Accomplishment Samples
Our Certified Federal Resume Writers share their best CCAR accomplishment stories. Use them in your federal resume, in behavior-based interviews, and to build confidence in your record.
How to Read and Write a Sample CCAR Accomplishment
Each story is written in the Context, Challenge, Action, Result model, the format OPM and the Qualifications Review Board expect. We wrote these with the free CCAR Accomplishment Builder, and you can write your own the same way.
Context
Add your job title, agency, office, state, country, and the year of this CCAR story. Describe the situation, environment, or external drivers that created the challenge or problem. Give the back story: was it low morale, a shrinking budget, or a Congressional directive? Was time of the essence? What would the impact be if the problem/challenge were not overcome?
Challenge
Describe a specific problem or goal that YOU needed to overcome or accomplish. There could be multiple challenges.
Action
Discuss the specific actions YOU (use “I” not “we”) took to address the challenge. Do not merely summarize or make assertions, but describe what you did in fact, presenting it in a linear fashion. (First I did this, then I did that, etc.)
Result
Describe the meaningful, specific outcomes that had an impact on the program, organization, or other strategic goals. The results described should align with the way the challenge is framed.
A short version for the two-page resume
In response to post-9/11 demand for federal employment guidance, I created the Ten Steps to a Federal Job curriculum to simplify the complex federal hiring process for thousands of jobseekers. I published multiple editions, and built a certification that 503 trainers hold today. Adopted by major DoD services, the curriculum became the first standardized federal job search program, taught at over 75 military bases globally.
The Full CCAR Accomplishment
Created Ten Steps to a Federal Job(r) text and curriculum to explain the step-by-step process for first-time Federal employees. The same accomplishment, expanded into the four CCAR parts.
Context
In 2002, just months after 9/11, as President of Resume Place, Inc., we were inundated with first-time federal jobseekers who wanted to work for the FBI, CIA, NSA, FEMA, DHS, the new TSA, and other agencies protecting national security.
Challenge
To meet that demand and grow the business, I needed a repeatable way to teach the federal hiring process to people with no federal background.
Action
I built the Ten Steps to a Federal Job(r) curriculum, published the book, and created the Certified Federal Job Search Trainer / Certified Federal Job Search Coach(r) program to train counselors to teach the curriculum.
Result
503 trainers currently certified, adoption by major DoD services, and delivery at over 75 military bases worldwide.
Get started
Write your own accomplishment story
Start with the free CCAR Accomplishment Builder and turn one accomplishment into a story. No account, no password, nothing leaves your browser.