Why should you keep track of your professional accomplishments? Glad you asked. Keeping track of your accomplishments at work throughout the year will provide you with accurate and concrete information so you can update your resume and prove you deserve a raise. By the time your annual performance review creeps around the corner, you’ll be prepared with a list of bad*ss ways you contributed to the company. Go head girl, go head get your money.
Read more:How to Ask for a Promotion: What the Experts Say
What should I keep track of?
Analytics and quantifiable results
Anything you accomplished in the workplace that has a number or percentage attached to it—make that a priority to write down. An example would be, “increased social impressions by 30 percent.” Add a few notes about how you accomplished this goal.
Workplace challenges you’ve overcome
Did you manage to put out a company PR fire? Did you resolve or mediate a disagreement between two coworkers? Keep track of situations like these that will show your leadership skills and ability to step up to the plate when necessary.
Deadline projects completed
Keep an account of all the projects you’ve successfully completed. Make sure to mention if you delivered before the deadline, or if the project had a significant impact on company performance.
Expectations you’ve exceeded
Write down any instances when you’ve gone above and beyond. For example, if you’ve pitched way more articles than what was required or stayed after-hours to help a coworker going through a tough time. Writing these down will also help you respond strategically to any future situational interview questions.
Awards you’ve accrued
Have you won Employee of the Month? Write that down. Any workplace award you’ve earned will look great during your performance review.
Read more:How to Make the Business Case for the Work You Do
6 savvy ways to keep track of all the ways you’re killin’ it
1. Journal
Put your pen to paper the old-fashioned way and keep a work journal full of your accomplishments. Make sure you write down the date of each accomplishment, as well as a few notes explaining the context.
Read more:Why You Should Keep A Work Journal
2. Online portfolio
Keep track of your accomplishments and grow your personal brand at the same time with an online portfolio. Create a site where you describe who you are, what you do, and how you make a difference.
3. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is one of the easiest ways to track your performance at work. Either add a recent accomplishment to your bio or simply add another bullet point under your job title. Either way, you’ll be able to look back and view significant milestones you reached throughout the year.
4. Calendar
If you love buying monthly calendars with pictures of cute puppies or extravagant places to travel, make the most of it. Don’t let it hang idly on your wall; use it to write down your daily accomplishments in each dated box.
5. App
Apps like Evernote are great for tracking professional accomplishments. Evernote is designed for note-taking, organizing, and task management, and easily allows you to create text, web content, or even illustrated notes. Keep track of your accomplishments here, and then you can tag, annotate, edit, or export them later.
6. Spreadsheet
Creating an Excel spreadsheet is super helpful in keeping track of what you get done at work. Create columns for the date, what your accomplishment was, and any related numbers.
