Heres Why You Should Take Notes at Work - Walrath Recruiting, Inc.

Heres Why You Should Take Notes at Work - Walrath Recruiting, Inc. Weve previously discussed why candidates should always be prepared to take notes during a job interview. Doing so will enable them to remember all the small details about each position. This information will be incredibly valuable when it comes time to accept a job offer. Did you also know that you should keep taking notes even after you start a job? Today well be discussing how simply taking notes can help you get a raise, and even find a great job should you leave your current company. Wondering how that all works? Read on to find out! What to Write About We should clarify that you wont be taking notes about the same things you would in a job interview. Instead, youll be chronicling all of your daily tasks, projects, and accomplishments. If youre unsure about how to write them, approach them the same way you would writing bullet points on your resume. For example, a good note to take would be created a 40 slide presentation on current opportunities within our company, and presented it to 5 senior managers. You dont have to be as succinct here, so make sure you fully explain what was accomplished and include any pertinent details. Its important that the list doesnt just include your daily activities, but projects as well. You should try and update these notes shortly after a project is completed, so you can jot down the details while they are fresh in your mind. Any new tasks you should take on should also go on this list! There doesnt even have to be a sense of organization. The idea is just to get all these tasks, projects, and accomplishments on paper. That could include awards, certifications, and statistics, such as sales numbers. Anything that is completed, carried out, or executed by you at your place of employment should be on that page. Dont worry about being brief, just make sure it is all there! Putting Your Notes to Work So now that you have this overwhelming list of tasks, projects, and accomplishments, youre probably wondering, whats the point? The tough part of being motivated to keep tabs in this manner is that the payoff isnt immediate. It will be at its most valuable at two points- when you have a performance review, and when you have to update your resume. When the time comes to explain what you have accomplished to your boss, you will be better equipped than most. This list is basically a highlight reel of all you have accomplished. Reference it and decide what points you wish to highlight, and it may get you on track for a raise! While utilizing the notes to boost your performance review is effective, the notes will be at their most useful when its time to compose your resume. Typically, most professionals struggle to update their resume when they decide it is time. It can be incredibly challenging to think back to what you do everyday, or what you did on a project you completed many months ago. Thankfully, this list eliminates that problem. You will ultimately have too much information, so be selective when deciding what to use. Obviously having too much to put on your resume is much better than too little! If you use this approach, you will find updating your resume is a breeze. Although your efforts will take time to truly payoff, we hope you realize the value of taking notes at work. Not only is it a time saver, it also greatly boosts the quality of your resume, and hopefully will help you find success in future performance reviews. Also, look out for a follow up blog next Monday on how you can effectively quantify your successes!