Building a Credible Case for Your Impact When Outcome Data Is Missing

Suppose you need to show that your work was a success, but you have no concrete results you can share. How would you make the case? ```hint Start from the gap Pin down why there are no concrete results before choosing what evidence to offer, then anchor your approach in one real example. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Do you mean work whose results have not arrived yet, or work whose impact is hard to measure at all, such as infrastructure or research? - If the results exist but are confidential, for example from a former employer, should I cover that case too? - Should I walk through a specific past example, or describe my general approach? - Who am I making the case to: my manager at a review, a stakeholder deciding whether to keep funding the work, or you in this interview? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear reading of why results are missing, and how that changes the approach - The kinds of evidence used in place of outcome numbers, and why each one is credible - A specific example told in STAR form, with the candidate's own role clear - Honesty about what the evidence does and does not prove - How success was defined before the work, or how the real outcome will be checked later ### Follow-up Questions - A stakeholder dismisses your early signals as vanity metrics. How do you respond? - Tell me about a time the early signals looked good but the final outcome disappointed. What did you change afterwards? - How do you set up a project from day one so that you will have evidence of success later?