Creating A File of Your Accomplishemnts

I used to save everything but luckily over the years I've managed to purge books, clothing, shoes, old toys and so many other things.  I think the television show "Hoarders" scared me!  One of the things I never threw out though were my old performance appraisals. 

Back when I was a corporate trainer I taught managers and non-managers the art of performance management.  That included goal setting, coaching, performance appraisal and development planning.  One tip I passed to every person who walked through the training room door was this, "Create a "Me" File, or a file of your accomplishments and add to it weekly. A physical or electronic Me File is a tool that contains all of your measurable accomplishments, or results.

The point of the Me File is to remind you of your many accomplishments during the yearly performance cycle.  Back then, I suggested that as soon as you sat down with your manager to review your goals, you needed to prepare your new file.  It should contain a copy of your goal statements and any notes and accomplishments that relate to these. As the performance cycle spins on, you might include emails from clients, managers or peers, thank you letters, specific reasons why a goal couldn't be met, or specific reasons why a goal was met or ahead of target. It should also include your final appraisal and development plans. I would suggest that people take about 15 minutes before the close of the workday on the last day of the work week to add notes to the file.  Of course people would use the file however they liked just as long as they kept one.  No one can remember their day to day work activities and having a file like this is a refreshing reminder of all that you do.

How is all this related to your job search? If you get notice of an impending reduction in workforce (and you may be part of that reduction), gather up your Me Files and take them home.  Much of the data and detail will allow you to note your job accomplishments and this  is the fuel for your resume.  If your performance appraisal was written correctly (and sadly many/most) aren't, you will have a wonderful record of your specific job accomplishments.  You'll be able to capture how many, how much, with whom, why and why not. 

If you never saved this information you'll have to recreate it.  You can start with a chart listing your specific job tasks and then add your accomplishments as they relate to these.  Also add any training or development activities that you attended. It's harder to remember a year or two down the road.

Unfortunately, many companies don't have any performance planning systems in place. That's a shame. Still, if this is the case for you, you can still create a Me File. Fill it with everyting that relates to your job and be sure to include all the notes and comments relating to your performance.  It will help you in so many ways, including your self confidence!