challenging and hostile situations

-Startup of new tactical operations in response to changing field conditions

Technology

-Development of new technologies, and their operational and organizational impact

-Deployment and support of tech systems in challenging field situations

-Systems migration, conversion, integration and technology transfer

Wendy Enelow is co-author of "Expert 
Résumés for Military-to-Civilian Transitions" and "Executive Résumé Toolkit." http://www.wendyenelow.com