60+ CV Achievements: Examples & How to Add Them to a CV

CV achievements can set you apart from other applicants. While many candidates list job duties, those who fill their CVs with accomplishments show real impact and secure the best job opportunities. 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 describe accomplishments in a CV.
• Where to put career achievements on a CV.
• 20+ examples of CV achievements for different job titles.

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What are achievements on a CV?

Achievements in a CV are specific, quantifiable examples of the results you delivered in your past jobs, such as reducing costs and hitting revenue targets. They show what you accomplished, not just what you were responsible for.

Instead of listing tasks or duties, achievements focus on impact. They explain how your actions improved performance, saved time or money, increased revenue, reduced errors, or supported better outcomes.

For example: “managed customer accounts” is a responsibility. “Increased customer retention by 15% by improving follow-up processes” is an achievement.

Career achievements in a good CV commonly show:

• Receiving professional or industry recognition for performance or contribution.
• Leading or playing a key role in special projects or initiatives.
• Successfully handling complex business or team challenges.
• Identifying and fixing problems that improved results or efficiency.
• Growing revenue, sales figures, or client portfolios.
• Reducing costs, waste, or time through smarter ways of working.
• Launching or helping introduce new products, services, or processes.
• Meeting or exceeding targets, KPIs, or performance goals.
• Creating or proposing new ideas that led to positive change.
• Improving quality, accuracy, or compliance standards.
• Increasing productivity or output across teams or departments.

Achievements make your CV more convincing because they turn experience into evidence and help employers see the results you can deliver in their role.

Why should you include career achievements on a CV?

While every candidate can list job duties, not everyone can show what they achieved. In fact, Forbes reported that only 26% of resumes (American CVs) included at least five instances of measurable results, while 36% of CVs had no quantified accomplishments.

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

• They help you distinguish yourself from other candidates.
• CV achievements quantify your impact with numbers, making your claims 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.
• CV accomplishments help hold the reader’s attention.
• They help pass ATS scanners that search for specific keywords.

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.

How to find achievements to put on a CV

Many people think they don’t have achievements, but they often do – they just haven’t labelled them that way. Achievements are usually hidden inside your everyday work.

Start by looking at your regular tasks and asking simple questions: 

• Did you improve something?
• Did you solve a problem?
• Did your work save time, money, or effort?

Any positive change you helped create can be turned into an achievement for your CV.

It also helps to review emails, appraisals, or performance reviews for clues. Look for numbers, feedback, or outcomes that show progress. Even small improvements matter when they show consistency and impact.

If numbers are hard to find, estimate responsibly. Use averages, timeframes, or percentages where possible. The goal is to show the difference your work made.

How to present achievements on a CV

The most important thing to remember when writing your 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.

When writing a CV, approach creating accomplishments in the following way:

• 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: they show a defined approach to creating accomplishments that impress recruiters.
• Utilise the skills-based CV format if you’re a student, recent graduate, freelancer, or making a career change CV: this will put your key achievements at the forefront.

1. Include CV achievements in the personal profile

The personal profile sits at the top of your CV and is often the first section recruiters read. This makes it the ideal place to include one strong, high-impact achievement that’s the most relevant to the position you’re pursuing.

Here’s an example of using CV achievements in a personal profile:

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2. Present achievements in the work experience section

The work experience section is where achievements should appear most often and in the most detail. Build each accomplishment around a strong verb in the active voice. Use ‘negotiated contracts’ rather than ‘contracts were negotiated.’ Follow these with a measurable outcome where possible.

You should have about 3–6 achievements for each recent job description and 1–3 for older ones (10 years or older). List your job descriptions in reverse chronological format.

You can use the following template to structure your CV work history:

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’.

Can’t include any metric at all? Emphasise your impact through action-oriented wording. For example, ‘maintained project documentation’ can be improved to ‘maintained accurate project documentation that supported smooth handovers and reduced follow-up issues’.

Here’s a sample job description with strong CV achievements from a web developer CV:

3. Improve your education section with CV accomplishments

Career achievements don’t belong only to work experience. Your education section can also highlight valuable results, especially for your first CV.

Focus on outcomes linked to your studies. This might include strong grades, relevant projects, dissertations, placements, or recognition you received. Many extracurricular activities help employers see your potential and how your learning translates into practical skills.

For example, instead of listing a degree alone, you could mention a final-year project, a top grade, or coursework that solved a real problem. If you completed group work, research, or industry-linked assignments, these can also count as achievements.

Here’s a sample education section with strong CV achievements:

4. List CV achievements in the skills section

The skills section doesn’t have to be a simple list of abilities. You can strengthen it by turning key skills into achievement-backed statements on your CV. This shows not only what you can do, but also how well you do it.

This approach works best for experienced professionals who can connect each skill to a CV achievement. Using accomplishments in the CV skills section helps:

• Prove your skill level with evidence.
• Reinforce your work experience without repeating it.
• Make your CV more engaging and results-focused.

Below is a strong example of how to present skills with CV achievements:

5. Strengthen your CV with achievements in the bonus sections

Bonus sections are a strong place to include CV achievements that don’t fit neatly into your work history or education. These sections allow you to highlight results from projects, awards, volunteering, or specialist activities without overcrowding your main CV sections.

CV accomplishments in bonus sections should still focus on outcomes. For example, instead of listing an award name alone, briefly explain why you received it. For projects or volunteering, describe what you achieved, improved, or delivered as a result of your involvement.

Common bonus sections where CV achievements work well include certifications, awards, projects, volunteering work, publications, and professional memberships. These achievements help show initiative, commitment, and impact beyond day-to-day duties.

Here’s an example of using CV achievements in bonus sections:

60 CV achievements examples for various industries

In this section of the article, I present 60 sample accomplishments for various industries. All of them present quantified results you can adapt to improve your own personal statement or work experience sections.

1. Marketing manager CV achievement examples:

2. Sales representative CV accomplishment examples:

3. Software developer CV achievement samples:

4. Project manager CV accomplishment samples:

5. Customer service advisor CV achievement examples:

6. Accountant CV achievement samples:

7. Human resources manager CV accomplishment examples:

8. Data analyst CV accomplishment samples:

9. Operations manager CV achievement examples:

10. Teacher CV accomplishment samples:

11. Graphic designer CV achievement examples:

12. Recruitment consultant CV achievement samples:

13. Warehouse operative CV accomplishment examples:

14. Digital marketing specialist CV accomplishment samples:

15. Nurse CV achievement examples:

16. Business analyst CV achievement samples:

17. Administrator CV accomplishment examples:

18. Labourer CV accomplishment samples:

19. Retail manager CV achievement examples:

20. Legal CV achievement samples:

Sample CV with key achievements

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.

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Looking for more articles? See our dedicated CV writing guides to help you build an even better CV:

• Best Fonts to Use on a CV
• Best UK CV Format
• How Long Should a CV Be?
• How to Introduce Yourself on a CV
• Modern CV Templates That Enhance Your CV
• References for a CV
• Should You Add an Address to a CV?
• Start a CV the Right Way
• Transferable Skills to Put on a CV
• What Should a CV Look Like

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

• UC Davis: Guidelines for Accomplishment Statements
• Forbes: 7 Data-Backed Ways To Get Up To 18x More Job Interviews In 2026