Make your honors and accomplishments really stand out with a well-written resume awards section. Understand which awards you should include and the best ways to include them.
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Greg Faherty
Certified Professional Resume Writer
ResumeCoach » How to Write a Resume » Honors and Awards
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Whenlooking for a first job, many students find that their resume gets lost in a pile and barely gets considered. Especially when there are countless other applicants with similar qualifications and skills.
Listinghonors and awards on your resumecan give you the edge you need to reach the interview stage and beyond.
In the following guide you’ll find out:
- Where awards should go on a resume
- How to include them
- Which awards you should list
- Tips for including them on your resume
There are also resume awards section examples and oureasy-to-use resume builderto help youcreate your own honors section in minutes.
Why Include Honors and Awards on a Resume
If you have the space on your resume and the achievements are relevant to your professional profile and the job offer, then it’srecommended to list your accomplishments.
That includes any awards and honors.
To understand the importance ofadding awards to a resume, it’s key to remember that hiring managers receive dozens if not hundreds of resumes for potentially just one vacancy. This means thesuccessful candidate needs to find a way of making their resume stand out!
Here are some specific reasons your award section can help you do just that:
- Demonstrates excellence: Awards and honors showcase your achievements and demonstrate excellence in your field, reinforcing your qualifications.
- Sets you apart: They help differentiate you from other candidates by highlighting unique accomplishments that not everyone might have.
- Shows initiative: Certain awards, like those requiring a significant personal initiative or leadership, can highlight these sought-after leadership qualities.
- Highlights your relevant skills:Awards can underscore skills relevant to the job you’re applying for, making you a stronger candidate.
- Indicates recognition: They indicate peer or industry recognition, suggesting that your work is respected and valued by others in your field.
Don’t hold back if you have various awards in a certain field, or you’ve achieved something special in a previously-held position similar to the vacancy. Humility has littleplace on your resume!
What Are the Best Awards to Put on a Resume?
When considering what awards to add to your resume, it’s essential tofocus on recognitions that highlight your skills, experiences, and accomplishments relevant to the job you’re applying for.
Here are a few types of awards that can help enhance your resume:
- Industry-specific: These are awards that are specific to your field of work or study. For instance, a “Salesperson of the Year” award would be highly relevant when applying for a sales role.
- Academic: Plenty of college awards on a resume look great and can illustrate your dedication and commitment to your field of study.
- Leadership: Any recognition for leadership, such as “Employee of the Month” showcases your ability to lead a team, which is a valuable trait in many roles.
- Community Service: Awards that showcase your commitment to the community and can be particularly relevant for roles in the non-profit sector or roles that value community engagement.
- Creative: If you are in a creative field, awards from competitions, festivals, or shows can illustrate your creative abilities.
A major key to listing awards on a resume isthe relevance to the position. Always align your awards with the requirements of the job you are applying for to demonstrate your suitability and stand out as a candidate.
Additionally, provide context for each award to highlight why it’s significant and how itshowcases your potential valueto the prospective employer.
Different Awards You Can List
You may have been recognized at one time or another during your college or even high school career, and now you’re wondering “Should I put National Honor Society on my resume?”, or if your other academic achievements are worth mentioning.
Here is a list ofcommon awardsthat you can place on your resumeif you have them:
- Magna Cum Laude
- Honor Society
- Dean’s List
- Presidential Volunteer Service Award
If you have any of these awards or evena certificaterelevant to the job you plan on applying fordon’t hesitate to include themto your resume.
How to Write Honors and Awards on Your Resume
If you’ve decided that an honors and awards section will add value to your resume, you shouldcreate a separate resume sectionto make your accomplishments stand out.
If you have lots of work experience, it is advisable to include anyprofessional awards on your resumeto highlight the fact your work was recognized for its excellence in a certain field.
The accomplishments that you choose to add to your resume must berelevant to the job vacancyyou’re applying to or relate in some way to the industry or specific company.
When it comes tolisting awards on a resumeyou should remember to include the details of when and where it was awarded to you, such as the date and the school, college or enterprise.
What Information You Should Include About Your Awards
When listing awards on your resume, the goal is to provide the reader with enoughcontext to understand its relevance and significance.
The information you include about each award plays a crucial role in this. Here is what you should mention:
- Award title: Begin with the formal name of the award. This should be the official title as given by the awarding body. The title alone can often indicate the award’s prestige, nature, and relevance to your field.
- Awarding organization: Include the name of the institution, organization, or body that presented the award.
- Date of award: Add the date (typically the year) you received the award. This gives employers a sense of your career timeline and recent achievements.
- Reason for the award: Briefly describe why you received the award. This can highlight specific achievements, skills, or qualities that the award recognized.
- Competition level: Mention the scale of the competition (local, regional, national, or international). This can indicate the level of expertise or skill required to win.
- Significance in the industry: If the award is reputable in your industry, briefly explain its importance.
By providing this information you cansupport yourskills sectionand paint a clearer picture of your capabilities for the hiring manager
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When Should You Include Honors and Awards on Your Resume?
Yourresume is one of the most important toolsyou have at your disposal during a job hunt. It’s the first point of contact for potential employers, and it is what they’ll use to decide whether or not to give you an interview.
Therefore, knowinghow to write a good resumeis crucial. You need to tailor it to the job at hand to show how you will add value to your potential employer’s organization.Putting Honors and Awards on your resumecan do this, but only if you use the right ones.
Should I include honors and awards on my resume?The answer to this question depends on a few considerations. The main aspect to consider is whether or notthe achievement is relevant for the positionyou’re applying to.
If you are astudent, it isdefinitely worth including Honors and Awardson a resume because you are likely to have limited work experience and you will need to fill space.
Honors and Awards on a resume can highlight skills which are valuable to many employers. The same applies if you have limited work experience or arewriting an entry-level resume.
Yourpersonal statementcan show that you have self-belief, your Awards and Honors section on your resume can prove you have the ability. They can also be verified during the background check.
When not to include Honors and Awards on a resume?In most cases resumes shouldn’t be longer than 2 pages. Space on your resume is highly valuable. If you are not a student and have lots of relevant work experience, you will probably have filled a lot of the available space already. If so, consider whether it’s worth including this section or not against other areas of the resume.
Every item on your resume should highlight why you are the best candidate for the job, so only write a resume with Honors and Awards if the achievements are directly relevant.
On aprofessional resumeit can be useful toinclude professional awards, if they are relevant to the position you’re applying for, as they act as an easy reference for your ability.
For example, if you’re applying for a job in accounting at the age of 30, don’t include an award you won at school for creative writing.
Or if you won an award for Best Young Web Designer, and you are applying for a job as a web designer, it will clearly look good and help make your resume stand out.
Where Should Awards and Honors Go on a Resume?
Deciding where to place anAwards and Honors sectionwill depend on theresume format. However, no matter how impressive this section is, it should not be the main focus of your resume.
So,where do you put awards on a resume?
Anyawards and acknowledgementsthat you choose to add to your resume should be prominent, but yourexperience and qualifications are the main selling points. You could put it directly below or next to your Experience or Qualifications section.
Your resume tells your story, and demonstrates why you are the right person for a position. The Awards and Honors section should accompany your Qualifications and Experience, adding extra value to your resume.
As a tip, reviewing awards examples for your resume can also give you the inspiration and ideas needed to come up with the perfect structure for your section.
Examples of Honors and Awards Section
Like any other part of your resume, it will be critical for you to first examine how to list honors on your resume correctly. That way you’ll have a clear idea ofhow this information should be presented.
Check out the following example of a resume awards section:
Example of awards on a resume
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Salesperson of the Year, ABC Company, 2023
- Awarded for exceeding annual sales targets by over 25%.
Magna Cum Laude, XYZ University, 2021
- Graduated with high honors in recognition of academic excellence.
Dean’s List, XYZ University, 2020-2021
- Recognized for maintaining a GPA of 3.8 or above for all terms.
It’s also important to note, that for an academic achievement, you should notmention your GPAunless it is over 3.5.
Tips for Building Your Honors and Awards Section
Depending on your professional profile, including aspecific resume section dedicated to honors and awardscould be just what you need to stand out in the application process.
- Most colleges and higher education institutions haveacademic honor societies for their brightest students. Make sure youinclude the namesof these along with abrief description.
- Also includerelevant professional awardsand any involvement you’ve had in professional societies if it relates to the job you’re applying for.
- Don’t include high school honors on your resume. Unless you’ve just finished high school and arecreating a high school student resume, there’s no need to include them in your education section. It will seem like you’re desperately trying to fill space.
- Provide information with each award. Give an explanation of what each achievement means and what it involved. The employer may not be familiar with the award or the organization, so briefly explain this by includingscope, significance and purposeof the accomplishment.
- Focus on theelements which are directly relevant to the jobat hand. Do not add unnecessary information if it is not pertinent to the vacancy or industry you’re applying to.
Toensure these details are included, don’t forget to use aresume templateto ensure that you don’t leave any critical information out.
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