Who has the time for career management? After all, we’re all to busy executing them to manage them, right? As a resume writer, find that one of the most common impediments to capturing quality person-specific content for the resume writing process is that clients either cannot remember or have the time to recall contributions made during their careers. But what if those factoids were documented and maintained on an ongoing basis?
Enter THE BRAG SHEET!
Think of a brag sheet as a career management tool that allows you to easily access a document into which you jot down career related info and high points for future access . You can use either a word processor document or spreadsheet to jot down those facts you may need to recall later. I recommend a Google Docs or Google Sheets file in the G Suite, which allows you to document info on a laptop / desktop, as well as “on the fly via” a smartphone app, all while being backed up in the cloud for safety. (A Microsoft One Drive file would work just as well)
Now, there is no need for it to stay “well-organized” at every moment of every day. As you navigate your professional day and week, you can jot things down within the file in your own shorthand, because let’s face it, time is often a commodity, right? You can then schedule some time at the end of each week to organize the thoughts into more coherent communications that someone else would understand contextually.
When organizing, be sure to document every entry by date and employer. This serves as ready-made content your resume writer can use to build out your new resume when you’re ready for that update. (And all you needed to do was either copy and paste the info into an email, or invite them as a “viewer” of the existing sheet!)
Career management made easy!
Other areas where this will help with career management are:
Easily retrieve valuable ammunition for future performance appraisals.
Shorten the prep time for job interviews when it comes to recalling high-relevance anecdotes that will impress interviewers. You can review the notes while you’re in the waiting area!
Create a deep repository of sample info that can help strengthen your case with potential clients when it comes to consulting engagements.
So, start documenting those little career victories and contributions today. You will be happy that you did so. (and so will I!)
