“Past performance is the best predictor of future success.”
Recruiters and hiring managers assessing candidates are looking for proof that you can do the job. One of the best ways to assess that is by reviewing your accomplishments from similar roles. However, it can be difficult to remember what you’ve done!
That’s where keeping a journal comes in. Each month for the next year, I will post a summary of daily prompts to help you identify and track your accomplishments throughout the year. You can either write down a specific accomplishment from that day or use the prompt to help you think of a recent accomplishment. You don’t have to use the specific prompt for that day — but they are there to help give you some inspiration.
Keep the journal somewhere you’ll refer to it each day. Taking a few minutes to complete the prompts will make it easier for you to update your résumé and LinkedIn profile.
July 1 – What big goal or project do you want to tackle this month?
July 2 – Give an example of something you analyze in your current job.
July 3 – Have you been elected to any leadership roles in a professional association or in a volunteer capacity?
July 4 – What did you do today that should be celebrated?
July 5 – Give an example of how you anticipated a customer need.
July 6 – What do you do better than anyone else in your company or industry?
July 7 – Are you certified to do anything in particular?
July 8 – What significant achievement have you contributed to recently?
July 9 – Describe a project or committee that you have chaired.
July 10 – What one thing did you do today at work that your boss noticed and/or complimented you on?
July 11 – When was the last time your boss publicly praised you?
July 12 – What’s the biggest challenge you’ve tackled recently?
July 13 – How has your ability to plan avoided a problem in your current role?
July 14 – Have you received an award or recognition recently?
July 15 – What have you done recently that went above and beyond what you were assigned to do?
July 16 – Have you championed a co-worker’s cause or project? What was the result?
July 17 – Describe a time recently when you have saved a customer relationship or improved a customer relationship with your company.
July 18 – What project have you completed recently that has positively impacted your company?
July 19 – Have you attained any professional licenses or certifications recently?
July 20 – What have you created at work recently?
July 21 – Have you computerized any formerly manual processes?
July 22 – Describe a time when you averted a problem at work.
July 23 – Have you attended any courses or training recently? What was the subject?
July 24 – Were you able to complete any outstanding projects recently?
July 25 – Has there been an activity recently that you convinced someone else to do? (Especially if he/she was reluctant before?)
July 26 – How have you helped attract new customers to your company?
July 27 – Give an example of a project, activity, or task you have coordinated recently.
July 28 – What processes have you automated in your current role?
July 29 – Describe how you helped make your boss look good today.
July 30 – Were you authorized to take on any additional work or responsibilities as a result of your skills, experience, or education?
July 31 – What is your biggest professional achievement in the past month?
When possible, quantify your accomplishments: specify numbers, percentages, and dollar amounts. Be as detailed as possible with your responses
When turning your prompts into actual accomplishment statements, create a structure to tell a story. The most common format is the CAR statement:
C = What was the challenge?
A = What action did you take?
R = What was the result?
An example of a CAR statement is:
Recruited to tackle an underperforming sales territory characterized by significant account attrition (challenge). Developed contact list for lapsed accounts and initiated contact with decision-makers at each company (action). Reacquired 22% of former customers, resulting in $872,000 in revenue (result).
For a downloadable copy of this month’s accomplishment journal July Accomplishment Tracker
