A key to selling yourself is to show examples of what you've done-your accomplishments. To get a complete list of your accomplishments, you have to tap your subconscious-which you can easily do by following the steps listed in the next couple of pages. Your first step is to make a comprehensive list of them. For each of your jobs list all of your responsibilities and your key accomplishments in them-include even the minor ones. To help you recall your accomplishments, think about the changes that had a considerable effect on your job. For example:
A new boss.
A sale or a merger of the company.
A new system.
A new subordinate.
New equipment (such as a computer).
A new peer you worked closely with.
A new product.
New legislation.
A new office or plant.
These peg points provide an easy method of recalling various things you did on a job that you may have forgotten. For each peg point, ask yourself what changes occurred in your work and what were your resulting accomplishments. For example, four years ago Jane Foster came in as purchasing agent. Several months afterward Bill Smith was moved over from buyer of raw materials to buyer of subcontract assemblies. A few months later Smith was asked to be department coordinator on the new quality-control system. Foster's appointment was a peg point for Smith to recall these two changes in his duties.
Another useful way to analyze your experience is to write down your answers to the following questions.
What promotions have you been given? Why were you promoted? What merit salary increases have you been given?
What were the comments of your boss when he gave you these increases? What added responsibilities were you given in any of your jobs? What comments were made as these assignments were given to you? What committee assignments have you been given in addition to the regular responsibilities of your job? What other leadership roles have you assumed on the job or in the community? What special projects were you given in addition to the regular functions of your job? Under what circumstances were you asked to represent your organization to outsiders (either on the company premises or outside)? Where have you excelled over your peers in any activity?
Your files also can be another useful memory jogger, as can your diary or expense books. The buddy system of working with another job hunter in a brainstorming session can often help you recall past achievements you might otherwise overlook.
After completing your list of job accomplishments make a list, starting in college, of all of the major non-job activities you can think of (community work, major hobbies, extracurricular college activities) to identify accomplishments in them.
In this set of exercises, undoubtedly there will be duplications. Don't worry about that. Just make the most exhaustive list of your accomplishments that you can. Don't shortchange yourself on these exercises, because they can be the most important aspect of your campaign preparation. You probably won't be able to think of everything at one sitting so keep a notebook handy in case any more ideas crop up. This is the time to "toot your own horn."
Now select those accomplishments which are most marketable for the job you are seeking. Select 12 to 15, using your job description as a reference point. Also select any others that might have some marketability in interviews. These worksheets may be useful for future reference.
You may have realized that you are missing a key item of functional experience although you are well qualified in other aspects. Coping with this deficiency is explained in Chapter Fourteen.
Different stages in a project can mean different accomplishments or skills. For example, you may have been responsible for the computerization of a system in your department. You may have had major involvement in various stages such as the analysis of the old system, the development of the new one, the implementation phase, the use of the resulting system, and expansion or refinement of it at a later time. Each phase may represent somewhat different skills and accomplishments.
A single accomplishment may offer an opportunity to demonstrate a number of key skills and personal characteristics. For example, you may have prepared a report that brought about an important change in the company's operating procedures, a change that met with considerable resistance. Such a report could show your skills in being analytical, persuasive, having perseverance, being imaginative, working under pressure, ability to meet a deadline, and so on.
