Here’s an effective way to tell if you’re making an
impact in your primary activity (or your job). If you were asked to
list on a résumé the differences you’ve made, what could you say? Not
just to list the hours you've put in or even the recognition you’ve achieved, but
those things that are fundamentally different as a result of your involvement.
It’s the distinction between saying that you’ve volunteered for
60 hours at Children’s Hospital and saying that 60 kids at Children’s Hospital
have had their favorite stories read to them on their birthdays because you came up with the idea and made it happen.
Hours put in prove you showed up. Awards and recognition prove you were good at
it. But differences mean that you’ll be
missed when you’re gone. That’s the kind
of impact people—and colleges—appreciate.