You Are What You Accomplish
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It is not how hard we work at something; rather, it's all about the results we achieve. Employers hire people who can get things done well. Because activity without results amounts to little, we know that results are more important that activity alone.



Example: Let's say that you volunteer to lead a fundraising drive for your favorite charity. You and your team work sixteen hours a day for twenty-one straight days, in an effort to raise money. When the campaign is over, you find that you raised less than one hundred dollars. You may have worked hard but, by any measure, your results were poor. Would anyone else hire you to lead another fund-raising event, based on those results? I doubt it. Because they show others what you are capable of achieving, your results matter.



Ideas that are not communicated or acted upon never get implemented. Ideas that are not implemented can't make things better. To get ideas implemented, effective students and employees learn to be good speakers, writers, persuaders, influencers and negotiators. To implement those ideas, they learn to perform, delegate or lead the required actions and activities and pay close attention to their results.



Inept communication, ineffective activity and inadequate results are of little value in the world of work. Therefore, college students should look for opportunities in the classroom, on campus, at work, in the community and in their leisure activities to build their communication skills, improve their performance and demonstrate significant results. In that way, students can more effectively compete for the jobs that exist. In a highly competitive job market, students must be ready to provide employers with solid examples and stories of their successes and accomplishments.



Successful people do two things:



1. Take Action - People who want to accomplish something must take action (speak, write, operate, perform or interact). In most cases, that means that the person has an idea, takes a risk, tries something new, overcomes an obstacle or leads others. Things just don't change by themselves. It takes a person who is willing to leave their comfort zone, in order to make something good happen, something that is important.



2. Achieve Results - We are all judged on the results we achieve. Obviously, the size, quality, difficulty and importance of those results will vary. However, effective people consistently achieve significant results. If students and employees are going to impress employers, they must achieve results, results that demonstrate their capabilities, as they make something better.



Students spend a good portion of their lives (often 2, 4 or 6 years) in college. That's why employers want to learn about their accomplishments, during that time. Employers try to determine whether candidates will perform well, after they are hired. They believe that the student's accomplishments during the college years are the best predictors of their future performance.



When students present a list of accomplishments on their resumes, employers are more likely to take a closer look at their credentials and capabilities. The best employers look for students who stand out in some way, students who taken action and achieved results.



Because everyone is good at something, college students should explore their ideas, interests and capabilities. Once their direction is identified, students can begin to join, participate, experience, support, lead, excel and accept responsibility for getting something worthwhile done well. That's what employers want to see and learn about. Remember, to every employer, you are what you accomplish.