Two powerful investments to make in your career

Posted 3 days ago

I met Jessica Ivins when she was working at Center Centre here in Chattanooga. She recently posted on LinkedIn about two small but powerful investments that you can make in your career. I wanted to highlight these two investments and share a little bit about my personal experience with both.

The two investments are:

  • Build and maintain relationships in your network
  • Maintain a career management document (CMD), which is a record of all your work for use with your resume or portfolio

Build and maintain relationships in your network

Jessica believes that small efforts can have a big impact. She suggests making little investments in relationships—things that take just a moment but can be surprisingly significant over time. I’ve found this to be true in my own experience. I was making many of these small investments without even realizing how much they mattered.

Here are some simple but powerful ways to invest in your relationships:

  • Comment on someone’s post or thread on LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, or Instagram.
  • Send a quick message to congratulate them on a work anniversary or when they share news.
  • Let them know how something they shared impacted you and your work.
  • Wish them a happy birthday (LinkedIn makes this easy!).
  • Even something as small as favoriting a post can be meaningful.

I don’t necessarily think of these as “networking” when I do them. To me, it’s about making a genuine connection—wanting to support and engage with people I know. But in reality, that’s exactly what networking is: building relationships with people who share common interests. And whether or not it directly impacts our careers, these connections enrich our lives.

Of course, larger investments—like setting up a coffee chat over Zoom or meeting in person—can deepen relationships even more. But don’t underestimate the power of small, consistent engagement.

Also, don’t overlook the investments you’ve already made. Doing good work and being a reliable, trusted person creates lasting value. Recently, I reached out to someone I’d done freelance work for years ago. I wasn’t sure we had that strong of a connection, but he responded right away. That simple outreach led to a Zoom call—and ultimately, new contract work with his agency.

I almost didn’t reach out because I thought too much time had passed. But past investments have a way of bearing fruit when we least expect it. People who have a connection to you are often eager to help if they can—so don’t be afraid to reach out.

Career management document

Keeping track of your accomplishments takes a bit more effort than small networking gestures, but it’s a habit that pays off. Career shifts can happen unexpectedly, and having an up-to-date record of your achievements makes it easier to refresh your resume when new opportunities arise.

Six years ago, Jessica introduced the concept of this document in an A List Apart article, and it has stuck with me ever since. Though I saw its value and wanted to make it a weekly habit, I was never quite able to stick to that schedule. Jessica recommends updating it once a week, but I found a different rhythm that worked for me.

Instead of updating it weekly, I adapted the idea and used it every six months to prepare for my biannual review at my last job. The most valuable lesson I took from Jessica was learning to frame accomplishments like resume bullet points. This approach made it easier to track my progress and highlight my contributions.

An existing habit made this process easier—I kept a daily log. This meant I had a running record of my work, making it easier to recall accomplishments instead of relying on memory. I also started writing weeknotes on my site, which further helped me track and reflect on my progress over time.

I started updating my LinkedIn profile regularly with new bullet points identified during my review process. Those lists proved invaluable when I had to revise my resume after being laid off last year.

As I move forward in my career, I want to establish a more consistent habit of identifying and adding accomplishments to my CMD instead of doing it every six months. This small habit can make a big difference when the time comes.

My CMD also helped me write case studies this past year on projects from two or three years ago—something I couldn’t have done without those records.

A career management document can also be a confidence booster, reminding you of your strengths and achievements. We all face imposter syndrome or rough days at work. Reviewing your CMD can help ground you when self-doubt creeps in or when “today is not a fine day for science.”

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