Evidence

You have just met someone you hope will join your project team. You ask what their strengths are and they say:

• I’m a terrific communicator! 
• I have a great sense of humour.
• I am a team player.

When someone makes claims like this, there is something missing: evidence. Accuracy might also be an issue. Having a clear sense of what you think you are like is a start, but you also need to understand how others see you. For example, you can say, “I’m really good at communication” but if you received low marks for essays, reports and presentations and that is reflected in your grades, then you'll need to look for evidence other than your transcript to support your claim.

How can you prove that claims you make about yourself are accurate?

Types of acceptable evidence:

• Your uni transcript. For example, you could say: "While a lot of my subjects involved assessment of both written and verbal communication skills and you can see I did well there, I also did BUSM1074 Negotiation and Advocacy Skills and MKTG1048 Sales Strategy and Communication Skills which involved a lot of communication skills. As you can see, I got very solid marks for them."
• Your extracurricular activities. For example, have you been involved in mooting competitions, been on a debating team, conducted interviews as part of a video project or contributed to a website or newsletter? Do you run a social media site for a business or community group?
• An example of your work. A screen dump of a website (and/or the URL); an article; a submission to a review; a video of a presentation. Provide excerpts of things that you have produced.
• Your work experience. Your work history including the different responsibilities that you might have taken on help to create a picture of your skills.
• Testimonial. A testimonial from an employer or a notable community member can provide concrete evidence of what you can do.