The Difference Between Scope and Achievements on Your Resume
One of the challenges I see job seekers facing when they send me their resume is distinguishing between scope and achievements.
But there is a difference.
Scope is the context within which you do your job. Think of it as the setting for you to razzle dazzle your audience with your amazing achievements.
Scope captures the breadth of your job and/or leadership. Examples might include the number of people on your team, the value of a portfolio you inherited, or the territory for which you’re accountable.
Scope is important to include because it demonstrates your ability to lead and manage initiatives.
But it’s those BIG, JUICY achievements that set you apart.
Example #1
Let’s use territory management as an example.
🌐 You’re talking about scope if you say you managed markets that included North America, Europe, and Asia.
🏆 BUT you’re talking about an achievement if you say you expanded that market by 80% in under two years.
Example #2
How about team leadership?
🌐 If you say you led a team of 150 high performers, you’re still talking about scope.
🏆 On the other hand, if you say you built a team of 150 high performers from scratch, that’s an achievement.
Example #3
Say you’re communicating what you do in sales.
🌐 If you simply say you managed a $60M portfolio, that’s scope.
🏆 However, if you say you grew your portfolio from $10M to $60M in one year…now that’s quite an achievement!
TIPS
🌐 Include scope in the paragraph under each job title.
🏆 Reserve your bullets for those BOLD and BODACIOUS impact stories.
By the way, if you’d like to get tips like this more frequently, I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn. Please do connect with me. You can find me here.
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