How to improve your resume? You’ve heard the advice: Fill your resume with accomplishments instead of job responsibilities! But that is easier said than done, isn’t it?

It is often hard to remember accomplishments from past positions. Even if your memory is fresh, identifying your accomplishments requires thinking about your work in a different way.

The following 21 accomplishment questions will help. Use your answers to rewrite, reinforce, and improve your resume. Filling your resume with quantified accomplishments and results will make a dramatic difference in the results that it generates.

Use dollar figures, whole numbers, or percentages to describe the results whenever possible.
 

1. Did you help increase sales? If so, by what percentages or amount?
2. Did you generate new business or bring in new clients? How did that impact sales?
3. Did you develop partnerships or affiliations with new organizations? What happened as a result?
4. Have you led your company into expanded markets? How did that impact sales?
5. Did you solve a particularly challenging problem? How and what was the result?
6. Did you save your company money? How did you do it and how much did you save?
7. Did you design and/or institute any new system or process? What were the results?
8. Did you do something that increased efficiency? What was it and what was the impact?
9. Did you do something that increased productivity? By what percentage or amount?
10. Did you meet a deadline through extra effort? If so, what difference did this make to your company?
11. Did you bring a major project in under budget? How much and what was the impact on your company?
12. Did you suggest and/or help launch a new product or program? What was the result?
13. Have you made recommendations that have improved products? What was the result?
14. Did you introduce any new or more effective techniques for increasing productivity? What was the result?
15. Did you improve communication in your firm? If so, with whom and what was the outcome?
16. Did you increase profits? How did you do it and by how much?
17. Did you improve customer relationships? Under what circumstances and what were the results?
18. Were you involved in any negotiations? What was your role? How did this benefit the company?
19. Have you done anything to help control costs? What did you do? What was the impact?
20. Did you do something to correct inconsistencies or errors? What was the result?
21. Have you ever done anything to increase cash flow? What did you do? What was the result?