Understanding Who You Are

Chapter 7 of What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles gives information on how the reader can better understand themselves. Bolles says that if you understand yourself you will better understand what you want out of a job. Bolles gives the reader an image of a flower that has seven petals. Each petal represents one way that the reader can better understand themselves. The first petal represents your interests. It is important to understand what you like and do not like. If you walk into a job that is sales, and you don't like sales, then you are not going to succeed. If you do succeed, you will most likely not be happy. Doing something you like makes work enjoyable and motivates you to try harder. The second petal represents the people that you interact best with. If you are an outgoing quirky person and you work best with people who are able to collaborate then you should look for a company that offers that. Every company's culture is different, and there is bound to be one that fits your personality. If you are able to work well with the people on your team then you and your team are sure to create great projects.

The third petal represents the skills that you can perform. By understand what skills you have, you will be able to better market your self. Getting into a job that you know nothing about will not be good for you nor for the company.  I'm going to skip to petal five because it brings up a very good point that many people think is not relevant. The fifth petal represents what you want your salary to be and what you want your level of responsibility to be. This is so important. Many people think it is rude to be looking for a certain salary or level of responsibility. However, if you are not ready to be a manager then it will reflect in your work. If you feel that you need to learn a little bit more before you take on more responsibility, there is no shame in admitting it. You should want to succeed and learn. You should not want to overwhelm yourself and end up failing. However, if you feel that you are ready for more responsibility then you should always challenge your self. Again, only if you are ready.

The last petal I will discuss is the seventh petal which represents your goals or your sense of purpose. This is also very important. You need to define what your goals are and see if they align with the company you plan to work for goals. Often, if your goals align with the company's goals then you will find it easier to work for your company. If you feel that what a company is doing goes against your morals then it may not be something you can commit too. Having a job is hard work, finding a job you love is even harder. However, by understanding who you are you will be able to better find a job that meets your needs.

Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/amaynez/2145618222/">Armando Maynez</a> / <a href="http://foter.com/">Foter.com</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY</a>
Photo credit: Armando Maynez / Foter.com / CC BY