Why Most CVs Fail: 5 Ways to Write Achievements That Get Read by Hiring Managers

This article will guide you through five simple questions to help you write strong achievements in your CV.

Before we have your CV looking polished, we need to discuss one thing: Attention.

Particularly, the attention span with recruiters and hiring managers. Our increasing reliance on technology and AI, along with workplace distractions, has shortened the average human’s attention span.

According to a survey from March 2025, this now rests around a modest 8.25 seconds.

Which raises a question. How long do recruiters and hiring managers read CVs for?

Somewhere in all of this, you’re about to send your CV to a company. How will it get noticed?

In a word: Achievements.

In this article, you’ll discover 5 practical ways to write achievements in your CV, so it stands out, and gets read by more hiring managers.

No jargon. No confusing processes. A simpler way to write a great CV.

Why are achievements hard to write in a CV?

One of the most common reasons is we don’t know who our audience is and what they’re looking for. We worry about blowing our horns, so we play it safe: Name. Address. Last job. Bullet points covering what we do.

Won’t that cover what employers are looking for? No. The best employers aren’t scanning for keywords.

Over the last 24 years, I’ve asked hundreds of hiring managers what they look for when they read CVs. Their answer hasn’t changed.

Results. Outcomes. Value.

Most hiring managers have problems they need solving

That’s why they’re hiring someone like you. So, when they start reading your CV, they quickly want to know what value you can bring to them and their team, not just your job title and duties.

Writing a typical CV with responsibilities isn’t effective. Hiring managers don’t need to be reminded what you do 9-to-5 every day. Showing them how you’ve gone beyond your duties with a results-focussed CV will grab their attention.

This article will guide you through five simple questions to help you write strong achievements in your CV.

Each one is designed to help you think about what you’ve accomplished. They’ll help you convey the value you’ve brought to previous employers.

That’s what you’re going to put in your CV. That’s what your next employer is looking for.

What these 5 questions will help you uncover

These 5 questions will:

1. Help you identify problems you've solved that benefited a previous employer.
   Can you solve the same problems for a new employer? You certainly can.
2. Help you uncover memorable achievements that made you an asset to your last employer.
   Can you help your new employer reduce costs, make a healthy profit or save a project with a major client?
3. Help you recall significant value you created for a company.
   What's stopping you from doing the same again?
4. Help you stand out in a competitive job market 

It’s time to build a stronger CV

Here are your 5 questions

Question 1 – Problems you were hired to solve

 What specific problems were you hired to solve in your previous job?

Think about what you did and how you went about it. What results did you see because of your efforts? Did you improve a system / process?

Question 2 – Promotions and recognition

Why were you promoted in your previous job?

Think about jobs where you were promoted. Why were you promoted? What was the length of time between promotions? Did you do something memorable or outstanding? Were you asked to manage more people? If so, how many?

Question 3 – Measurable increases

Did you help to increase sales, productivity, efficiency, or anything else?

What was the increase in terms of contribution or percentage? How did you achieve this? Did you adopt a unique approach?

Question 4 – Improvements you made

Did you improve any aspect of your job, your department or your employer?

What did you improve? What were the results? How did others (internally / externally) benefit from this improvement?

Question 5 – Training and mentorship

Did you train or mentor anyone?
 
Did you develop a unique training technique? What results did your mentee experience? Are others using your techniques? Was someone promoted as a result of your mentorship? What were they promoted for?

Final thoughts – Turning responsibilities into CV achievements

When you answer each of these five questions, don’t just write duties or tasks you did. Think about your impact.

Did you help save time? Cut costs? Improve a process? Bring in new business? Those are achievements, and that’s what hiring managers want to see.

In a world where most recruiters and managers spend seconds scanning a CV, your achievements need to jump off the page.

Write them clearly. Write them with confidence. And you'll give yourself a far better chance of being called in for an interview.  

Need further help writing achievements? Get in touch or download a copy of our guide: 5 simple ways to write achievements in your CV. It's a free, no-nonsense, step-by-step guide you can use to make your CV stand out.

No catches. Easy to follow. 

CV polished? Looking for a job? Browse the latest mining and FIFO jobs.

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