From The Daily Muse, an excellent tip for keeping track of your accomplishments: create a “brag” folder in your email inbox.
Every time a client sings your praises, a colleague gushes over your contributions to the latest team project, or your boss asks you to take on a new responsibility, go ahead and drag that email on over to the folder.
Even if every compliment or activity isn’t necessarily resume-worthy, scrolling through a folder full of flattering messages may get your gears turning on other achievements. Plus, knowing there’s one place to look makes the entire process feel much less daunting.
In addition to collecting email kudos, I’d recommend a similar folder for any documentation (digital or paper) of your performance. I’m thinking of:
- job descriptions
- performance evaluations
- metrics that quantify your contributions or impact
- project notes that can help you recall HOW you achieved your results
- awards or commendations
Many of my military clients have what they call “I Love Me binders” containing their official evaluations, training records, award narratives, etc. These are an indispensable resource for resume writing—and a career management habit civilians would be wise to emulate.
What else would you save to keep score in your job?
(hat tip to Lifehacker for pointing me to the original article)