four career reflection questions to ask yourself
Career dissatisfaction can quickly creep up on us if we’re not regularly taking stock in our careers and addressing pieces that are no longer a fit for us. I recommend taking some intentional time to reflect at least once per year. Preparing for a performance review is a great time to reflect because you’re naturally thinking about different elements of your work over a recent period of time.
But if you’re reading this, there’s no better time than now! Here are four career reflection questions to ask yourself.
“how much time do i spend engaging my greatest strengths?”
Consider your greatest strengths, and think about your day to day work. Do you spend less than 80% of your time engaging your greatest strengths? It might be time to find a role, inside or outside of the company, where you can engage those strengths. Both you and the company you work for will be better for it.
“DOES my current company or role require me to regularly compromise my values?”
Rarely will you find a company that has the same values that you have, but you need to ensure your values aren’t regularly compromised. Perhaps one of your values is innovation, but the company you work for rarely allows space to entertain new ideas and ways of operating. It might be time to move to a new company that encourages innovation and creativity.
“How often do i feel energized by my work?”
Most of us have parts of our work that bore us or that we just don’t enjoy. That’s normal. But if you find yourself regularly working on projects that don’t energize and excite you, it might be time to make a change. You might seek out a new company with a mission and vision you can get behind. Or the solution could be as simple as changing project teams or the type of role you’re working in.
“What Qualities are important to me in a company culture?”
There are many pieces to a company’s culture, but what elements are most important to you? How does the company you’re working for support those elements? If a culture of feedback is important to you and company leadership doesn’t prioritize giving and receiving feedback, it might be time to move on.
alright, you’ve got some changes to make. now what?
Career changes don’t always have to be extreme. It might mean having a conversation with your leader about making some changes to your responsibilities. It might mean finding a company that’s a better fit for you. Or it could mean making a major career pivot into something you’ve never done before. Whatever it is, I’m here to help.
