Now, make a list of your
accomplishments both work-related and non-work-related.
Think about your entire life and jot down anything you've
done that you felt proud of or good about at the time.
Anything that comes to mind is worth recording. List a
minimum of ten accomplishments.
Work-related accomplishments or contributions may be
harder for you to remember because:
- they were part of your job
and didn't really feel like
accomplishments to you.
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- Give each of these accomplishments
a title and list them in the Accomplishment Analysis page. Think about all the skills you
used in order to achieve each one or to overcome
the obstacles you faced and write them down.
Analyze these accomplishments. Did they involve
similar subject matter! Similar skills! Similar
needs! Were you alone? Or involved as part of a
team? What was most satisfying or rewarding? What
was the real pay-off for you? What patterns do
you see?
What you are discovering are your success
patterns . These patterns are strong indicators
of your interests and values. There's always a
link between what we do well, what we enjoy, and
what we find rewarding. Most of us perform more
effectively, are more committed and are more
promotable when the work we choose allows us to
use the strengths that come easiest and that we
are motivated to use. Consider this when you are
targeting jobs.
Is there potential for you to use your motivated
skills in paid employment? If not, why not! If
you feel that what you really like to do is not
realistic as a job target, plan to create
opportunities to use your motivated skills in a
leisure/recreational activity or in volunteering.
It's worth it to develop this list of
accomplishments because employers who are
effective selection decision-makers know that the
best predictor of future behavior is recent past
behavior.
This analysis prepares you to provide evidence of
your desirability as an employee. It will help
you in developing your resume, preparing covering
letters and preparing yourself for job
interviews. It's not enough to just outline job
duties and responsibilities. You need also to let
employers know how you functioned and what
results you achieved.
Review your chronological work background and ask
yourself:
- In what way did I improve the job
or work area?
- How have I contributed to
productivity and morale as part of a work
team/group?
- What recommendations have I made
for change or elimination of some work function?
- What feedback did I receive on my
effectiveness from customers I served? Include
both internal and external customers.
- What feedback/recognition have I
received from the organization? Include both
formal feedback (i.e. performance evaluation) and
informal feedback, such as recognition in
meetings or notes of appreciation.
- What ideas did I contribute to
improve the bottom line (increase revenue or
decrease costs)?
Volunteer and Community
Accomplishments
Do the same kind of accomplishment analysis of
your non-paid activities. Make a list of them.
Consider the obstacles you overcame and the
skills you used as well as the personal
gratification you received. Are there any
patterns?
Can you see yourself using similar interests and
skills in paid employment?
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