Have you ever sat there and thought:
“Ugh, I don’t like what I’m doing at my job now—but what would I would be great at doing?”
“I’d love to make a career change, but how do I figure out what my real skills are?”
“There’s got to be something that’s a better match for me, but what?”
One
of the most difficult parts of deciding which career path to pursue is
figuring out what you’re great at—other than what you’re doing at your
current (unfulfilling) job.
But don’t worry: You are already more
amazing than you give yourself credit for. In fact, you have plenty of
job-related talents and skills—you just need to uncover them. To get
started, ask yourself these three questions.
- What Do I Love About My Career?
Take
out your most recent resume (yes, I know—ugh) and take a serious look
at all of the jobs and responsibilities you have had. If you’re just
starting out, think about school, volunteer, and extracurricular
activities, too.
Now, circle the things that you most liked doing. What, specifically, were your favorite parts about each job?
Once
you’ve done that, think about any job tasks that don’t appear on your
formal resume, but that you really enjoyed—like mentoring new employees,
leading employee orientation, choosing the flower arrangements for the
office, or throwing happy hours, for example. Jot those down, too.
All
of these activities and tasks that you enjoy are worth examining,
because they’re likely tied to some of your greatest strengths. Throwing
a happy hour could be related to a talent for organization and event
planning. Running employee orientation could mean you have a gift for
training and communication or for professional development.
Spend some time thinking about what you liked and why—and that’s your first clue to where your career could go next.
- Where Do I Lose Track of Time?
What
hobbies, activities, or tasks occupy your full attention so much so
that you are completely engaged in the present moment? You look up at
the clock, thinking that no time has passed, and poof! Three hours have
gone by.
These could be aspects of your current job (brainstorming
names for the next product launch, working with the graphic design team
on artwork for an upcoming ad), or they could be part of your personal
life—being with children, blogging, or helping your friend craft a
business plan, for example.
Start noticing these moments of time
passing, and ask yourself: “What was it that I loved about that
activity? What kept me so engaged?” Whatever it was is most likely tied
to a talent or interest that could easily become a transferable
work-related skill—or even your next career.
- What are My Greatest Strengths?
Finally,
take a moment for self-reflection and ask yourself: “What do I think
are my greatest strengths?” Be proud—list things that you normally
wouldn’t say about yourself and brag a little bit.
And then, if
you’re feeling brave (and I hope that you are by now) email three people
in your life who you trust and ask them what they find most inspiring
about you. It can feel awkward to ask, but tell them that you’re doing
some career exploration and value their opinion and feedback. I
guarantee you’ll be surprised and intrigued by what you hear in
response.
Now, take a look at all this information you've put
together. What themes or trends do you notice? How does it feel to look
at all of those lists, chock full of talents and skills? What have you
learned about what you are good at?
Maybe you’ve found that your
eye for detail, crazy clean desk, and ability to always make people feel
comfortable and motivated means that you’re destined for success in
company leadership. Or that your love of fashion, articulate long
emails, and witty sense of humor merit exploring the blogging world.
Don’t
feel pressured to get the answer exactly right in this moment—instead,
allow yourself to just explore possibilities. And take a deep breath of
relief! You’ve now armed yourself with a map of your talents and skills,
and you can start really thinking about what to do with them next.
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