HOW TO: Prepare to Move On

I know that I will eventually move on at some point in my career. What kind of records should I be keeping? My company has a policy that all files (electronic and paper) are their property as well as all non-personal email. Is this common? What examples of my performance should I be keeping? A DC Web Woman

In today's volatile marketplace it is always a good idea to keep one eye on the future.

Most companies do have a policy that all information is confidential and must remain so even after employment ceases. It is also true that "confidential" can be interpreted to mean any work done while being paid by the company. The terms and conditions of what is confidential depend upon the particular situation: the type of job performed, and any employment or other agreements that may have been signed, but everyone faces this dilemma in some way when thinking about moving on.

The basic principle is that good companies have a wholesome respect for other company’s rights, and a judicious regard for honoring confidentiality. After all, what a candidate does with the rights and secrets of a current or former company is a good indicator of what she will do with, or to, any company. (Likewise, if a company wants or expects something from a prospective employee that is contradictory to these ethics, that is a warning to look elsewhere.)

Revealing confidential information, showing confidential documents, files, or code, is a terrible mistake, and an ethical, and possibly legal, breach. Clearly understand your obligations and business responsibilities when you create a portfolio or resume. Read and understand what you have signed, and ask a respected professional if you have questions about what is right and wrong in your situation.

Given these strictures, how can you reasonably prepare to represent your skills and successes competently, effectively, and honorably in a competitive, show-me-what-you-have-done marketplace?

Take a simple action to prepare. During your tenure with any company, maintain a personal accomplishment journal. A journal will work regardless of the type of job you have. A journal will permit you to honor your confidentiality agreements. A journal will give you the information to demonstrate your abilities and skills to prospective employers.

Use something quick and easy and portable that suits you: a spiral notebook, an organizing System, a handheld computer, or a file on a diskette to keep a record of the major things you accomplish at work. (I do not recommend using your work computer to store anything personal.) Most people forget the details of the good and varied work that they do, especially over time. These entries will serve as memory logs when you need them for credentials. They also will take you on a journey of personal growth and insight.

Be prudent not to record customer names or computer code. Do not keep proprietary flow charts or any confidential information, data or code. Leave out any specific references to people or customers or management. Focus on the work that you performed and how you did it with key phrases and descriptions. For example: "wrote code to solve the problem of whatever by doing thus and so with x and y tools."

Create a narrative or description of what you do. Make entries once a week, faithfully, on the same day and time, about the work you performed. Record problems and your role in solving them. Create a tapestry of information that is focused on you. An accomplishment journal will fill in the blanks that an obligation of confidentiality and the passing of time will impose. For example, this journal will help you

• to write interesting, relevant points in a cover letter
• to refresh your memory with specifics before an interview
• to craft a case study of interesting or challenging work you have accomplished
• to tailor your skills and experience to the job opportunity which you can send with your resume, or produce as talking points during an interview
• to build a case for how you have grown and developed, and thus expect to continue to do so, if you are a stretch for the new job you are seeking
• to make a strong business case for a raise or promotion
• to manage your professional growth

This can be done without violating any ethics or agreements. A journal can enable you to honorably and effectively represent your work and abilities. It is a simple technique that will serve you very well in documenting your credentials in the work place.

It is simple, but it is not easy. It will take disciplined thinking to take note of what you do, a commitment to record it, and creativity to represent it in a generic way. But it will nicely solve the problem of documenting your performance so that you can eventually move on.

If you do it faithfully it is a priceless resource, and well worth the effort. It will surely help you to recognize your growth and to focus your career. It will teach you what you like and what you do not like. It will give you memories you thought you had lost. It will remind you of achievements when you think you have none.

It will give you comforts you have not even imagined you could need. Start one today.

A journal is a single-focus form of the technique and process discussed in the WIB column HOW TO: Organize With a Calendar and To Do List) (http://www.dcwebwomen.org/resources/wib/990503.html) and many of the practices are the same.

Copyright © 1998, 1999 by D.E. Summerville. All rights reserved.

The advice and suggestions in the Women in Business column are solely those of the author. DC Web Women assumes no responsibility for its content.

Back to Top