I remember when I was up for promotion to become a Senior Recruiter at Amazon. I had a 1:1 with the Senior Manager of TA at the time to discuss the process and their first question was “So what are your biggest achievements?”. I responded with a big loud “Ummmmmm…” and I seriously took a while to mention some.
When I finally got there, my achievements were significant and demonstrated that I was operating as a Senior Recruiter for the necessary period of time, but at that moment, I couldn’t think! It was a busy high-growth year and I struggled to think of anything other than where I will find the next Senior Solutions Architect for AWS.
Luckily, I was given additional time to properly note down some examples which aligned to the criteria I had to meet.
What I should have done is go into this meeting prepared. If I could do it all again, here is what I would do:
Qualify how I should ideally prepare for this type of developmental discussion
Schedule a time slot that allows adequate preparation time
Have detailed examples of all my key achievements specifying which promotion criteria I am fulfilling
Clearly outline the results of my achievements in terms of how they have benefited the business, stakeholders, candidates, hiring managers, or the broader TA team.
Rather than waiting til the end of the year, performance reviews, or an important meeting such as the one discussed to note down your achievements, write them down as you go. This will ensure they are fresh in your mind and you don’t miss any important details.
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