Article 7: Brainstorming Exercise: Remembering project details

Now that you’ve identified your three projects, we will move onto how you can develop these projects into interesting stories through some simple brainstorming.

When I work in person with my clients, I draw three clouds on a sheet of paper.  From there, we walk through a series of questions that help them remember what the project was about and why they still feel so positive about it.

Since I’m not there to brainstorm with you in person, I designed the simple worksheet below that will help you walk through the brainstorming process to remember the three projects and why you are proud of them.

Remember, this is a brainstorming exercise.  Do not judge or justify anything at this stage. There is no right or wrong answer.  Just a little juggling of your long-term memory to enhance your story.

Step 1: Jot down what you remember about the project. How was the team structured? What was the goal? What did you do? Who was the sponsor and what were they like to work with? Anything that can help you remember the details of the project.

Step 2: After you remember the project structure, list five things that still make you feel good about this project. Was it the friendships you developed after working through the endless long nights? Were you or your whole team recognized for your contributions?  Were you able to reduce errors or increase revenue as a result of your efforts?  This step is more about what made you feel good about the project.

Step 3: The final step in this brainstorming exercise is to identify two problems experienced with each project. It’s sometimes best if you can remember problems that were overcome or fixed during the project, but challenges that remain after the project was completed make great stories, too. 

Step 4:  Repeat for your two other projects.

PROJECT NAME

What is it about this project that makes you feel good? What were your successes?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Project Structure

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Two obstacles that you overcame

1.

2.

Your brainstorming results are already starting to set you apart from other jobseekers who are unwilling to go the extra-mile to land them their dream jobs. You’re doing great!