Manage your career effectively through self-discovery

“We manage a career depending on who we are or who we would like to be” – Charlotte Rampling

We live in an era full of opportunities and building a career that guarantees our personal and professional fulfillment has become a real challenge in a demanding society. In this article, we offer you a personalized approach through self-discovery for an appropriate management of your professional career.

Self-discovery starts from within

To get to know yourself, it is important to learn to spend time alone in order to better understand your needs and aspirations. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed by the external voices around us that we can no longer listen to our inner voice. This confusion can make us doubt ourselves and is responsible for several consequences both on a personal and professional level.

Several activities such as meditation or remaining in silence at certain periods of the day can create harmony and promote an inner well-being essential to our development. Spending more time in a natural environment such as a beach, a forest or the shores of a lake awakens a very beneficial inner peace. These activities allow you to reconnect with yourself and facilitate the process of self-discovery.

You can also take the opportunity to discover yourself through different tests such as the MBTI test (Myers Briggs Type Indicator). It is a test based on the research of Carl Gustav Jung and developed by the American, Isabelle Briggs Myers. This psychometric test differentiates 16 personality types according to the answers to 4 simple questions that could better guide you in your career:

• Where do you get your energy from? (Introverted or Extroverted)
• How do you collect information? (Sensitive or Intuitive)
• What motivates your decisions? (Thought or Feeling)
• How do you take action? (Judgment or Perception)

By answering these questions, you will be able to identify which personality type among the 16 best represents you and therefore what would be the winning criteria to determine the type of role or business that would be suitable to capitalize on your natural strengths.

It is also important to understand what your skills and motivations are. To help with this, you can write down a list of the assets you have. Be aware that self-acceptance is the first step in moving forward and carving out your life path. Take the time to identify who you really are in order to better determine where you want to go!

• What are your distinctive assets?
• What are you better at than others and in which context?
• What are your qualities and defaults? 
• What motivates you to give the best of yourself?
• In 5 years, if someone asked you what you are most proud of, what would you say?

Discover yourself from the outside

It is important to learn to appreciate solitude, but it is just as essential to know how to live in a group. Whether in your daily life or professional life, you will always interact with others and depend on them just as much as they depend on you.

The mirror exercise

To evolve, you must have good self-esteem. We suggest you try this exercise, sit in front of the mirror for a few minutes to contemplate and discuss with yourself. This exercise allows you to create a certain symbiosis between who you are on the inside and what you show on the outside. Hearing yourself talk and taking the time to see yourself with an external eye will give you an insight into what others see and hear. It will allow you to take a step back, which is essential to harmonize your thoughts and emotions with your actions.

Ask the right questions!

“Feedback is a gift”: to evolve, you have to learn to get criticized. This evaluation can be subjective, but sometimes an external opinion can help us see more clearly. You can ask questions directly to people you know or ask for opinions anonymously.

Examples of questions:

• What are my three main character traits?
• What is my major asset?
• What is my weak point?
• What situation brings out the best in me?

What do you possess?

Always remember what you have objectively accomplished. You can do this with someone close to you who can help you view your experience neutrally if you cannot do it alone.

• What diplomas or certifications do you have?
• Is your professional network well developed? 
• What projects have you been successful in undertaking?
• What are your personal and professional achievements? 
• What training have you taken?

Take this opportunity to update your CV. Knowing what you have acquired and making an inventory of your assets will allow you to know where you are, what your value is and what else you would like to possess.

Always keep your feet on the ground

Learn to evaluate your constraints. Whether they are family, social, economic or geographic, they often limit your development. So you should analyze them in order to differentiate the constraints that you can change and those you cannot and take them into consideration when planning your life.

In this realistic approach, learn to adapt to all situations and try to make the best of them for your own development. Societal demands, prejudices and all these criteria for success put constant pressure on us and often tend to make us doubt ourselves. Remember to always practice self-compassion to make sure you are the best version of yourself.

Define your goals and build a career plan

Learn the difference between your job and your career so that you can distinguish your short term goals from your long term ones. Determine what you want to accomplish in the long term and create a vision. Next, develop a plan that lists the steps and short-term goals you need to take to get there. Don’t hesitate to seek the help of a coach or mentor to help you take the right steps and better manage your time.

Boost your career

It’s good to step out of your comfort zone during your career and dare to change professions. Don’t have a self-defeating attitude that might distract you from your ambitions and desires. Open and free your emotions, they are your allies for change and growth.

Learn to improve, progress and surpass yourself by delivering the best performance, it’s the only way to realize your full potential and make the most of it. Always keep your vision in mind and make the changes needed  to gradually move towards your goal. 

Talk to your superiors about your aspirations and show them your motivation. This is the best way to develop good relationships with them, they could be allies to your professional ascension.

Discovery is an endless quest

All of us live an infinite process of evolution and change. So see each day as an opportunity for learning and growth. Develop and open up your horizons both personally and professionally.

Appreciate the simple pleasures of life that make you happy and fulfilled, enrich yourself with them to broaden your perception of life and, at the same time, your development potential. Keep a spirit of discovery and curiosity, arm yourself with courage and all the doors will open for you.

Need help managing your career?

At TALINKO, we believe in passion and innovation. We deliver a personalized consulting service to guide you in your professional growth. Our team will be happy to help you achieve your goals and effectively manage your career thanks to a rigorous work methodology and a developed network.