Why you should have a brag document (2024)

A few jobs ago I was up for a raise. As part of the performance review process, my manager asked me to do a self-review of the past year where I rate myself in several categories and add relevant notes.

Essentially my manager was asking:

What have I done lately and why did it matter?

I felt like I had a great year.

I had shipped a bunch of projects and learned a bunch. However while I remembered the last 6 months fairly well, the 6 months before that were a little hazy. I had trouble remembering everything I’d done and the impact I had. I struggled to craft what I did remember into a compelling story for why I deserved a handsome raise that year. And I only had a few days to do it.

I ended up taking several hours over two weeks to write down what I could remember, submitted my self-review to my manager, and hoped for the best. I knew I didn’t remember everything, but given the time pressure, I did my best with the time I had.

Looking back, I really wish I had a brag document.

A brag (or hype) document is a personal record where we detail our career accomplishments, skills, and milestones. It’s a living document that we (hopefully) update regularly, capturing career updates as they happen when the details are still fresh.

I first learned about brag documents, also known as hype documents, from Julie Evans. Andy Budd, Jessica Ivins, David Hoang have also written great posts about them.

Over time, it’s easy to forget many of the small but significant contributions we’ve made. A brag document ensures that no achievement is forgotten. Whether it’s a successful project, a skill we’ve mastered, a problem we’ve solved, or a nice thing someone said about us, having it documented makes it easier to recall when needed.

Like, say, during a performance review!

When it comes to performance reviews, we usually have to show proof of what we’ve done and the impact we’ve made. Having an update-to-date brag document makes it super easy to gather all the info we need, taking a lot of the stress out of the process. It lets us give solid examples of your achievements, making it easier for our boss to see our worth and back us up for promotions or raises.

When applying for new jobs, a brag document a goldmine for our resume and cover letters. We never know exactly what questions the hiring manager will ask, so having a brag document gives us a stable of answers at our fingertips.

It also gets us ready for interviews by giving us a bunch of stories and examples that show off our skills and accomplishments. Being able to clearly talk about what we’ve done gives us a leg up on other candidates.

Brag documents can be helpful anytime we’re having a conversation about your career. Talking with a recruiter? Yep. Meeting with a mentor? Absolutely. Chatting with someone we just met at a conference? You bet.

Heck, I’ve even used my brag document to solve tech’s hardest challenge: Explaining what I do for a living to my parents 😂

Anytime someone might ask “What do you want to do with your career?” or “Why do you deserve this job / promotion / raise?”, having a brag document means you always have a solid answer at our fingertips.

If you’ve read this far, hopefully you’re starting to see the benefits of a brag document and are wondering how to create your own.

Here’s what I’d suggest:

Begin with a basic structure that includes sections for projects, skills, milestones, feedback, and lessons learned. Julie’s article has a bunch of examples. I used her article to create my templates for Product Designer and Design Manager. Adapt as you see fit.

Make it a habit to update your brag document regularly. Set reminders to review and add new accomplishments regularly while it’s still fresh and you can remember the details.

I block out 30min every two weeks to update my brag document, though honestly I usually only need 5–10min. It’s the “once every two weeks” part is most important for me. If I didn’t have a regular reminder, I’d usually forget.

Include detailed descriptions of your achievements, quantifying your impact whenever possible. Use feedback like metrics from analytics, link to files, and positive feedback from colleagues, clients, and supervisors. It all adds proof and credibility to your accomplishments.

While a brag document helps you get that next raise or promotion, it’s also helpful to reflect on where you want to be in a few years and consider how your recent accomplishments are helping you get there.

Shortly after my performance review, I discovered Julie’s article and started my own brag document.

At my first my updates we pretty sporadic: several times a week followed by two months of nothing. Still, I was writing down stuff I knew I’d forget. A short but impactful project, a presentation I nailed, a nice thing someone said about me in chat.

I didn’t know if this stuff would ever be useful, but I knew I’d forget about it in a week if I didn’t write it down.

Suffice to say my next performance review went much smoother. Before, it took me two weeks to piecemeal together what I could remember. This time it took me two days to complete a self review, including with accomplishments from the first half of the year and data supporting my impact.

These days I have a recurring calendar reminder to update my brag document every two weeks on Monday morning, before I get going for the day (else the day will get away from me and I’ll forget). Even as my job changed from IC designer to manager, I’ve kept maintaining my brag document. I can’t imagine going through my performance reviews without it.

Now that I’m a manager, I advise everyone on my team to create their own brag document. In all honestly, when I read each self-review, it’s clear who’s prepared and who isn’t.

The more data I have as a manager, the easier it is for me to create a case to my boss that someone deserves a bigger raise or promotion.

Why you should have a brag document (2024)

FAQs

Why you should have a brag document? ›

The Brag Document could help your manager make a stronger case. But, 'getting promoted' isn't the goal of the brag document. The idea is to help you reflect on your work, to recognize patterns, to see what's important to you, what you're learning, and what your impact is. It can even help with imposter syndrome.

What is a brag document? ›

A Brag Document is a list of your accomplishments, achievements, and your future goals. It's used to track your work, the impact you've made, the things you're proud of, your goals, and what you're doing to achieve them.

What is a brag sheet for performance review? ›

A brag sheet is simply a document, usually written as a bullet-pointed list or short paragraphs, which details your accomplishments, skills, and goals. It can take many forms, but generally, it should be concise and focused on specific achievements.

What is a professional brag sheet? ›

A brag sheet is similar to a student resume – it highlights your accomplishments, key experiences, leadership skills and employment throughout your secondary education.

What is the purpose of a brag book? ›

It's essentially a portfolio of evidence that provides tangible proof of one's accomplishments and abilities. A typical brag book might include items such as resumes, reference letters, certificates, awards, performance evaluations, and work samples.

How is a brag sheet different from resume? ›

In many ways, a student brag sheet is similar to a student or scholarship resume, as it provides a solid overview of key achievements in a student's life. The main difference between a resume and a brag sheet is that the latter is designed with letters of recommendation writers in mind.

Why do you use a brag sheet? ›

Brag sheets can help recommenders produce detailed and accurate accounts of why you're an excellent college candidate. They provide them the insight they need on your character, personality, values, accomplishments, and plans for the future.

How long should a brag sheet be? ›

Though you want your brag sheet to be specific and detailed enough to help your recommenders write awesome letters, you should try to also be as brief as possible (2 pages max). Think of it as a rough draft of your activities list for the Common Application—keep each description to 150 characters or less.

What questions are on the brag sheet? ›

1- Describe the academic accomplishment you are most proud of, and tell why you take pride in it. 2- How have you grown since freshman year? (socially, academically, emotionally) 3- What do you choose to learn about outside of school on your own?

Can I make my own brag sheet? ›

There's no fixed format or recipe you have to follow when writing a brag sheet, but you do want to be sure it's concise, very easy for your recommender to read and navigate, and is tailored to the goal of the letter, the letter writer, and what you want the recommender to remember about you.

How do you brag about yourself professionally? ›

When bragging about yourself at work, keep it brief, express gratitude, and recognize others so you don't appear arrogant. Avoid humblebragging in the workplace. Instead, be direct about your achievements. Some acceptable times to brag about yourself include a job interview, networking event, and performance review.

What is a brag file? ›

​ ​A brag file is physical evidence that highlights and illustrates your strengths and achievements and ultimately adds weight to the claims you make in your CV. It can also help support areas that you talk about during an interview.

What is a brag sheet for annual review? ›

A brag sheet is a document or digital file that compiles your achievements, big and small, over a specific period — say, the past year. It serves as a tangible record of your contributions and can be an invaluable tool during performance reviews or when pursuing new opportunities within your organisation.

What is a senior brag sheet? ›

Brag sheets are a way for you to help your counselor and teachers write letters of recommendation. These forms give them more insight into who you are outside of school and your interests. Fill out these forms, and share them with your counselor and teachers when you ask them for a letter of recommendation!

What is a brag letter? ›

Brag sheets are a way for you to help your counselor and teachers write letters of recommendation. These forms give them more insight into who you are outside of school and your interests. Fill out these forms, and share them with your counselor and teachers when you ask them for a letter of recommendation!

How to make a brag sheet? ›

How to write a brag sheet for a letter of recommendation
  1. Conduct research about the school. ...
  2. Identify positive attributes about yourself. ...
  3. Select a simple format. ...
  4. List your contact information. ...
  5. Emphasize your achievements. ...
  6. Proofread your work.
Jul 17, 2023

How to make a brag book? ›

A brag book can include just about anything you want:
  1. congratulatory notes (any notes that compliment you on what a great job you did – from bosses, co-workers, customers, or clients)
  2. annual performance reviews (if you include some, include them all)
  3. awards / rewards letters (any official recognition of a job well done)
Oct 5, 2023

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