When to add an accomplishment to your resume

This morning I was reminded in a powerful way that it is never too early or too late to accomplish something meaningful in your life.  I attended the installation of class officers and representatives for the elementary school my son attends.  They elect individuals from each class in third through fifth grade.  After the election they attend meetings to make the school a better place.

I felt challenged and inspired by these young up and coming leaders.  The mayor of our city also attended to swear them in to their newly elected positions.  She made a few remarks and told the children that it is never too early to begin showing leadership skills and aspiring toward higher offices or greater accomplishments.

It got me thinking about all of the parents sitting in the audience, myself included.  It first led to an even simpler question - what have I accomplished recently at work or at home that I was proud of?  I was able to come up with a few good examples and felt encouraged to add to that list in the coming weeks and months.  I am not a job seeker, but my job is obviously to counsel those that are.  So what have you accomplished recently as a job seeker that may benefit your search?  And how to you properly outline those on a resume?

I have a couple of thoughts.  First of all I think accomplishment or achievement sections on a resume have officially replaced "hobbies and interests".  When I started in the business over a decade ago it was commonplace to see people listing things like fishing, hiking, golfing, etc. at the bottom of their resume.  With social media there are many more opportunities to make that information known without listing it on your resume.  Today what most employers are looking for are prospective employees that have actually done something noteworthy that could impact their performance on the the job.

Secondly, it is important to have current information listed in this section of your resume.  Not to slight anything that might have happened fifteen years ago, but unless it is incredibly significant I want to know what you have done recently.  For instance I went through a powerful leadership course about 12 years ago.  It was an incredible experience that I cherish and still keep in touch with many people that I met.  But if that is the only "recent" accomplishment that I can list I am probably in trouble.

Next, show me the direct correlation that accomplishment has to your professional experience.  If you read my blog from a few weeks ago you would know that one of my partners at Capstone completed her first half marathon.  If her only goal was to lose a few pounds or raise money for a worthy cause that is still great, but doesn't necessarily correlate to making her a better employee for our organization.  I know for a fact, however, that it impacted her work product in a very positive manner.  She set similar goals for herself here at work and it inspired all of us to keep pace with her aggressive goals.  It was related to the achievement and absolutely helped her professionally as well as personally.  

Lastly, I would emphasize that treating accomplishments as more of a verb than a noun will provide exponential benefit going forward.  Keep accomplishing on an ongoing basis and challenge yourself to make a change to that section of your resume every single year.  After nearly twenty years of professional experience I can say I hope my greatest accomplishments are all still ahead of me.  Surround yourself with like-minded individuals, find ways to incorporate this into all of your job search, and absolutely add them to your resume when you can.

What is something you accomplished recently that you were proud of?  Did you add it to your resume if you are in fact in an active job search?