The day-to-day grind of work often leaves little time to sit back and reflect on your overall career path. Even if you love your job and are not looking to move into a new position any time soon, taking some time to self-reflect can be transformative – both personally and professionally. Asking the right self-reflection questions can help advance your career and open new opportunities for you. Here are some questions to consider that can help tap into your gifts and potential in a more meaningful way.
Am I in the right career?
Before you dive into deeper career self-reflection, it’s important to take a step back and determine if your current career path aligns with your goals and dreams in life. Are you finding purpose in your job? Do you feel fulfilled or burnt out? Does it offer the work-life balance that you need and is their opportunity for growth later down the road? If you find that you’re dreading work, or you’re continually lacking connectivity or motivation, it might be time to explore alternative jobs and make steps to change that.
What are my biggest strengths?
As you build a solid career, you will start to learn and identify what your strengths are. Once you know what they are, you can use them to your advantage. So, reflect on what skills, personality qualities, or expertise you bring to the table that help you stand out from others in your field. Think about ways you can further develop those – whether that’s through more professional training, books, or finding a mentor – so you can better utilize those strengths in career.
Where should I focus on self-improvement?
No human is perfect. Look closely at what areas you have in your life that could be improved. Finding places where you could get better or stronger is an important part of the growth process, so work on breaking bad habits and work on building good ones. If there are skills that you know you need to refine, make a plan to do that. Set detailed goals and shift into a growth mindset, making each area of improvement a positive opportunity for learning and improvement rather than something that will hinder or hold you back.
What professional development opportunities should I focus on?
Whether you’re a nanny, a small business owner, or working as an entrepreneur, being a lifelong learner is essential for continued growth in your career. Reflect on ways you can invest in professional development. Maybe that means heading back to school to finish your degree, or it means signing up for industry-related conferences or workshops. Maybe you should pursue specific certifications that can help you advance the career ladder or join some networking meetings or groups to help you build a robust network for support.
What are my true ambitions and are there goals I should be trying to reach?
Identify some of your top goals for the year. Find a way to start working through that list so you can reach them. If there are things that you can’t achieve or accomplish, ask yourself why that is and how you can change the outcome. For example, are there professional certifications you want to work toward this year? Are there hinderances that will make that more difficult and if so, how can you set those aside to help you enroll and complete the certification within your designated timeframe?
Making the time to be introspective is a key component to self-reflection. It’s not always easy work to dig into our thoughts, feelings, and other motivations – whether it’s for personal or professional reasons. However, the process will help you better understand yourself and what drives your decisions, and help you take action that allows you to live authentically and work in a career that brings you joy.