6 Career Questions to ask yourself before the end of the Year
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The end of the year is my favourite time of the year. It is a great time for both reflection and celebration. There is no better time to ask yourself and others about resolutions, goals, successes and lessons learnt and this all makes for great conversation. As part of my end of year wind down process, I also evaluate my career (as well as my budget tracker, my new year’s resolutions, books I have read etc.)
Therefore I thought I would share the 6 career questions I ask myself with you. A great way to take a moment to pause and reflect and either answer them in your head or jot down answers in a notebook.
Enjoy and have a happy new year when it arrives!
1. What new skills did you learn in 2018?
Why ask this question? I am a big fan of the kaizen (continuous improvement) approach to life so I think this is a great question to ask yourself to think about the learning journey you have been on in 2018. Anything you couldn’t do this time last year that you can now? Think about both the technical and non-technical skills you have developed throughout the year.
You will quickly realise if you have de-prioritised learning in 2018 (if you can’t name many skills) so also think about the skills you would like to develop in 2019.
Thinking aids: List of free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) you can take here & The 10 Top Skills That Will Land You High-Paying Jobs by 2020
2. What are your 3 greatest Career lessons from 2018?
Why ask this question? Another question I love asking myself is about my 3 greatest career lessons from the past year. Usually, there are some surprises and also some nuggets that you hope to never forget. You will find that lessons learnt can come out of both successes and ‘failures’.
Thinking aid: Ask yourself what you learnt from particular low points you had this year. What one word would you use to summarise X project or Y experience? This reflection should lead you to the lesson or lessons learnt.
3. What have you accomplished in your career this year?
Why ask this question? If you are anything like me, once you have achieved something you are already…
