Turn Your Performance Review Into Job Application Material

PSA for everyone turning their performance reviews into job application material: the way you talk about your work inside the company ≠ how you should talk about it outside the company.

Internally, you say things like, “led process improvements to increase efficiency.”
Externally, it’s, “saved the company enough money to buy a small island.”

Okay, maybe not an island… but you get the point.

This is especially true for senior leaders and high-performers. We’re amazing at the work itself — but when it’s time to talk about it, we suddenly forget words exist. (You’ve led global initiatives but can’t describe them? Same. )

Here’s the fix: stop telling me what you did; start telling me what your work changed.

Ask yourself:

• What part of my work would my skip-level boss brag about in their review?

• Why does the leadership team actually care?

• What metrics show I didn’t just stay busy — I moved the needle?

That’s your story.

Let’s compare:
❌ “Rebuilt the renewal motion and redefined escalation paths.”
✅ “Retained $2.1M in revenue by rebuilding the renewal motion and redefining escalation paths (aka: less churn, more celebration)”

If your resume sounds like a report to your manager, you’re probably underselling yourself.

Talk impact. Quantify results. Add a sprinkle of personality — because your work deserves better PR.

You’ve got this. And your future employer will finally know just how awesome you are.