3. Key Achievements to Put on CVs: Examples + Full Guide

Key Achievements to Put on CVs: Examples + Full Guide

Maciej Staszek Tomaszewicz
•  Update:

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Key achievements on a CV can set you apart from other applicants. While many candidates list job duties, those who fill their CVs with accomplishments show real impact.

You possess far more achievements than you realise. This guide provides examples of key achievements to put on a CV to help you exceed recruiters’ expectations.

In this guide, you’ll see:

  • How to find achievements to put on a CV.
  • Where to put key achievements on a CV.
  • 20+ examples of CV achievements for different job titles.

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What are the key achievements in a CV?

In CVs, key achievements are accomplishments that prove your skills, abilities, and impact in your past roles or projects. They demonstrate your effectiveness and dedication to meet or exceed expectations at work or school.

Examples of key achievements that make a strong CV include:

  • Meeting or exceeding company targets
  • Contributing to good customer service
  • Implementing successful projects or initiatives
  • Receiving awards or recognition
  • Increasing revenue or sales for the company
  • Identifying and solving complex problems
  • Saving a significant amount of money
  • Improving processes or efficiency

Why should you include achievements on a CV?

While every candidate can list job duties, not everyone can show what they achieved. That’s why including accomplishments in a CV is so important. Achievements add depth and credibility to your CV by showing the real results you've delivered. They help employers understand the value you bring and why you deserve to move forward in the hiring process.

Here are the key reasons to put achievements on your CV:

  • They help you distinguish yourself from other candidates by showcasing unique successes.
  • Accomplishments quantify your impact with numbers, making your claims more credible.
  • They show how you solve problems and contribute to company growth.
  • CV achievements support your key skills (both hard skills and soft skills) and experiences with real-world evidence.
  • They help recruiters scan your CV quickly and spot your top strengths.
  • Accomplishments build a compelling narrative that holds the reader’s attention.
  • They show ambition and a track record of going above and beyond.
  • Key achievements enhance your chances of passing ATS filters that search for specific keywords and results.

How to find achievements to put on CVs?

Not sure what counts as an achievement? You’re not alone. Many people overlook their accomplishments because they’re too close to the work to see the results. But if you’ve solved a problem, improved something, or helped someone succeed, you’ve likely achieved more than you think.

To uncover your key achievements, start by reflecting on your past roles, projects, and activities. Ask yourself questions like:

  • What problems did I solve, and what changed as a result?
  • Did I ever receive praise, awards, or positive feedback?
  • Have I saved time, cut costs, or boosted revenue?
  • Did I help improve a process, system, or workflow?
  • Was I involved in launching or delivering a successful project or initiative?
  • Did I train, mentor, or support others in a meaningful way?
  • Was I given more responsibility or trusted with key tasks?
  • Did I achieve or surpass targets, KPIs, or personal goals?

Remember, your goal is to move beyond merely listing duties and focus on the outcomes of your work. Once you’ve compiled a few strong examples, you can transform them into concise, results-oriented statements that demonstrate to employers exactly why you’re worth hiring.

 

Expert advice: Examine old appraisals, emails, reports, or even team chats. Essentially, anywhere that might remind you of times when you made a real difference. If you still find it challenging, consider seeking advice from your teachers, colleagues, or a CV specialist on how to improve it.

 

How to describe CV achievements (+ examples)

The most important thing to remember when writing a perfect CV is not to write a tedious laundry list of duties. Recruiters know what your everyday tasks look like. They are more interested in what you achieved in previous positions. Though accomplishments depend on your industry, there is a way to turn each job duty into an achievement regardless of what you do professionally. 

Here’s how to highlight achievements in a CV:

  • Use action verbs at the beginning of the sentence: for example, start each description with “increased,” “developed,” or “designed”.
  • Quantify the results of your actions: add numbers, percentages, values, and statistics to show your impact.
  • Be specific in your descriptions: avoid generalised and vague claims.
  • Use the PAR (Problem, Action, Result)or STAR (Situation, Task, Achievement, Result) formula to impress recruiters.
  • Utilise the skills-based CV format if you’re a student, recent graduate, freelancer, or career change: this will put your key achievements at the forefront.

Look at these key achievements examples that show what the result should look like:

  • Maintained an overall first-contact resolution rate of just over 90%.
  • Modified call platform settings, resulting in a >5% increase in capacity at no extra cost.
  • Exceeded minimum caller satisfaction rating with an average of 4.8 out of 5.0.
  • Increased conversion rates by 10-40% over two years.
  • Reduced stock losses by 30%.
  • Exceeded monthly sales target by a minimum of 5% for 18 months in a row.
  • Trained 11 incoming part-time staff members regarding the restaurant's procedures.
  • Developed 11 novel reporting solutions using C#.
  • Received a greater proportion of CQR requests than most colleagues due to consistently high-resolution rates (>85%).
  • Exceeded minimum caller satisfaction rate with monthly averages of 4.7-4.9 (out of 5).
  • Developed financial models for new transactions, increasing confidence ratings by 30-40% across the board.

 

Expert advice: Don’t force achievements in your CV. If you have little to no experience (including experience gained through volunteering, work placements, or internships), focus on skills or other qualifications. The effectiveness of achievements lies in how they point to your competence and engagement in previous jobs.

Where to put achievements in a CV?

Below, you’ll see the CV sections that can be packed with key achievement examples that go beyond awards and accolades.

CV profile

A CV personal profile is your CV’s opening paragraph. It’s where you introduce yourself to the recruiter. Considering how little time a recruiter spends reading a CV, it’s good to catch their attention straight away with an impressive CV achievement in this part of your document.

Here’s a CV personal statement example:

 

Driven marketing professional with 6+ years of experience improving brand visibility, leading high-impact campaigns, and exceeding growth targets. Achieved a 30% year-on-year increase in customer engagement through multichannel strategy. Recognised for leading teams to deliver results under pressure. Now seeking a senior role to continue delivering measurable success in a fast-paced environment.

 

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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Job descriptions

CV achievements should constitute the bulk of the content within your work experience section. Build each accomplishment around a strong verb in the active voice. Use ‘negotiated contracts’ rather than ‘contracts were negotiated.’ 

You should have up to six achievements for each job description, and 5–9 for more complex and involved roles. List your job descriptions in reverse chronological order. 

You can use the following template:

 

  • [Job title]
  • [Company name + its location]
  • [Dates of employment]
  • Achievements (up to six bullet points)
  • Key achievement

 

If you struggle to give at least three achievements per job description, list your duties. Then, make them into achievements by noting the scale at which you did things. For example, ‘helped customers find products’ might become ‘helped 15+ customers a day find the products they were looking for’.

Here’s a sample job description from a software developer CV:

 

Marketing Manager
BrightScale Solutions, London
May 2020–Present

  • Led a cross-functional team to launch a national product campaign, increasing sales by 42% in Q3 2023.
  • Introduced A/B testing across email campaigns, improving open rates from 18% to 34%.
  • Negotiated a new ad partnership deal, reducing costs by 25% while doubling social media reach.
  • Designed and implemented a customer loyalty programme that boosted retention by 15%.

Key achievement: 

  • Won “Team Leader of the Year” in 2022 for consistently exceeding campaign KPIs.

 

Try to fully or partially quantify every single achievement. If you don’t have enough work experience, consider writing a student CV or a graduate CV instead, as both offer ways around this.

Education section

If you’re writing a CV with no experience or a school-leaver CV, you may often lack job-related accomplishments to put on a CV. Here’s where the education section of the CV comes in handy. You can enrich it with honours, publications, awards, and relevant extra-curricular activities. They’re your achievements, too.

Here’s a sample:

 

BA (Hons) Marketing and Communications (2:1)
University of Leeds, 2014–2017

  • Dissertation: “The Impact of Influencer Marketing on Gen Z Consumers” (awarded First-Class mark)
  • Student Ambassador and Vice President of the Marketing Society

 

Additional CV sections

A great CV includes not only traditional sections, but also emphasises additional information to convince recruiters and further distinguish candidates from their competitors. Below is proof that you can find achievements in nearly every section of your CV (except for your skills and your CV header) 

Here’s how to show achievements in the additional CV sections:

 

Certifications

  • CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing, 2022
  • Google Analytics Certification, 2023

Awards and Honours

  • Team Leader of the Year, BrightScale, 2022
  • Winner, NovaComm Innovation Challenge, 2019

Projects

  • Customer Rebrand Rollout: Managed full rebrand across digital assets and retail stores in under 12 weeks, contributing to a 20% brand awareness boost.
  • Email Automation Overhaul: Implemented new workflows that improved campaign delivery time by 60% and cut customer churn by 12%.

Volunteer Work

  • Social Media Manager, Women in Tech London: Grew follower base by 300% in six months.
  • Event Coordinator, local charity fundraiser: Raised £8,000 for children’s hospice care through online campaign planning and promotion.

Languages

  • French (C1—Professional Working Proficiency)
  • Spanish (B2—Upper Intermediate)

Hobbies and Interests

  • Content creation: Run a personal blog and Instagram account focused on brand storytelling and consumer trends, with a growing audience and high engagement.
  • Digital trends: Stay up to date with emerging marketing technologies, from AI tools to new social media platforms, and experiment with them in side projects.
  • Creative writing: Enjoy writing short-form content and ad copy, which sharpens my messaging and audience engagement skills.

 

20 Key achievements examples for a CV (different industries)

In this chapter, you'll find 20 examples of CV achievements tailored to different industries. Each one was taken straight from the work experience sections and CV statements. Use these

examples of the accomplishments as inspiration to craft your own powerful statements that catch a hiring manager’s eye.

  1. Marketing manager CV achievement example:

 

  • Increased social media engagement by 65% in six months through targeted content campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.

 

  1. Sales representative CV achievement example:

 

  • Boosted regional sales revenue by £1.2 million in one year, exceeding annual targets by 18%.

 

  1. Software developer CV achievement example:

 

  • Developed a custom reporting tool that reduced data processing time by 40%, improving team efficiency.

 

  1. Project manager CV achievement example:

 

  • Delivered a £500K infrastructure project three weeks ahead of schedule, saving £35K in labour costs.

 

  1. Customer service advisor CV achievement example:

 

  • Resolved an average of 45 customer queries daily with a 98% satisfaction rating, surpassing KPI targets.

 

  1. Accountant CV achievement example:

 

  • Streamlined monthly reporting procedures, cutting financial close time from 7 to 3 days.

 

  1. Human Resources manager CV achievement example:

 

  • Reduced staff turnover by 22% in 12 months by implementing an enhanced onboarding and mentorship programme.

 

  1. Data analyst CV achievement example:

 

  • Built automated dashboards that cut reporting time by 60%, enabling weekly insights instead of monthly.

 

  1. Operations manager CV achievement example:

 

  • Cut operational costs by £150,000 annually by renegotiating supplier contracts and consolidating logistics.

 

  1. Teacher CV achievement example:

 

  • Improved GCSE pass rate in Maths from 58% to 82% over two academic years through differentiated instruction.

 

  1. Graphic designer CV achievement example:

 

  • Designed promotional assets that increased website conversions by 30%, supporting a major product launch.

 

  1. Recruitment consultant CV achievement example:

 

  • Placed 95 candidates in permanent roles within one year, achieving 120% of the annual billing target.

 

  1. Warehouse operative CV achievement example:

 

  • Reduced pick-and-pack errors by 75% by implementing a barcode scanning system and retraining staff.

 

  1. Digital marketing specialist CV achievement example:

 

  • Managed PPC campaigns that led to a 400% ROI, generating over £300K in sales in six months.

 

  1. Nurse CV achievement example:

 

  • Led infection control training, contributing to a 35% drop in patient-acquired infections on the ward.

 

  1. Business analyst CV achievement example:

 

  • Identified process inefficiencies that saved the company £90,000 annually through workflow automation.

 

  1. Admin CV achievement example:

 

  • Increased employee productivity by 8.3% by introducing a new incentive system.

 

  1. Labourer CV achievement example:

 

  • Completed a housing development project £1000 under budget, adhering to all safety and regulatory standards.

 

  1. Retail manager CV achievement example:

 

  • Increased monthly footfall by 20% and average basket size by £5, resulting in £200K annual revenue growth.

 

  1. Legal CV achievement example:

 

  • Drafted and proofed over 300 legal documents with 99% accuracy, supporting a 25% increase in caseload handled.

 

See a CV example that perfectly uses all the exemplary achievements:

Sample CV featuring key achievements

 

Sarah Thompson

Marketing Manager

sarah.thompson@email.com 

07700 900845 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahxthompson

Personal Statement

Driven marketing professional with 6+ years of experience improving brand visibility, leading high-impact campaigns, and exceeding growth targets. Achieved a 30% year-on-year increase in customer engagement through multichannel strategy. Recognised for leading teams to deliver results under pressure. Now seeking a senior role to continue delivering measurable success in a fast-paced environment.

Work Experience

Marketing Manager

BrightScale Solutions, London

May 2020–Present

  • Led a cross-functional team to launch a national product campaign, increasing sales by 42% in Q3 2023.
  • Introduced A/B testing across email campaigns, improving open rates from 18% to 34%.
  • Negotiated a new ad partnership deal, reducing costs by 25% while doubling social media reach.
  • Designed and implemented a customer loyalty programme that boosted retention by 15%.

Key achievement: 

  • Won “Team Leader of the Year” in 2022 for consistently exceeding campaign KPIs.

Marketing Executive

NovaComm Ltd, Manchester

June 2017–April 2020

  • Supported the delivery of 20+ digital marketing campaigns, contributing to a 120% uplift in leads year-on-year.
  • Managed website content strategy, reducing bounce rates by 35% and improving SEO rankings.
  • Collaborated with product teams to develop go-to-market strategies for two major product launches.

Key achievement: 

  • Received “Employee of the Month” twice for driving performance improvements across channels.

Education

BA (Hons) Marketing and Communications (2:1)

University of Leeds, 2014–2017

  • Dissertation: “The Impact of Influencer Marketing on Gen Z Consumers” (awarded First-Class mark)
  • Student Ambassador and Vice President of the Marketing Society

Key Skills

  • Campaign management: Led end-to-end delivery of multichannel marketing campaigns, achieving a 42% increase in Q3 sales through strategic planning, execution, and optimisation.
  • Content marketing: Created and managed targeted content strategies across blogs, social media, and email, increasing engagement by 30% year-on-year.
  • SEO & Google Analytics: Improved organic traffic by 45% by implementing SEO best practices and using Google Analytics to monitor site performance and user behaviour.
  • Email marketing (Mailchimp, HubSpot): Designed automated email workflows and A/B tests, boosting open rates from 18% to 34% and reducing unsubscribe rates.
  • Data analysis & reporting: Translated marketing data into actionable insights, producing monthly reports that shaped strategy and improved campaign ROI by 25%.
  • Budget management: Managed marketing budgets of up to £250K, ensuring efficient spend allocation and delivering campaigns under budget without sacrificing quality.
  • Team leadership: Supervised a team of 5 marketing professionals, providing mentoring and performance feedback that led to two internal promotions within one year.
  • Creative problem-solving: Resolved performance dips in paid campaigns by redesigning ad creatives and adjusting targeting, resulting in a 60% improvement in CTR.

Certifications

  • CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing, 2022
  • Google Analytics Certification, 2023

Awards and Honours

  • Team Leader of the Year, BrightScale, 2022
  • Winner, NovaComm Innovation Challenge, 2019

Projects

  • Customer Rebrand Rollout: Managed full rebrand across digital assets and retail stores in under 12 weeks, contributing to a 20% brand awareness boost.
  • Email Automation Overhaul: Implemented new workflows that improved campaign delivery time by 60% and cut customer churn by 12%.

Volunteer Work

  • Social Media Manager, Women in Tech London: Grew follower base by 300% in six months.
  • Event Coordinator, local charity fundraiser: Raised £8,000 for children’s hospice care through online campaign planning and promotion.

Languages

  • French (C1—Professional Working Proficiency)
  • Spanish (B2—Upper Intermediate)

Hobbies and Interests

  • Content creation: Run a personal blog and Instagram account focused on brand storytelling and consumer trends, with a growing audience and high engagement.
  • Digital trends: Stay up to date with emerging marketing technologies, from AI tools to new social media platforms, and experiment with them in side projects.
  • Creative writing: Enjoy writing short-form content and ad copy, which sharpens my messaging and audience engagement skills.

 

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

Create your CV nowcv builder

And that’s it. Now that you’ve learned everything there is to know about putting achievements on a CV, there’s only one thing left for me to do. I wish you good luck with your CV and with your future job interviews. You got this.

Want more? View dedicated CV writing guides with key achievements examples to get inspired:

How we review the content at LiveCareer 

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with LiveCareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.

Sources

About the author

Maciej Staszek Tomaszewicz
Maciej Staszek Tomaszewicz

Maciej is a certified career expert who brings over a decade of expertise in crafting tailored CVs and cover letters. He combines deep industry knowledge with a friendly, accessible writing style, aiming to empower job seekers with practical tips and insightful career advice.

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