In this guide
Templates, checklists and worksheets
An evidence bank: collect your best work examples
A worksheet for recording work examples as they happen, tagged by the skills employers ask about, so interview answers and statements are ready.
Why collect examples before you need them
Under interview pressure, people reach for the first example that comes to mind, which is often recent rather than strong. Details also fade: within months you may remember that a project went well but not the numbers, the obstacle or what you specifically did.
Writing each example down while it is fresh, in a consistent format, gives you a bank you can draw on for interviews, application statements, appraisals and promotion cases.
The worksheet
Title: [a short name you will recognise] When and where: [month, year, employer or setting] Situation: [what was happening, in one or two sentences] What I did: [your own actions, step by step] What changed: [the result, with any measure you can stand behind] Skills it shows: [tags, such as leadership, accuracy, customer focus] Who could confirm it: [a manager, colleague or client] Notes: [anything you would do differently]
One worked entry
Illustrative example
A completed entry
- Title: Weekend rota overhaul
- When and where: March 2026, community pharmacy
- Situation: Weekend cover kept falling through because the rota was swapped by text message with no record.
- What I did: Proposed a shared rota sheet, agreed swap rules with the team and checked it each Thursday.
- What changed: No uncovered weekend shifts from April to August, compared with several a month before.
- Skills it shows: organisation, influencing without authority, reliability
- Who could confirm it: the pharmacy manager
The result is specific and modest. That is exactly what makes it believable.
Tagging entries by what employers ask
| Theme | Interview prompt it answers | Look for entries where you |
|---|---|---|
| Problem-solving | Tell me about a problem you solved | found the cause, not just the fix |
| Working with others | Describe working with a difficult colleague | changed how a relationship worked |
| Leadership | Give an example of leading without authority | got others to act differently |
| Accuracy | Tell me about a mistake you caught | spotted an error before it mattered |
| Resilience | Describe a setback | recovered from something that went wrong |
Aim for two or three entries per theme. One example per theme leaves you stuck when an interview asks two questions about the same skill.
Keeping the bank current
Once a month
- Add anything from the last month that went notably well or taught you something.
- Fill in results for earlier entries that have since become clear.
- Retire entries that are more than five years old unless they are exceptional.
- Check every theme has at least two current entries.
Common questions
Can I use examples from outside paid work?
Yes. Volunteering, caring, study and community roles produce real evidence. Record them the same way and say where they came from when you use them.
How is this different from a resume?
A resume shows a few lines per role. The evidence bank holds the full story behind each line, which is what interviewers and long application questions ask for.
Put it into practice
See how Luceria helps with thisDrafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.