8 Ways To Get Clear On Your Next Career Move

When I talk to people about the kind of work they want to do they often have a number of good ideas. However, they’re scared to make a decision and pursue one of them. They’re not sure it will be the right fit.

Chris Smith via Compfight

The Real Problem

Sometimes people aren’t really honest with themselves about who they are. They’ve spent so much time packaging themselves to the outside world to appear a certain way and they don’t really know who they are at their core. Often they know deep down how short they fall from how they want to be perceived.

How To Fix This

You need to know the wonderful parts of who you are as well as your blind spots. Although you may want to have certain characteristics, you can embrace the real you and find a higher level of success as a result. The more you understand where you shine the better equipped you’ll be to choose your next career move.

What Should You Do?

So let’s take a look at a few things you can do right now to get to know yourself better.

1. Take a personality assessment – Myers-Briggs, Disc, StrengthsFinder

2. Answer these questions about yourself:

• If you look at your life so far, what activities have had the greatest value or worth?
• When you daydream, what do you see yourself doing?
• List five words or phrases that best describe you.

3. Spend time doing something that energizes and excites you.

4. Observe yourself – when you make a key decision, write down what you expect will happen. Nine or twelve months later compare the results with what you expected.

5. Test yourself – put yourself in a situation that demands a lot from you. You will find out what your strengths and weaknesses are.

6. Write in a journal.

7. Ask your family and friends how you come across in different situations.

8. Identify what you truly value in life.

You can probably come up with ten other ideas that will help you understand yourself more and make a solid career decision. The better understanding you have of how you’re wired, you can make an informed decision about what you want to do next in your career.

Question: What else can you do to get to know yourself better?