1. Lesson
3:
Defining
Your
Accomplishments
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
1

2. Overview:
Accomplishments
Defined
Our
work
lives
are
filled
with
examples
of
accomplishments.
However,
we
o?en
think
of
our
work
only
in
terms
of
tasks.
In
so
doing,
we
do
not
give
ourselves
credit
for
what
we
do
and
how
we
do
it.
An
accomplishment
is
something
that
you,
by
your
own
standards,
believe
you
did
well
and
which
you
enjoyed
doing.
Generally,
accomplishments
are
saGsfying
to
recall.
Accomplishments
are
basic
to
an
effecGve,
efficient
job
search.
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
2

3. Your
Accomplishments
Your
work
life
is
filled
with
examples
of
accomplishments.
This
exercise
will
help
you
idenGfy
some
of
them.
You
and
your
skills
combine
to
create
accomplishments
that
are
uniquely
yours.
Think
about
your
last
five
jobs/volunteer
experiences
and
list
your
accomplishments
for
each
posiGon.
To
help
you
get
started,
here
are
some
examples
of
accomplishments.
• IniGated
a
change
that
either
saved
supplies,
manpower,
Gme,
or
machinery
• Improved
or
made
something
beOer
• Developed
an
original
report,
evaluaGon,
or
analysis
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
3

4. Gauging
Accomplishments
Many
people
fail
to
claim
accomplishments
because
they
parGcipated
as
members
of
a
large
team
working
on
a
complex
assignment.
This
is
parGcularly
true
of
people
who
work
in
large,
bureaucraGc
organizaGons.
Use
this
simple
guideline
to
judge
accomplishments:
• If
your
part
of
a
parGcular
event
or
assignment
failed
to
get
accomplished,
would
you
have
been
blamed?
• If
you’d
have
been
liable
for
criGcism,
then
you
should
take
an
appropriate
share
of
the
credit.
Accomplishments
are
o?en
the
result
of
repeated
use
of
our
talents
and
moGvated
skills.
Ascertaining
your
significant
accomplishments
is
an
effecGve
way
of
idenGfying
your
skills.
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
4

5. C-­‐C-­‐A-­‐R
Statements
As
you
begin
to
gather
and
communicate
your
accomplishments,
the
The
Office
of
Personnel
Management
(OPM)
recommends
using
Context-­‐
Challenge-­‐AcGon-­‐Result
(C-­‐C-­‐A-­‐R)
statements
to
present
yourself
to
potenGal
employers.
C-­‐C-­‐A-­‐R
statements
shi?
the
focus
from
your
current
(or
prior)
employer
and
job
responsibiliGes
to
your
skills
and
abiliGes.
To
write
a
C-­‐C-­‐A-­‐R
Statement,
outline
the
key
elements
of
an
achievement
from
your
previous
or
current
job.
Use
the
Accomplishments
Worksheet
to
assist.
This
approach
allows
readers
and
listeners
to
discern
your
talents
and
gauge
you
as
an
effecGve
employee.
The
statements
provide
your
“workplace
narraGve”
in
a
manner
that
depicts
your
abiliGes.
Through
outcomes
and
results
you
can
show
–
not
just
tell
–
your
capabiliGes.
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
5

6. Wri<ng
C-­‐C-­‐A-­‐R
Statements
A
C-­‐C-­‐A-­‐R
Statement
is
one
way
to
express
your
value
to
an
organizaGon
in
quanGfiable
and
measurable
terms.
Context:
The
specific
program
you
encountered
Challenge:
The
factors
that
contributed
to
the
situaGon
you
encountered
AcGon:
The
steps
you
took
to
resolve
the
challenge
Result:
The
outcome
of
your
acGon
and
the
benefit
you
provided
to
your
organizaGon
There
are
other
ways
(and
other
acronyms
used)
to
express
this
idea,
but
no
maOer
the
model,
the
emphasis
is
on
AcGon
and
Result.
What
did
you
do,
and
what
was
the
outcome?”
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
6

7. Example:
C-­‐C-­‐A-­‐R
Statement
Context:
Our
agency
was
consistently
late
in
meeGng
deadlines
due
to
a
high
rate
of
reGrement
in
several
key
posiGons.
Challenge:
Our
organizaGon
had
over
400
job
vacancies,
primarily
in
technical
fields.
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
7

8. Example:
C-­‐C-­‐A-­‐R
Statement
Ac<on:
My
staff
and
I
developed
a
recruitment
training
program
for
our
managers
and
acGvely
involved
them
in
the
recruitment
process.
We
designed
and
conducted
a
naGonwide
college
recruitment
campaign
and
an
organizaGon-­‐
wide
career
fair.
We
streamlined
the
applicaGon
process
and
shortened
turn-­‐
around
Gme
for
responses
to
potenGal
candidates.
Results:
Our
iniGal
results
were
a
400%
increase
in
applicaGons
from
college
students
and
over
700
aOendees
at
our
first
career
fair.
Within
six
months,
we
filled
92%
of
all
our
vacancies.
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
8

9. Example:
C-­‐C-­‐A-­‐R
Statement
• Streamlined
travel
voucher
system,
reducing
processing
Gme
by
an
average
of
21
days.
• Resolved
a
case
involving
(insert
topic),
increasing
the
authority
of
the
agency
in
this
area.
• Established
a
formal
training
and
mentoring
program
for
entry-­‐level
paralegals,
reducing
first
year
aOriGon
rates
by
50%
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
9

10. Worksheet:
Accomplishments
To
complete
this
exercise
you
will
want
to
print
the
Lesson
3
Worksheet:
Accomplishments,
and
fill
it
out
as
you
go
along
.
All
worksheets
are
available
from
the
course
page
on
the
CMSVCC.com
website.
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
10

11. Exercise:
Accomplishments
Think
about
accomplishments
most
typical
of
who
you
are
and
what
you
like
to
do.
These
achievements
should
also
reflect
what
you
would
like
to
achieve
in
your
ideal
job
and
organizaGon.
•
•
•
•
•
Name
of
Accomplishment
The
Context
(problem,
opportunity)
with
which
you
dealt
The
Challenge
(describe
the
factors
that
led
to
the
problem)
Your
AcGons
(what
you
did
to
solve
the
problem)
The
Results
(the
quanGfied
outcome
of
your
acGons)
Created
by
Vantage
HRS
for
the
Centers
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid
Services
11