Author: Marcia Zidle

During my time as a career transition coach, a client came into my office, opened his briefcase and dumped 20 years of performance reviews and said: “Write my resume.”

Two thoughts came to my mind. The first was that I help YOU write your resume. The second was how can I make it easier for folks who haven’t written a resume for years? That’s when I came up with the idea of a “My Success Portfolio.” It’s a file where you continuously drop items documenting your accomplishments, contributions and capabilities.

What’s the Benefit?

• It’s important to have a My Success Portfolio because you:
• Need to prepare, update or revise your resume for job search or career change
• Want to present and promote your brand in vying for a promotion or a new position
• Can’t expect your boss to remember everything you’ve done for your annual performance review
• Can periodically review your accomplishments to give you a boost of self confidence and encouragement.

What’s In it?

Here are some examples that I’ve seen in client’s My Success Portfolio.

1. Work Samples/Summary of Accomplishments
At the end of a major project, summarize the details and work involved including obstacle that were overcome. State both the quantifiable and qualitative results. Include your role, your contribution and skills you used. At the end, for your benefit, write your lessons learned.

2. Performance Reviews
Keep copies of all written evaluations of your work plus your performance improvement goals as well as stretch areas. Take notes on any conversations relating to your performance, including the date and participants. Also include documentation of specific steps you’ve taken for performance improvement as well as other things that may be important in future reviews.

3. Training and Continuing Education
Save all the brochures on the educational events, workshops and webinars you attend throughout the year. This shows of your efforts to expand and hone your skills. Also keep all certificates you’ve achieved. If you’re involved in a accelerated or honors education program note that. Now turn that knowing into doing. Keep track on how you are implementing your education and the results.

4. Applause and Positive Comments
Deposit all grateful or complimentary feedback including notes, letters, emails from colleagues or clients thanking you for a job well done. If you receive compliments in person or over the phone, don’t hesitate to ask whether they would put them in a letter or email to you. Don’t underestimate the good words of clients, co-workers and especially direct reports to enhance your reputation and brand. Since your portfolio is for your eyes only, drop in everything – it adds up to an impressive bio.

5. Professional and Civic Activities
List organizations you’re active in and committees you’re part of. Keep track of your participation and accomplishments. Add copies of your speeches you’ve done, panels you’ve been on and articles you’ve published. Don’t underrate what you’ve done in a volunteer role. Realize that the skills and experiences ou’ve gained can be utilized in your present and future positions.

Career Success Tip:

Once you’ve created your My Success Portfolio, make it a regular task to review and capture what you have done over the past few days, weeks or — at most — month. It’s your responsibility to document your work; you can’t expect others to remember and recognize all that you do. What’s in your Success Portfolio today? What should be in it tomorrow?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Getting consumed with work is easy to do, especially when we spend most of your waking hours working.

We get caught up in exciting projects with superhuman deadlines or works under a boss who thinks 8 hour days are for sissies or maybe it’s because we just can’t say no to a request because it makes us feel important. The real issue is do you want to change? Do you want to maintain a more reasonable balance between your life and your work?

If yes, here are some tips adapted from a Harvard Business Review article.

1. Assess how much time you spend at work.
   You may need to put in long hours at times, but make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Don’t stay late to impress others or because you can’t manage your time well.
2. Banish time-hogs.
   If something or someone is wasting your time, get rid of it. Stop attending unnecessary meetings, limit face-time with your demanding direct report, or stop visiting distracting websites.
3. Treat non-work time as sacred.
   Protect your time outside of work for your health and sanity. You will only feel refreshed if you truly disconnect and recharge.
4. Remind yourself you’re more than your job.
   How much you love your job, it is a mistake to define yourself too closely to your work. Take time to reflect on what you want to achieve in life. There’s the famous line that when reflecting about your life on your deathbed, no one says that they wish they had worked more.
5. Take the time to smell the roses. When was the last time you took a relaxed walk rather than a timed run; stopped and enjoyed watching ducks in a pond; had an evening of fun that had nothing to do with business; took you kids to the zoo for the entire day; spent a leisurely dinner with your partner? Even if these activities don’t turn you on, find ones that will.

Career Success Tip:

“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is what are we busy about?”- Henry David Thoreau. So, what are you busy about? What do you I want to accomplish in your life? What do I want to be remembered for? What’s my vision for my future? If you don’t have your own mission, get one. Otherwise you’ll be signing up for someone else’s.

Readers, what are your thoughts about work and how it can take over your life? Do you have any additional recommendations for achieving work life balance?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

• .

A popular notion is that you should only focus on your strengths rather than develop weak spots. Is that the secret of career success?

Of course you need to appreciate your strengths. If you don’t, you can fail to leverage core skills to help you be more effective in your present job and move you toward your next career goal.

On the other hand, certain skills relied upon too heavily can become weaknesses. Being overly decisive, for example, can lead to the impression by others of micromanaging or being too aggressive. Or, not realizing that you need to develop additional skills, can prevent you from being effective. For example, your analytical ability can be a real asset in a technical specialist position. But once you move into management, what becomes much more critical is building and managing relationships. If that is a weak point for you, you can’t afford to ignore it.

Pay Attention to Both Strengths and Weaknesses.

1. Get Informed. Get a clear honest picture.
What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? There are a number of ways to get informed; 360-degree assessments, StrengthFinders or direct feedback from your boss and others you work with. This is the first step to positive change.

2. Get Real: Evaluate perceptions.
To what degree does your view of your strengths and weaknesses match how other people see you? If you underrate your abilities, you may be under-performing. If you overrate your abilities – thinking you re better than you actually are – you may be damaging your effectiveness..

3. Get Moving: Set goals for improvement.
Are your strengths having the effect you want? How are your weaknesses impeding results? What one thing could you do differently that would have the most beneficial impact if you were successful in changing?

Career Success Tip:

It’s not one or the other. Rather, determine what skills or behaviors will best serve you and your organization. Ultimately, development is development. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to build on strength or lessen a weakness. The important thing is that you are growing your potential, getting better at what you do, and building your career.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

“I’m a lawyer in a firm but I’m unhappy. I’m not really sure if I want to continue here or even in law. My family tells me I can make good money. Sometimes I feel I am a quitter for wanting to consider doing something else. I feel very confused. What can I do?” – Muriel, a frustrated lawyer.

Muriel, I once coached an anesthesiologist who also was unhappy in her chosen field. She went into medicine because of her father. Here’s what I told her to do before “throwing in the towel” and making a radical career change.

1. Separate the good from the bad in your current career.
So Muriel, what elements of law do you enjoy? What don’t you enjoy? Think back to when you were really excited – perhaps it was in law school or your first job or whenever. Now make a list of what you were doing. Was it the research, the client interaction, the courtroom, the writing of briefs, etc?

2. Then narrow down what is making you unhappy or frustrated.
Is it the kind of law you’re practicing? Is it work you’re doing – types of clientele or the cases? Is it the culture of the law firm? Is it life / work balance – too many hours spent in the office and not enough for other things important to you?

3. Take a hard look at your profession and perhaps others.
Putting aside everyone else’s opinions about the money, the education, the prestige, etc, are you still excited about the profession of law? If yes, what aspects of the profession? If not, what do you feel disenchanted about it? Can you diversify into other professions using your law background?

4. Finally, look at all your options.
If you want to stay in the legal profession, what other areas would be a better fit? If you enjoy the law firm, but it’s the work you’re doing, what how can you change you job to make it more amenable? If you find you don’t fit the firm’s culture (too hectic, too cut throat or too bureaucratic), then what other firms could be a better fit? What else do you currently do outside of work that you enjoy? Do you have any interests or hobbies that you could consider pursuing as a new career path?

So what did the anesthesiologist do? Perhaps you can learn from her experience. At the time of the coaching she was taking a course in mediation. She realized that she liked the analysis of conflict situations and then working with the parties to come to an agreement. She did not want to leave the medical profession entirely so she got involved in arbitration within a health insurance company. She’s utilizing her medical background in a new way and is much more satisfied with her career.

Readers, how have you dealt with unhappiness or frustrations in your career?

Career Success Tip

Don’t jump from the frying pan into the fire. Take time to assess your goals, your skills and interests, your options and most important the cultural fit before moving to another job, another company or another profession. Career change is a big decision.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

We have all experienced walls or challenges in our lives.

They may be personal; they may be professional; they may be both. No one is exempt from career challenge, disappointment and even failure.

There are a variety of ways to attack these walls – some more effective than others. How you handle the walls can be a defining point in your leadership and in your career. Here are five common ways.

1. Just level it.
If the wall is causing a problem, we just need to get rid of it. It’s in our way. This approach requires nothing but mindless action. At least we know we’re doing something. We flail away at the problem with minimal success. We act with no sense of purpose or deep understanding of the outcome. But the problem can come back and transform into one big hairy monster.

2. Replay the tape.
Sometimes, we assume that all walls can be conquered with the same approach. It worked before, it should work again.We stare at it and remember last year’s plan. But all walls are different. Fresh approaches are needed and expected in today’s constant changing environment.

3. Delay, delay, delay.
The wall is in front of us, but we hope it will go away. However, it will not shrink or disappear. Rather, it will become more menacing the longer it is allowed to stand.

4. Deny, deny, deny.
We can conquer this situation; but why should we? It really is not a problem. But, we know it is. The wall creates a personal fear. We avoid the struggle. However the challenge must be engaged.

5. Climb over with the 3 A’s.

• Do an assessment. Step away and gain a clear perspective of the problem. What is the real wall I’m confronting? Why does it exist? Have I created it through my behavior?
• Then create an agenda asking these questions. How am I going to attack the wall? What are the best approaches? What is my plan?
• Finally take action. Throw procrastination out; dump denial and move forward. Your confidence is up; you understand the actions it will take; and you have prepared.

Readers, is there one or more that you automatically utilize? Does it work for you or cause you more challenges?

Career Success Tip

Believe in your ability to climb over walls. Visualize yourself dealing with a specific challenge successfully. First assume it’s possible; second rehearse doing it in your imagination; third do it; and fourth congratulate yourself and celebrate. You’ve taken charge of your life and career.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?