Imagine that you’ve just walked into your next salary negotiation meeting. You’ve been at this job for two years now, and you feel that you’ve definitely earned a raise. But when your boss says, “Can you share some examples of how you’ve gone above and beyond the job description?”, your mind goes blank. Not surprisingly, your request is turned down.
Now, imagine the same scenario—except you’ve shown up with a binder filled with your most impressive accomplishments, milestones, positive feedback, and insights from the past 24 months. Your boss’s eyes widen as she flips through the pages. “Oh yeah, I forgot you did that,” she murmurs to herself. Not surprisingly, your request is granted.
Keeping a portfolio of your career growth can (literally) pay off. And it’s not just important during salary negotiations: it’s also a crucial tool for performance reviews and job interviews. Read on to learn what belongs in your portfolio, how you should organize it, and the right way to present it during these meetings.
1. Collect the materials you already have.
- Sure, you could start from scratch—but we’re guessing you already have plenty of files and work samples worthy of inclusion. Start by skimming through your emails for notable emails from bosses, colleagues, and clients. Next reflect on your project experience, compiling your biggest and most notable projects you've contributed to. Professional experience and academia should be added, as well. Complete your collection with miscellaneous items like awards and work samples.
2. Organize them and choose a storage system.
- There are two basic ways to compile your portfolio. You can take the low-tech route and collect everything in a binder or folder, or you can digitize all your materials and store them on your computer. The second system—although more time-intensive—is preferable. It’s pretty easy to misplace a physical binder or folder, but you’ll never lose or damage the virtual version. Plus, the majority of your materials will already be online, whether they’re emails, reports, documents, etc.
3. Continually update and add to your portfolio.
- After you pull together all of these materials, you should have a pretty solid base for your portfolio. Now you can start actively looking for new things to add. There are tons of different ways to do this, so it’s up to you to find which one suits your style best.
4. Look for opportunities to use it.
- Your accomplishments portfolio will now be extremely useful for situations like job applications, raise negotiations, and performance reviews.