Self-Awareness: A Key Component in Your Job Search

One of the hardest things in life is knowing what you want and asking for it. This is a basic precept of being successful in all forms of relationships – from friendships, family, romance to work. The essential aspect of this statement that makes it so meaningful is self-awareness. Fostering the self-awareness to uncover what you want and to then ask for it in the context of a job search will work in your favor. Here are a few ways that it will help.

Authenticity and Understanding

Knowing what you want as you begin your job search can be simplified. What do you like? How do you like to work? Answering these questions will help you to be honest on your resume as you highlight your experiences and accomplishments. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Be authentic in describing yourself, your accomplishments, and your goals. The words you use will paint a more thorough picture of who you are. Are you a good fit for the position? Don’t waste your time with a position that you know you won’t enjoy for the long-term. So, take the time to reflect on what you like about your work and your work environment.

Communication and Relationships

When you have secured an interview, self-awareness will help you to communicate your attributes and accomplishments clearly and honestly. Prepare to ask good questions. The interview is multi-faceted – there should be a time to talk about yourself and a time for the interviewer to answer your inquiries. Do your homework about the organization prior to getting in front of the interview committee. There is only so much you can know about a company until you meet the people you’re going to be working with. The interview is really one of the first real steps in your relationship with the people of the organization. With a focus on authenticity, you’ll have a better understanding of whether the position will be a good fit. Do you like to work collaboratively? Or are you more effective working alone?

A Culture of Collaboration

At some point in the process, ask to walk around and observe people in their workspaces. Are collaborative conversations happening? Is the workspace totally silent, with no interaction between employees? Observing the workspace can be an eye-opener as to the company culture.

Self-awareness should help guide you to make smart decisions about presenting your strengths and weaknesses. Ask good questions that allow you to really get to know the people. Being a good fit for the culture of a company should be a high priority. Being unhappy with your manager or the corporate culture is one of the main reasons people give for leaving a position. So prior to beginning your search, check in with your motivations. Ask yourself – what do I like about what I do? What conditions or environment help me do my best work? This will develop your self-awareness in the context of your work, so that you can land a job that’s a great fit for you.

Contact BrainWorks, one of the leading executive recruiters in the world, to help guide you through your search for big data analytics jobs.