I love to help job seekers reclaim their sense of purpose and move into fulfilling jobs. I’ve done this myself, and I want to share what I’ve learned with you. Please feel free to reach out to me at ruth@confidentcareersearch.com if you have a question about your job search or feel a mismatch with what you’re doing now. Trust me: Career happiness is possible. Want to chat? Book time with me.Happy 2024!
I like to celebrate the start of a new 12-month cycle by celebrating my failures.
You read that right.
Of course, I like to look at the things went right, but I especially like to review what didn’t go according to plan to gain some insight.
If you’re a business owner, you might be nodding because this kind of reflection does highlight problems and gaps. It’s natural. It helps with planning.
If you are an individual who works for someone else, you also might nod, but probably because you are remembering a dreaded performance evaluation process. You might have had a manager that did that thing where they compliment you to lubricate the discussion, but then ding you right after that, hoping for a soft landing. Not fun.
But there’s another reason for reviewing those not-so-successful moments.
You get to recognize where your strengths truly are.
See, all of us are wired to excel in some areas and struggle in others. We feel pumped and ready for action when faced with some tasks (for me, that’s coming up with ideas), but burned out when faced with others (I hate administrative details like tracking my mileage).
If our job requires us to use our burn-out skills during a large part of our day, we are likely to feel depleted. We are also likely to make mistakes or fall short of achieving goals.
I, for example, could never tolerate having to track data over the long term and produce reports. It would drive me up a wall. I also like to be involved in projects. I’m not a “stay in the background” person. So, you can imagine how I would and in fact, have clashed with supervisors who not only want me to populate Excel sheets all day but also want me to “stay in my lane.”
Maybe this sounds obvious. But it’s something that most people in a job transition don’t take time to think about. Many people either apply for similar roles again and again or scour the job boards looking for things that seem to fit the training and skills they’ve used before.
Even if those skills are not the ones through which they shine.
But imagine what it would feel like if you didn’t have to do that.
Imagine thinking back fearlessly through your job history and taking note of the things you felt best about and the things that felt like a slog.
What if you then looked back through your work history and realized that when things were not going well, it could have been because you were mismatched with the role?
Let’s take an example: A client of mine worked in strategy management at a large global company. She was often assigned to steward project details. She did this well, but her teammates also started to see her as a busybody because she wanted to know more about how the projects worked, and how they contributed to long-term goals. She was interested in the big picture.
Her boss often criticized her.
At first, she didn’t see the connection. She came to me thinking that she just needed a different boss.
But we did a detailed dive into her strengths, values, and preferred skills. After comparing these to the patterns in her career, she realized why things had not worked out so well.
She was happier concentrating on big-picture tasks geared toward change. She needed a role that would allow her to do that.
She also realized that she wanted to work in a smaller company. There, she could be more involved at the planning level. Relationships with co-workers also are important to her, and large companies tend to be siloed and more impersonal.
So, you see: Her difficulties in her career were not the result of her lack of talent. They were the result of misplacement into roles that didn’t match her strengths or preferred skills.
Now that she knows this, she approaches job opportunities with a more discerning eye. She looks for the structure, tasks, and culture that fit better with her personality. She knows what her gifts are and is prepared to offer them to the right employer.
How can you conduct this self-reflection?
One way is to look at your resume. Think of each job and make notes about what you liked and disliked about each role. Make a note of those times when you experienced conflict and difficulty. See if you can find a pattern.
Another way is to take an assessment. I am certified to give the YouMap. It combines answers from three assessments to reveal your top strengths, your top values, and the skills that both delight you and burn you out. Then it combines all of this information into a concise description of who you are and how you operate in the world.
I earned my certification to give the YouMap assessments and help clients interpret the results because I have seen how powerful this process is. After one session, my client mentioned above said, “Well, that explains a lot!” She also changed her list of targeted roles to match her personality.
As she applies to new roles, she will make a key change in the way she analyses possible new opportunities.
Instead of doing what most people do—asking how they fit a role and contorting themselves to prove it—she will begin by asking how well the role fits her. Then she will make the case to the employer showing how and where her strengths and skills align.
Do you see the difference?
So, during the next year, consider taking a look at what is causing discomfort in your career. Ask yourself why these things keep happening. Then use them as a signal: You might need a different type of job.
If you do this, no matter how painful looking at these moments might initially be, you just might find your path to career satisfaction. Isn’t that what we all want?