{"id":5867,"date":"2017-04-10T11:00:21","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/?p=5867"},"modified":"2017-04-10T09:55:09","modified_gmt":"2017-04-10T14:55:09","slug":"identify-your-accomplishments-in-a-job-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/identify-your-accomplishments-in-a-job-search\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart Job Search Secrets Part 1: Identify Your Accomplishments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>To help you be successful in a job search, you need to create compelling reasons for an employer to hire you over other applicants. To succeed at this, it\u2019s helpful to understand your unique skills and accomplishments, how to communicate them in a memorable and meaningful way, and how to find and connect with the right people.<\/p>\n<p>In this 3-part series, you\u2019ll learn to:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Identify Your Accomplishments<\/li>\n<li>Communicate Your Value Effectively<\/li>\n<li>Develop Targeted Connections<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start by understanding how to identify the skills and accomplishments that can set you apart.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>What Is An Accomplishment?<\/h4>\n<div class=\"responsive-embed widescreen\"><iframe width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/V6l7g5zpMtQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Accomplishments are your success stories\u2014both personal and professional achievements that can increase your value in the eyes of an employer. Your accomplishments can include any time you contributed to the success of a goal or plan, either individually or as part of a team.<\/p>\n<p>Employers love to hear about success stories so they can see evidence of the value you offer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Identify Your Accomplishments<\/h4>\n<div class=\"responsive-embed widescreen\"><iframe width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9bYrzU0XJZo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You might be tempted to downplay your accomplishments to avoid \u201cbragging,\u201d but it\u2019s important to demonstrate your abilities and contributions.\u00a0 Think about things you\u2019ve done at a current or previous job, in school, or volunteering that made you feel proud. Remember times when a boss or coworker complimented you on your work. Acknowledge awards you\u2019ve won, clients you helped secure, goals you helped your department meet\u2014anything that showcases your accomplishments.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Write About Your Accomplishments as Stories<\/h4>\n<div class=\"responsive-embed widescreen\"><iframe width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A8XkKokQRfE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>After you\u2019ve identified your accomplishments, it\u2019s time to write them down as compelling stories using the CARD model as a guide.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Challenge <\/strong>\u2013the situation, problem, or requirement at hand.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Action <\/strong>\u2013 the specific actions you took to resolve the challenge<\/li>\n<li><strong>Result <\/strong>\u2013 the benefit created in as specific and measurable terms as possible<\/li>\n<li><strong>Details <\/strong>\u2013 add clarifying details to provide context, consider these questions: <em>how many, how much, how long, <\/em>and <em>how often.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure of which details to highlight, think about which aspects were the most memorable to you or created the most benefit to others (e.g., \u201cWho benefitted and how much?\u201d or \u201cHow much money was saved\/raised?\u201d or \u201cHow did you demonstrate creativity in solving the problem?\u201d). People tend to remember good stories more than simple information, so write stories that help you stand out to an employer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Analyze Your Stories for Skills<\/h4>\n<div class=\"responsive-embed widescreen\"><iframe width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zQU8HZg5Ago?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The next step is to analyze your stories for specific skills that might interest an employer (e.g., leadership, effective communication, problem solving, or collaboration). Each of your stories likely showcases several of these skills. Understanding the skills that show up in your accomplishment stories will help you communicate your value on a resume, while networking, or to an employer in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned for Part 2 in the series, \u201cCommunicate Your Skills.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The Capella University\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.capella.edu\/about\/career-planning\/\"><em>Career Center<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0counselors, resources, and tools help students and alumni manage their careers at every stage and move toward the careers they want.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using the CARD model (Challenge\/Action\/Results\/Details), learn how to identify and market your skills, strengths, and accomplishments to help you stand out to employers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":5869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[190],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5867"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5867"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5871,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5867\/revisions\/5871"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}