Does this resonate with you? “That one summer job I had was the best work experience but that’s not a career”. This may be true but when you reflect on the varied experiences of your life, you gather valuable information about yourself, the world around you, your abilities, the development of your skills, the expansion of your interests, and your relationship with work.
Why was that summer job so fulfilling? Why were you so passionate about the job?
On reflection, you may discover that it was because of the relationships you built with team members or colleagues. Or you may realize how energized and well-suited you were to working outdoors. Or you may notice how engaged you were because of the inspiring space you worked in. Maybe you were given certain tasks or responsibilities and you discovered you were quite good at them. Perhaps the role gave you autonomy and room to be creative, both of which you realized enriched your experience. Perhaps you came to that job with an openness to learn, a willingness to jump in, and a strong work ethic, and because of this attitude, you received positive feedback and encouragement. And all of this led you to feel enthusiastic, engaged, and passionate about what you were doing.
This information helps you to recognize, define – and redefine – what motivates and energizes you, what engages and inspires you, and what deepens your sense of commitment. Taken together, this information helps to reveal the personal ingredients you bring to a workplace, and that will contribute to making a specific job more meaningful.
Each experience you have gives you some insight into what is happening in the community or even the world around you. Each experience provides perspective on different services in a community and the needs of that community. Each experience reveals information on how workplaces or organizations are structured and function, and about different work roles. You meet others, collaborate with others, and learn from their experiences. All this information will generate ideas and possibilities that you may want to research, experience, or even pursue.
Now that you have started gathering this reflective information, how can you integrate it to help you take your next step, and build your next work experience?
Career Counselling can help. Contact [email protected] for more information or to book a consultation.
