Save your Peformance Appraisals

If your company policy allows, hold on to your past performance appraisals. These are great tools to help you remember your accomplishments. Many times when we leave a company we toss or shred the papers that relate to our past performance. This includes appraisals, paper calendars, certificates of training or other achievements and awards. These documents will help refresh your memory as you try to remember all the tasks, skills and achievements from your past jobs.

A performance appraisal usually lists several goal statements and a description of how you accomplished these. If completed correctly there are usually specific descriptors of how many, how much and how you went about achieving something. Why knock yourself out trying to remember what you did when it is highlighted in your appraisal?

Excerpt from Job Search for Moms

I have finished my book, Job Search for Moms and have sent it off for publication. In the meantime, here is an excerpt from the chapter on professional networking.


Your professional networking contacts are among the peers, bosses, and businesses that you have had dealings during your years in the workplace. If you maintained a cordial, supportive, and trusting business relationship with this very important contact group, it can enhance your job search not only as networking contacts, but as future business references.
Your peers should be added to your networking worksheet. They can be grouped into two categories; those people you have worked with on a daily basis and the professional contacts from your specific industry or profession. Your work peers have similar skills and are familiar with various industry directions and contacts. They have developed relationships with relative business contacts and they may be able to help you grow your network. These individuals are familiar with your skills, knowledge, and competencies. When networking for you, they will be better able to “talk shop” in regard to your specific strengths and skills. Your peer networking group consists of the people who work in the same business, industry, or profession as you. You may have met them at a conference or business event. If you are looking to find a job in the same industry these people are important networking contacts. You may want to schedule a meeting or lunch with them to explain your situation and to ask for their advice or feedback. Again networking is not asking for a job, but for developing collaborative relationships. When meeting with a group, be prepared to discuss industry trends, technology, training methods or vendors, contacts, and advice. Networking is a two-way street. Look for and forward any business information that you think might benefit your networking contacts such as technology, new business direction, and the like.

Job Search for Moms is available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or Lulu.