Every now and then, we need a moment to take a step back and do a bit of re-evaluating.
See, I believe that taking a step back and standing still for a moment is one of the greatest things we can do if we’re hoping to propel ourselves forward. Let me take you back a few years to me, stuck in a job I HATED, collections…
One of the first things I did, when the desperation got REAL, was sit down, reflect on my career up to this point, and ask myself 3 important questions:
What have I done (i.e. what roles did I work, what did I do in those roles, who did I work with, what was I responsible for)?
What did I enjoy doing in each of those roles (i.e. what tasks were enjoyable, who did I enjoy working with and what did they do, were there things I did that I could get lost in and not even think about the passing time, what do I want more of in a new role)?
What tasks or responsibilities did I not enjoy (i.e. what could I do without in my next role)?
Now, I know you’ve probably heard these questions in a lot of different ways, but have you ever sat down to think about your answers? I mean really think about them??
What I found from answering these for myself was that I may not have enjoyed the collecting part (you know where I have to call people and convince them to pay their balances or get called every name but my own), but I really enjoyed the analysis part. I enjoyed creating visualizations of my portfolio to share in meetings and talk about what’s working and not working. I enjoyed teaching others how to use the technology or coming up with creative ways to inspire the team and keep engagement up.
Realizing these things helped me to figure out my next move. Then, I had another important set of questions to answer:
What skills have I developed from working these different roles?
What skills or experience am I the most proud of (i.e. which do I enjoy using the most, where do I love to be able to flex)?
What do I do better than the average person (i.e. what do other people come to me for over anyone else, what have I been consistently recognized or commended for)?
You have to be completely focused and start bragging here. This is where we can start leaning into downplaying, but no one else is going to see this, so GO ALL OUT!
Also, don’t start thinking about Kelly Smith over there and how she probably does XYZ better, so that’s not a good enough skill. Or how it’s just something you do, so how could that be an actual skill. STOP! You’re not comparing yourself to anyone else and if it comes easily to you, it’s still, very much, a skill.
You’ve got this! I can also show you how to incorporate what you've uncovered in your resumé. Just grab the guide here!
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