Deirdre Mulhern, founder of Donegal-based business DM Career Conversations, looks at why reflection is always an essential step when planning for career success.

Deirdre Mulhern is a Career Coach based in Donegal

June is here and the summertime has officially landed. This month will mark the half-way point of the year. June for me represents a month of reflection. I often see June as a wonderful time and opportunity to pause and evaluate the bigger picture.

I am sure there are many of us who had big plans at work this year, plans that may have been temporarily put on hold. With this in mind it is important not to be too hard on ourselves & recognise that this pandemic is, for the most part, out of our control. What we can and should focus our energy on are the factors that we can control.

With most of us beginning to slowly adjust to our ‘new normal’ and with our lives becoming somewhat less frantic and hopefully less busy than before, perhaps now is the perfect time to reflect on your career plan, on your professional life and ask yourself some questions, questions that you may have forgotten to ask yourself because you had ‘no time’.

In order to reflect we must analyse our current situation, the previous six months and then plan or goal-set for our future.

When reflecting on your current situation ask yourself these questions:

  • Am I happy in my job or could I be happier?
  • What do I like most about my job at the minute?
  • What do I dislike most about my job at the minute?
  • Do I feel fulfilled by my work?
  • If I had to choose three words to describe my feelings about work what would they be & why?

When reflecting on the past six months ask yourself these questions:

  • Am I where I thought I would be in my career by June of this year?
  • Did I achieve my goals over the last six months? Why or why not?
  • What have I accomplished that I am proud of over the last few months?
  • What could I have done better or differently?
  • What have I learned in the last six months that I will now know for the future?

When reflecting on the future ask yourself these questions:

  • What do I want to have completed by the end of the year?
  • What do I want my next career or professional move to be?
  • What can I do in the next six months to get me closer to my dream job/career?
  • Who can help me with my goals over the next six months?
  • Who will hold me accountable to ensure I achieve my results?
  • Why are these goals important to me or what impact will they make in my life, both professionally and personally?

I hope that these questions will be helpful for you on your career journey.

Contact DM Career Conversations dmcareerconversations@gmail.com to arrange a one-to-one career coaching session to help you plan for your career or visit our website www.dmcareerconversations.com for further details on our career/professional services.