One of the biggest obstacles to creating or updating your résumé or LinkedIn profile is producing accomplishments. This is a perfect task to work on when you are not under the pressure of a job application deadline.
This challenge is designed to help you collect your best work-related accomplishments in as little as 5 or 10 minutes a day. During this 21-day challenge, you’ll choose a daily prompt to create one new accomplishment each day.
Accomplishments are what set great résumés apart from good ones. Accomplishments can win over a hiring manager — since past performance is often a predictor of future success.
By engaging in daily activities to help you think about what kind of impact you have in the workplace, you’ll have great content for your interview-winning résumé or LinkedIn profile.
Use the Challenge Calendar to plan and track each day’s activities. Put a big red “X” on each day you complete a challenge prompt. At the end of the month, you want as many spaces marked off as possible on your Calendar. Use the Challenge Tracker to collect the accomplishments you create based off of the daily prompts. Keeping all of these in one place will make it much easier to update your résumé or LinkedIn profile.
There are three ways to complete the challenge:
- Do one action item each day for 21 days straight
- Take action for five days each week (no weekends) for four weeks (plus one day)
- Take action for three days each week for seven weeks (for example, Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday)
It’s up to you!
At the end of each week during the challenge, reward yourself for good performance. Enjoy a special outing or anything else that will encourage you to keep going!
Note: For best results, write your accomplishments in CAR format: Challenge-Action-Result
First, note what the challenge was. (“I was given the responsibility to…”)
Next, what actions did you take? (“So I…”)
Finally, what was the result? (“As a result of my efforts, ___”)
For the results, when possible, quantify the achievement in dollars, numbers, and/or percentages.
Here are the accomplishment prompts you can choose from:
- Have you been recognized as the first person to do something in your role?
- Describe a time when you saved the company money.
- What project have you accomplished recently that helped the company make more money?
- Have you met an impossible deadline? If so, what difference did this make to your company?
- Describe a recent problem you had to solve.
- What is your biggest professional achievement in the past 12 months?
- What project have you accomplished recently that helped attract new clients to the company?
- Look at your most recent performance evaluation or review. What were you commended for?
- What have you produced in your current position that has made your work easier?
- How have you helped your employer expand their business?
- What is your biggest professional accomplishment of the past year?
- What are you most proud of in your current job?
- What project have you accomplished recently that helped you or your co-workers save time with something?
- What’s the best thing a customer said about you/to you this year?
- What was the most important thing you did in your job in the past year?
- What was the biggest work-related project you completed in the past 12 months?
- Looking back at the past year, what project did you enjoy working on the most?
- Describe how you have generated new business for your current employer.
- Did you develop any partnerships or strategic alliances that have helped your company’s success? With who, and what were the results?
- Did you design any new systems or processes? If so, what were the results?
- Have you brought a project in under budget? If so, how did you make this happen?
- Did you create and/or help launch a new product, service, or program? How successful was it? What were the results?
- Have you increased communication — either internally or externally? How so?
- Give an example of a time when you have gone above and beyond what was asked of you in your job description.
- Have you won any awards in your current role? What was the award, and what were the criteria for it?
- Have you produced any tangible accomplishments (publications, products, software, apps)?
- What is unique to how you do your job?
- Have you been rewarded with any additional responsibility in your current job?
- What does your boss praise you for?
- Give me an example of how you’ve demonstrated initiative in your current position.
- How have you gone above and beyond your job responsibilities?
- Have you increased company sales or profits? How?
- Did you recruit new customers for the business? How did you do this?
- Have you received any new certifications?
- What have you done to demonstrate conflict management abilities in your current role?
- Give an example of when you’ve demonstrated your time management skills.
- How have you shown leadership in your current job?
- What is unique about how you do your job?
- Do you have quotas or goals in your job? Are you able to meet them or exceed them? How often have you done so?
- What would your co-workers say about you?
- How does your current job fit within the context of the organization?
- If you’re not at work on a particular day, what doesn’t get done?
- Have you received any notes, emails, or kudos from customers? From your boss? What for?
- What role do you play in helping your co-workers and/or customers achieve the results they are seeking?
- Is there an area where you are better at something than other people are?
- How does your work contribute to your employer’s bottom line?
- Describe an example of how you’ve improved your work environment.
- What part of your job do you like best?
- Have you taken on any leadership roles — either within your job or in your volunteer work?
- Why are you good at what you do?
- What are you best known for at work?
- Which part of your job makes you want to get out of bed in the morning and go to work?
- What makes you good at your job?
21 Day Accomplishments Challenge Calendar
21 Day Accomplishments Challenge Tracker
