I’m back in Arizona where the brightness is filling up my serotonin factory. Ahhhhhhhh. My brain loves all the light. It’s like I’m carrying around a pocket of sunshine! (I’m going to share a way you, too, can keep your pocket full of sunshine. I call it the Sunshine Folder.)

Also, my upcoming Interview IQ program is all set – I just applied the finishing touches and created a whole new set of job interview mindset, framework, and strategy modules!

Watch for your upcoming invitation to my free class on how to answer the most important interview question, “Tell Us About Yourself.” In this class I’ll teach a bright, super informative, straightforward framework for introducing yourself, whether you’re preparing for a job interview, upgrading your personal brand, or simply want to feel more confident answering the age-old networking question, “So, what do you do?”

And today I want to share with you a fun, easy tool that can help you boost not only your interview IQ, but even your mood on a gloomy day.

Your very own Sunshine Folder.

Here’s how it works.

1. Create a folder. Feel free to make it pretty.
2. Gather the kind, constructive, reflective feedback you receive from others.
3. Keep it in your Sunshine Folder.

It’s that simple.

Rays of sunshine you might collect in your folder:

• Performance reviews (at least the clips that note your strengths)
• Customer/client/patient/friend thank you notes
• Nice things colleagues, supervisors, or whoever have written or said about you (Write down and save feedback in the spoken form)
• Assessments of your strengths, values, etc. Here are a few of my favorites:
  Myers-Briggs Personality, Gallop StrengthsFinder ($50), VIA Character Strengths, Kolbe Assessment ($50)
• BONUS: create an email folder, too, where you store online or email sunshine

Not only is it warming to know what people appreciate about you, the information you collect can be especially helpful when crafting your resume, cover letter, and interview strategy. Here’s how:

Two of the most common personal branding mistakes are to either sound braggy,“I do x, I do y, and I do z so well” or to avoid describing your strengths at all in an effort not to sound arrogant. Employers need to know your skills, experience, and strengths, in order to recognize you as an ideal candidate. One way to convey those without risking to many “I” statements is to quote others:

“My colleagues describe me as their primary go-to when it’s crunch time.”

“I’m told my steadiness under pressure helps others to be more productive.”

“My former supervisor credited me with completing X, despite the project being behind schedule when I inherited it. She especially appreciated my ability to assess the big picture, identify bottlenecks and opportunities, and create clear and simple solutions for the whole team.”

On a rainy day, I encourage you to take out your folder and bask in the sweet sunshine of others’ appreciation and recognition of how you impact them. And if you’re crafting your resume or preparing for a job interview, don’t forget to mine your Sunshine Folder for phrases to brighten and clarify your personal brand.