Working World

In this difficult financial time, every working person needs all the survival tools he or she can get. Job hunters must prove their value to potential employers. If you’re lucky enough to have a good job, you need to show your employer that you’re Mr. or Ms. Indispensable. If you’re venturing into a new field — something many people are doing these days — you need confidence in yourself and proof that you can make it in your new career. Whatever your situation, you must be able to identify your on-the-job successes and use them effectively. Fortunately, there is one survival tool that can help you with all of the above: your Diary of Success.

Career Chronicle
A Diary of Success is the up-to-date track record of your past, present and future achievements in the working world. In your diary, you’ll record tasks and assignments you’ve successfully completed, praise and rewards you’ve earned, and skills and training you’ve learned and used. If it has anything to do with work, and it makes you look good, into your diary it goes.

“But why would I need such a diary? Won’t I remember my achievements over the years?” The fact is: A few landmarks will stand out, but not much else. It will come as an unpleasant surprise when — on the last day of a job or after years of hard work — you discover that you can remember very little of the great stuff you’ve done for your employers.

That’s why your Diary of Success will be such a powerful tool for job hunting, career building and, in today’s economy, financial survival.
 
Start Your Diary Today
First, buy yourself a notebook or create a computer file and label it “My Diary of Success.” Next, start compiling a master list of your accomplishments.

Start with your current or most recent job. Think back and jot down the tasks, assignments and projects you’ve successfully completed, whether you did them solo or as part of a team. Along the way, did you learn any new work-related skills? They go on the list, too.

Acquiring a new vocational skill is definitely a workplace success. Did you ever receive praise from your boss (or team members) for work well done? Were you congratulated or commended for projects to which you contributed? Don’t forget to record raises or bonuses you earned along the way.

Anything you’ve done that makes you look like a pro belongs in your Diary of Success. When you’ve covered your present, or most recent, jobs, move back in time to jobs you held in the past and repeat the process. Dig through your memories for assignments, projects, accomplishments, achievements and rewards that relate to work. Record them all in your diary. After you’ve exhausted your job history, turn your attention to the unfolding future.

Home Runs in Real Time
Starting today, keep a running log of all new tasks, projects or assignments as they come along. Every week or so, check that you’ve included every achievement in your Diary of Success. How you describe your successes is important. You want to use words and phrases that are positive, concrete and specific. Ask yourself this question: “How did my efforts, my talents and skills benefit the company I work for?”

Think of ways you brought about positive changes for your employer. Did you increase, improve, upgrade, create or otherwise produce desirable results? Did your efforts have a positive effect on sales, profits, output, traffic or morale? Maybe you helped to eliminate unwanted factors of business. Did you reduce, cut or eliminate negatives like waste, expenses or costs?

Numbers are the heart of business. Everyone from your office manager to the CEO measures success in the language of numbers. Don’t say, “I helped improve employee morale” if you can say “I helped reduce employee turnover by 15 percent.” Anything you did that benefited your employer, try to nail down the numbers. In the eyes of your boss — and future bosses — those numbers are what make you a valuable employee.

Remember words of praise. Any time a superior or coworker congratulates you for a job well done, don’t let that pat on the back slip away. Jot down the actual words they used to applaud your competence or dedication.

Did you ever receive a note, letter or email of commendation? A copy belongs in your Diary of Success. (By the way, treat your diary like a classified document. Don’t leave it lying around at work and don’t email it.)
 
Put Your Diary to Work
You’ll realize just how valuable your Diary of Success is when you actually use it to prove your value and advance your career. When you’re asking for a raise or promotion, it helps if you can rattle off some of the ways you’ve contributed to the company.

What if a juicy job or assignment opens up where you work? Should you go for it? Are you sure you can handle it? Open up your Diary of Success and look for assignments or jobs you’ve done in the past that are similar to that new opportunity. Your track record of past performance is a good indicator of how well you can expect to handle a new task.

Looking For a New Job?
Use your Diary to beef up your resume. A resume should not be a laundry list of company names, job titles and dates of employment. An employer wants to know what you’ve done, not where you’ve been. They want to know if you can help them with their problems and needs. That’s what your Diary of Success is all about. Your diary will help you keep your resume up to date and then you can tailor your resume to any job.

When you need a great reference, you can’t expect anyone, even a supervisor who wishes you well, to remember all the good stuff you did on the job. You can say, “two years ago you complimented me on the presentation I made regarding the new travel policy.” Your Diary of Success will help to get you that glowing  letter of recommendation.        

Have a job interview coming up? That’s when you really need a Diary of Success. Dig through it for accomplishments that relate to the needs of that particular employer. During the interview, at the first comfortable opening in the conversation, take about 20 seconds to talk up your successes. Your Diary of Success will help you sell yourself by providing the specifics.

We’ve all done some soul searching about our career from time to time. “What kind of work do I do well? What will I find most fulfilling?” The accomplishments in your Diary of Success are living proof of your skills, talents and achievements. It will serve as a career compass.

Careers are built out of accomplishments. Don’t let yours slip away. A track record that is complete and up to date is a invaluable resource with many uses. Start your Diary of Success today.

Burt Wetanson is a freelance writer who has contributed over 60 articles to Working World. His goal: “to give readers practical tools for success in the tough LA career market.”

1 COMMENTS

• Catherine Rhodes

  The only way to remember your many accomplishments is to write them down as they're happening. Having a tangible record you can refer to during a job interview or performance review is very impressive.

  Jan 11, 2009