A colleague has resigned, “he wants to develop himself further”, he says. Aha – and – there it is again, that voice in your head: “Shouldn’t I have already…? But what? Where? I’ve been dissatisfied for a while… but….” etc.
You usually sit alone with these questions, sit out, wait and see. You can’t grasp what drives you, what you’re really good at. The day-to-day business eats it up and in the evening you are too tired to think about it.
Yet the most important thing of all is to know your own capital. Only those who know it can make it flourish and market it in the best possible way. Only if you know what makes you tick can you define and find the right company and the right job for you. The reward for this is real fun at work and a genuinely positive sense of achievement.
I have put together a selection of questions here. There are usually many more, but they should give you an overview. It is definitely advisable to ask yourself the following questions, answer them honestly and reflect on what each answer means before you start looking for a job.
- Am I the type of person who likes to make decisions and then take responsibility, or do I prefer to stay in the second row and let others decide and take responsibility?
- What is my relationship to new challenges and pressure to perform?
- Do I like variety and do I love to keep trying new things, or do I prefer routine and familiarity in my tasks?
- Do I need as much independence as possible to organize my work processes myself, or does this tend to make me feel insecure and anxious?
- Do I have my own rhythm when it comes to time management and do I like to organize myself, or does a clearly defined time structure help me to concentrate?
- I can work from anywhere, as long as I have a laptop and WLAN, or do I need my fixed workstation in my office to get me into work mode?
- A friendly working atmosphere is essential for me to perform well, or is it mainly about the task at hand?
- Rapid interaction and quick completion of tasks motivate me, or do they tend to stress me out because I like to take my time with my work?
- Am I aiming for a prestigious position in the company, or do I find too much attention rather unpleasant?
- Competition and winning are strong drivers for me, or do I prefer to avoid any kind of comparison?
- Earning a lot of money is important to me, or are other things more important, such as the meaningfulness of my work? Is money a secondary consideration?
- Do I want to work in a large, well-known company, or is the listing of big names on my CV not relevant to me at all?
- I want to have the feeling that the company I work for will still need me in 20 years’ time, or do I rely on myself rather than on this subjective security?
- Contact with colleagues and interaction is very important to me in my work, or do I find it annoying and would rather work through my to-do list?
- Do I find meeting new people and being part of changing teams inspiring or do I prefer to work in stable teams and hierarchies?
- The more unstructured a task is, the better, as I can try things out, even if that involves a certain amount of risk. Or do I loathe the mere thought of having to regularly take a risk that I can’t calculate?
- Do I really enjoy inspiring others and convincing them of an idea? Or do I think that trying to convince others of something is a waste of energy?
- Do I enjoy supervising the performance of a team responsibly, or would I have a flight reflex if I were given such a task?
- Is it important to me to keep learning new things, including learning-by-doing, or would I prefer to stay within my area of expertise and not “experiment”?
- Do I prefer to discuss ideas within a team in order to arrive at a solution, or do I prefer to think through the variants on my own beforehand and then discuss solutions?
These are just some of the many questions that need to be answered. Perhaps you have a question that is missing here? Please let me know.
Also let me know if you have more questions than answers – so that we can change that.
