How Spotify wrapped can help your career

I have always loved the end of the year, and not just because it’s the gift-giving season.

Although December often feels like the busiest time of year, it is also a nice little bookend to the rest of the crazy months that have been. It acts as a waypoint to go, hey, what’s happened this year? This sense of closure and ‘year-in-review’ is what Spotify Wrapped capitalises on, and why it floods your social media feeds every December.

But what if I told you that that pop-up telling you how much Taylor Swift you listened to this year could help you in your career?

Spotify wrapped acts as the perfect map of how to structure a reflection of your own achievements and career journey this year. As you probably know, the typical Spotify wrapped comprises a few key insights, the big numbers and top-fives that you save for bragging to all your friends. But beyond those sharable graphics, wrapped tells a story. It gives you a chance to explore what music you listened to most, the genres, and the moods you tapped into. What Spotify does really well is that it shares both the numbers and the facts, as well as the context around it.

So how, then, does this help your career?

The answer comes back to reflection. In my life, I have heard countless people talking about how you should reflect on and categorize your achievements. For the longest time, I ignored this advice, as I wasn’t a particularly business-minded high achiever, so didn’t think it really applied to me. But as I’ve ventured into my first office job and entered the professional workforce, I have found more and more the importance of setting goals and noting your own accomplishments. Not only can reflection help you to build out your resume and LinkedIn profile, it can also allow you to really appreciate the work you have done.

So, wherever you’re at in your career journey, make sure that as the year comes to a close, you take the time to write up your own Spotify wrapped. Ask yourself these questions:

• What are your highlights of this year?
• What are you most proud of this year?
• How have you grown since this time last year?
• Who are you thankful for this year?
• What is something that emerged this year that you didn’t expect?
• What have you learned this year?
• How will you continue working towards your goals in the new year?

If you find the time, take half an hour or so to sit quietly and reflect on the year that was. Write it, process it, and get it all out there. You can even post the big takeaways on LinkedIn if you feel comfortable to. But then, give yourself a pat on the back, and take a deep breath. You did it, and the year is almost over. 

The next one is going to be great. You’ve got this. 

Now don’t mind me, I’m going to go listen to the playlist of my top songs…

Cover Photo by Thibault Penin on Unsplash