So I have a client, super professional guy, with lots of experience and even some awards in his industry.  He calls me up and says he needs a new resume because he’s tired of making chump change (his words) and ready to take his talents to South Beach (also his words).  I’m pumped to get started, thinking his resume will be a breeze because he’s so experienced and accomplished.  We sit down for his resume and professional branding session and I ask him to walk me through his professional highlights first, then the details later.  You won’t believe what he told me.

*Crickets*

He couldn’t think of anything. I prompted and probed until  finally he told me he’s done a lot of cool stuff but didn’t bother to keep up with it.

What?

I’ve noticed a startling trend, one that’s impacting young professionals, job seeking or not.  It’s a mistake that  we’re all probably guilty of but don’t realize it until it’s too late. Like when we’re seeking a new job, asking for a raise, or asked to forward our resume to someone important, too late.

Not keeping score of our wins at work.

Why is this such a huge mistake?  Because if you’re anything like me you can’t remember what you had for lunch yesterday let alone what you did in Q1.  Your wins are what make you stand out; they are the currency of promotions and new opportunities. If you’re resume has more tasks than accomplishments on it, you’re halfway to the no pile.

Think of it this way, if you’re not keeping score for yourself, don’t bet that someone else is. Sure your boss has an idea of what you’re doing and how well you’re doing it, but why leave your career highlight reel in the hands of someone else.

Here are three areas in your career where keeping score will come in handy:

1. Promotional Opportunities – take control over your professional narrative by knowing and effectively communicating what you did and how it benefited the company. Keep your resume updated whether you are job seeking or not.

2. Performance Reviews – why leave your raise up to your boss’ memory? Know your impact and discuss it with your manger often.

3. Career Road Mapping – seeing a trend in your accomplishments?  There could be some unexpected clarity about next steps or under-utilized strengths.

Luckily this an easy mistake to fix – just pick up a pen and paper or create a ‘brag file’ that you can easily access. Keep up with things like % increases, revenue increases, cost decreases, you know, stuff you can measure.

Whew, that was close one.