Give Future You Some Evidence
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Career Principles | The small wins are easy to forget. Keeping a little evidence along the way can help Future You remember what you've already proved.
Image by dlxmedia.hu on Unsplash
We tend to remember our mistakes remarkably well.
Our successes? Not always.
And there's another problem.
When someone says career achievement, we tend to think about the big things.
The promotion.
The qualification.
The award.
The new job.
The pay rise.
They're worth remembering. But they aren't the only evidence that matters.
Some of the best evidence about who you are at work arrives in much smaller moments.
“Can you show the new person how you do that?”
“The customer asked if you were working today.”
“Would you mind if we used your work as an example on our socials?”
Or, as Mrs Spray & Wipe heard after she'd been away for two weeks:
“OMG, YES! You are back.”
That's career evidence too.
It tells us something about what other people notice, value and rely on.
The problem is that these moments are incredibly easy to forget.
Start collecting your Career Wins
Not because every compliment belongs on your résumé.
Not because you need to spend your working life building a case for your own worth.
Because we forget.
Keep digital notes on your phone.
Create a photo album for screenshots, messages and images that remind you of something you did well.
Save useful documents, scans, feedback and examples of your work in a folder on your computer.
And old school works too. A notebook, folder, card or handwritten note is perfectly fine. Just make sure you photograph the important ones at some stage.
Choose whatever way of keeping these things you'll actually use. Then keep adding to it.
When something happens that makes you think I handled that well, save it.
When somebody says something about you that matters, record it.
When you're trusted with something new, keep the evidence.
When you finish something you're quietly proud of, don't rely on Future You remembering it.
Why Future You might need it
One day you might be changing careers.
Preparing for an interview.
Updating a résumé.
Writing a cover letter.
Trying to explain your transferable strengths.
Or simply having one of those weeks when you've forgotten what you're capable of.
A collection of Career Wins gives you something concrete to draw on.
Examples of what you've handled.
Problems you've solved.
Moments when somebody else noticed what you brought.
Useful reminders, especially when your own memory isn't doing you any favours.
Don't rely on Future You remembering what Present You has already proved.
Career Wins aren't just the big wins
Keep the promotion, qualification, award and formal recognition.
But keep the smaller things too.
The thank-you email.
The screenshot.
The customer comment.
The responsibility someone trusted you with.
The problem you solved.
The project you're quietly proud of.
The colleague who noticed when you weren't there.
Individually, they can seem ordinary.
Together, they begin to tell a story about how you work and what you bring.
And that's worth keeping.
Give Future You something to work with
What happened at work recently that you were pleased with, or that somebody else appreciated? Save it somewhere today. It doesn't need to look important yet. Future You can decide that later.