Tips For Documenting Your Learning Process

Career advice I’d give my younger self: Keep a record of your wins Document your accomplishments as you go - not just what you did, but the real impact. (Keep this in a personal repository, not at work.) Most of us move from project to project, thinking we’ll remember the details when we need them. Then, when it’s time for a job search or a performance review, we struggle to articulate our impact. Instead, whenever you start a new project, ask yourself: “How will my future self talk about this?” Think in terms of a story - a problem worth solving, a difficult and challenging solution, and a meaningful transformation. You don’t have to wait until the project is finished to start writing it. Step 1: The problem What problem are you solving? A (business) problem worth solving has the problem itself, which lead to symptoms that, if they aren't addressed, can lead to disaster. For example, you might be replacing a legacy workflow. The old workflow is slow and includes manual steps. This results in errors and customer dissatisfaction, which leads to financial risk (due to errors) and churn, resulting in stagnant revenue and declining market share. You'll get more insight over time, but just start at the start. Write down what you know. Step 2: Document the outcomes you (or your leadership) are expecting or hoping for You may not know the final impact yet, but you have a hypothesis. What will change if your project succeeds? More revenue? Higher efficiency? Customer satisfaction improvements? Write that down. The transformation is often the opposite of the problem: if revenue is stagnant, the goal is growth. If churn is rising, the goal is retention. Define the ideal outcome early. Step 3: Capture the key components of the solution As technologists, we naturally document what we built. That’s fine, but remember—hiring managers and execs care less about features and more about impact. And how you collaborated and persuaded stakeholders to create and keep alignment. Step 4: Update your story as you go As your project progresses, go back and update: ✔ What you learned about the real problem ✔ Changes in your approach ✔ The actual results once customers started using your solution Often, the results blossom in unexpected ways - leading to social proof like customer stories, awards, or internal recognition. Capture those. These stories become the basis of a resume that gets interviews and they're great for performance reviews.

Being an associate at a big law firm is hard. -You feel like you have to be perfect. -You get scared to let your guard down. -You strive not to let them see the tears, the struggle, the sweat. That makes for a stressful existence, and it can really take a toll. Over time, I developed a practice of keeping 3 folders in my office that really helped me feel less daunted and more in control. I thought you might try to do the same: 1️⃣ An “Evidence” Folder This is where you put all the positive feedback you ever received. It can be a draft that a partner wrote “Terrific” on top, a note to self that a client nodded and smiled when seeing your case writeup, and notes or any and every little positive thing that’s happened to you at the firm. This folder comes in really handy when you feel overwhelmed or like you’re not sure you’re good enough. Review this folder often to remember your past accomplishments and prop up your confidence to brave future challenges. 2️⃣ An “I have learned” folder. In this folder go all the new things you’ve worked on— topics you’ve researched, checklists you’ve created, motions you’ve drafted, contracts or deposition outlines you’ve prepared, presentations you’ve given, etc. In addition to helping you feel accomplished, the items in this folder will be an excellent source of models for you going forward. This folder will be thin when you start, but you’ll be amazed to see how it grows over time. Having this type of folder is a gamechanger when the time comes to write your year-end self-evaluation. It will also make it infinitely easier when the time comes to update your resume! 3️⃣ An “I need to learn” folder. In here, put all the cases, interesting articles, and other materials on topics you want to read about. These items will keep you moving forward when times are slow and you’re twiddling your thumbs worrying about hours. Instead of worrying, why not learn everything about a useful topic, write an article about it, and pitch it to a partner for publication? By collecting things little-by-little over time, you can really amass quite a learning library for yourself. ⬇️ Might you try some of my folders out? Let me know if you do! 💌 Amanda 🗳️ What have you started doing at work that’s helped you feel more in control at your firm? —Have another type of folder you keep? —Something else you do? Any and all ideas, no matter how silly, can be helpful for new associates who are coming up with their own systems for success! #JRLitigators

Summer 2025 interns: Follow this piece of advice to make your internship life easier in the long run. I promise you'll thank me! If you haven't done so already, starting today...document your summer experience as you go. It doesn't matter how you do it. A laptop document, a phone app, a good ol' fashioned planner/notebook. What matters is writing all the information down as you’re producing it or taking it in, rather than trying to reflect an entire summer in August or September. 1. Keep track of what you do. Your duties & responsibilities, your accomplishments, etc. Pay attention to quantifiable details. For example, if you create social media content - how many posts, how much increased engagement (numbers or percentages). Logging these details now will make updating your resume and LinkedIn profile easier at summer's end. 2. Take notes during career conversations. Bring a notebook to every meeting, with questions prepared and enough room to write down answers and the additional information you learn. Being able to reference these specific topics in the followup thank you email (sent 24-48 hours after your meeting) adds a personal touch. Additionally, you’re going to learn a lot from many different people that you’ll want to easily reference in the future. 3. Write down "the nuggets." Tidbits you hear during a staff meeting, presentation, career conversation, or anywhere. A nugget is anything that makes you think, pause, ponder, reflect, engage or even just laugh. One of my colleagues writes on her iPhone Notes app any phrases she hears that resonate with her, whether shared by someone in conversation or offered in a presentation. Great example of nuggets! 3. Snap pics and videos. Visual documents are as helpful as written ones. If you’re assisting in putting together an event, take pics before, during and after the program. Is your internship taking place in a different city or country? Capture sites outside of the office, too! 4. Share your experience. LinkedIn is perfect for doing so. I love seeing students celebrating their internships throughout the summer with stories and accompanying photos. Others put together a website or portfolio that they can share with an audience. So don’t delay, start your internship tracking today.  You’re welcome! 🙂

Have a shitty memory like me and struggle to talk about your accomplishments? Try this: I used to blank during 1:1s. Not because I wasn’t doing anything impactful - but because I couldn’t remember the details. So I started keeping a simple “running doc” of my accomplishments. By creating a running doc, I was able to log my accomplishments in real time so when it came to 1:1s or quarterly reviews, I had talking points and quantifiable data I could easily reference and speak to. My doc was never highly organized or complicated, so if you’re not a Notion pro, don’t worry. I’d simply create mine in Google Docs and name it “Q2 2023 Accomplishments,” for example. Then, each quarter, as soon as I: Hit a new goal Improved a process Completed a project Reached a milestone Met with a XFN partner Took an internal training Networked with a colleague Made progress on an initiative Mentored and trained a new hire Exceeded expectations on an SLA …I’d create a new bullet point with that accomplishment, any relevant data, include the date, and move on. By incorporating this into my daily routine, each update would take less than 3 minutes of my time and was super manageable. Then, each week during my 1:1s with my manager, I would come prepared with an agenda that included my weekly: Wins Opportunities Challenges Updates (projects, general, personal) Questions Without a running doc, I can say with confidence it wouldn’t have been as easy for me to communicate my value and the impact I had during our 1:1s and at the end of the half going into performance reviews. As a result, I’d highly recommend creating one if it’s not already a part of your routine! Plus, if you ever find yourself looking for a new role, having something like this is super helpful when it comes to job searching and updating your resume. Do you do something similar?

🔥 Friday Hot Take - Stop trying to use your resume to track impact & accomplishments. Here's a FREE template, and a better way We've all been there. Desperately trying to remember: - accomplishments - assignments - key details - metrics - results When updating your resume before applying to a new job, or networking with a connection. This 'post-event' reflection method isn't effective, and your resume REALLY isn't the best place to dump all that information. Here's what I recommend instead. Use a Career Log. (PS - I've attached a free template 💡 ) It’s a private doc where you regularly dump: - Wins (big + small) - Results you contributed to - Projects you led or supported - Feedback from clients, peers, or leadership - Promotions, awards, metrics, lessons Think of it as your career brain backup. When it’s time to: update your resume, ask for a raise, interview for a new role... You’ll have a detailed archive to pull from—not foggy memories or scattered thoughts. It’s one of the highest-leverage habits I teach senior professionals. PRO TIP: Don’t wait until you need a new resume to make updates - create reminders on your calendar to dump new information every 3 months (quarterly). Start now. Build your log. Your future self will thank you.