I coach my direct reports to write one bullet point or revise one bullet point in their resume every quarter, but ideally every month.

When people haven’t kept up with their accomplishments, they struggle to talk about their brand and successes. I am always telling them to make a list of their stories and audit the list for the skills they need to display. Today I came upon a different way of tackling how to catch up if you don’t practice regular documentation of your accomplishments.

I was recently reading an article by Anna Oakes of Quartz on career reflections and found this great piece of advice I want to share:

First, write down every job you’ve ever had.

1. For each job, write down:

   1. Three things you learned or experienced

   2. Three projects you worked on or led

   3. Three skills you gained

   4. Three things you did well based on your learnings, projects, and skills

   5. Three things you could have done better or differently based on the same

Once you have this list together, follow the good old rule of 3 and summarize each role into 3 key accomplishments.

If you are struggling to sell yourself as a product person or transition your career, this is a great exercise.

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash