Self-Reflection and Personal Growth in your Career Search

Self-Reflection and Personal Growth in your Career Search

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by Andrea Abernethy, Career Transition Coach

Self-Reflection has been a daily part of my life since my college years when I started taking education classes, and continued when I began teaching. Every college professor pounded into our heads the importance of honest self-reflection after stepping out of our classrooms every day. They encouraged us as educators to ask ourselves what worked in the classroom and what didn’t. As a result, I have been in the habit of self-reflecting for many years and I consistently think about how I can make improvements in every aspect of my life.

In searching for the perfect career for ourselves, reflection can be used to help us become aware of things that are really holding us back and then enable or inspire us to come up with some possible solutions to achieve our goals. We should be thinking about what in our lives makes us happy and what we would like to change. In our career search we should take the time to ask ourselves:

  • What have I been satisfied with in previous positions?
  • What new things would I like to explore in my career?
  • What kind of job would I enjoy going to every day?
  • How can I find a good work life balance?

One of the “positive” things about beginning a new job is that it offers you a “fresh” start in life. Many people make excuses for not taking the time to reflect, saying they are too busy going from one activity to the next, have too much work to do, etc. You need to set aside time in your schedule for reflection, especially if you are in job transition. This can be easy… reflect while you are driving in the car, taking a shower, walking by yourself, before you go to bed, etc. …. Make the time!

After answering some of these important questions about ourselves and our job search we should look at our answers and self-discoveries. Consider this personal insight and set goals for yourself as you focus on finding a career or profession that may make it possible to achieve your goals.

As Career Transition Coaches with Barton Career Advisors, we begin our coaching process with three assessments, which give our clients the tools to ask the questions needed to help them reflect on; their career goals, discovering what type of culture they are most happy working in, what jobs and careers are best suited for their personality types, and more. After completing the assessments, we coach our job seekers one-on-one, thoroughly going over the results of the assessments together. Some people may need that little “push” or help from the insights that the assessments provide to stay focused and find their “A Ha! moment” in learning what is most important to them in their job and in life.

If you aren’t in the habit of daily reflection I hope after reading this you will understand the importance of making the time and effort to explore this practice to help you find a job that suits you. This quote from writer (Locked and Loaded) and book blogger Nenia Campbell sums it up for me and I hope it will resonate with you as well:

“We’re so concerned with the idea of what we ought to be that we fail to take into account the things that make us who we really are.”