Taking all the Credit for a Project

Dear Debra:

When writing my résumé, I worry about taking too much credit for a project. We work in a team setting, and each of us contributes to the planning and deployment of new hardware systems at our company’s 186 stores nationwide. There are twelve, on the team and we go to sites in groups of three. We all do the same thing. How can I explain this on a resume without stealing the credit from the team?

Thank you,

Reynolds

Dear Reynolds:

It is very common to work as a part of a team to deliver a project or to reach a common goal. The fact that you worked effectively in your team shows that you have strong communication and collaboration skills. That does not weaken your position; for many roles that makes you a stronger candidate.

When presenting each of your accomplishments, focus on the functions that you performed and the result. If you interviewed business managers to assess needs and your counterparts did so as well, you could still state that you did it. If as a team, you completed the deployment at 186 stores, you could state it like this: “Deployed new hardware at 186 stores across __ locations, working as part of 3-person team.” If you had sole responsibility for a task, mention it. If you took the lead on a particular item (training for example), you might mention that you were selected to perform that or that you volunteered to take the lead on that function.

Wishing you all the best!

Debra