Keep Performance Notes To Bolster Career Goals

If you're angling for a raise or a promotion this year, do this one thing before anything else: Start taking notes.

- RAY A. SMITH

Consistently documenting your wins and accomplishments to compile a record of your work is something not enough of us do. But we should, career coaches say, both for advancement and to avoid getting an unfair review.

Consider this: If your boss asked you what you were doing last July, would you even remember? Regularly documenting will give you an instant, go-to source for information.

Keeping notes can help you stand out, especially at a time when companies are keeping raises in check, thinning the ranks of managers and offering fewer promotions.

If the idea of regularly documenting sounds daunting, or just too tedious, think of it as quick journal entries of accomplishments, feedback and experiences. You can use a spreadsheet, your phone's notes app or specialized apps made for workplace documentation. The goal is to have specific details on hand to prove your worth.

"We assume our biggest accomplishments will stand out in our memory, but by the next performance review, they've faded," says Dorie Clark, who teaches executive education at Columbia Business School.

Make it habitual

First, train yourself to take notes as a habit. Identify one method, whether it's pen and paper or a Google doc.