Write achievements, not just duties: CV bullet examples

How to turn plain job duties into clear, honest achievement statements on your CV, with fictional South African examples.

Duties describe the job. Achievements describe you.

'Responsible for filing' tells a recruiter what the role required. 'Organised a backlog of client files into a new indexed system' tells them what you did. Use an action word, what you did, and the result where you honestly know it.

Fictional before-and-after examples

These examples are invented to show the pattern.

Before: Served customers. After: Helped an average of 60 customers per shift at a busy till and resolved queries without escalation where possible.
Before: Did admin. After: Captured and checked supplier invoices weekly and flagged mismatches to the finance clerk.
Before: Helped at church events. After: Coordinated a team of eight volunteers to set up and run a monthly community food drive.

Only use numbers you can explain

A number makes a statement stronger only if it is true. If you are not sure of an exact figure, describe the scale in words, such as 'a busy branch' or 'a team of volunteers'. Be ready to explain any claim in an interview.

General information only, not legal or recruitment advice. Always follow the instructions in the specific job advert. SA CV Studio is independent and not affiliated with any government department.