What's a Career Highlights Folder & Why Do I Need One?
Table of Contents:
What's a Career Highlights Folder
What goes in your career highlights folder?
Why you need one
How to start one
If you've ever found yourself scrambling to update your resume or LinkedIn profile, trying to remember what exactly you did at that job three years ago…you're not alone. Or maybe you've sat down to write a cover letter or prep for a performance review and gone totally blank on your wins! It 1000% happens, and we need to let you in on a little secret: a career highlights folder.
What’s a Career Highlights Folder
A Career Highlights Folder (also known as a “Brag Book” or “Wins Folder”) is a dedicated place where you collect your proudest moments, achievements, positive feedback, and notable metrics throughout your career. Think of it as your personal trophy case, minus the dust and awkward plaques.
Ideally, this is a digital folder you keep throughout the years on your personal cloud storage!
What goes in your career highlights folder?
This folder can include:
Metrics that show your impact (e.g. “Increased social engagement by 250% in 6 months”)
Praise from clients, coworkers, or supervisors (hello, screenshot-worthy Slack messages)
Big projects you completed
Public shoutouts, awards, or recognition
Before-and-after case studies or snapshots
Lessons learned from tough projects
Anything that brings a smile to your face, because you know that will make an impact to someone else reading it, too!
Why you need one (even if you’re not job hunting)
Think of your Career Highlights Folder as career insurance. It’s helpful when you:
Update your resume, LinkedIn, or portfolio – Stop digging through old emails (especially if it's Outlook because you know you'll never find it anyway - ha!) and have a go-to folder with everything you need.
Prepare for performance reviews or salary negotiations – bring receipts! This can be great for establishing the need for that boost in pay.
Boost your confidence – You know those days were every customer/client seems to be unhappy? Go back through and read this folder when you need a boost!
Apply for speaking gigs, podcast interviews, media features – You’ll already have examples of your best work ready to go!
Start job hunting – You’ll be miles ahead and there's no room for that resume panic or overwhelm.
How to start yours:
Pick your system: Google Docs, a notes app, a folder on your desktop, whatever works best for you.
Set a reminder: Add a calendar alert to update it monthly or quarterly.
Capture in the moment: Save screenshots, write a few notes about each win, and drop them in, AS they happen! You don’t need to format it perfectly, just capture the essence while it’s fresh.
A Career Highlights Folder helps you keep track of your wins, and stay ready for whatever opportunity comes your way! Your future self will thank you!
