As the fall semester of my sophomore year comes to a close, I want to discuss a few of the many things I have learned within the last four months. Not only did I increase my academic knowledge, but I also discovered new things about myself. The personal growth and awareness I have experienced this semester is infinite. I have learned much about myself in terms of my strengths, motivators, interests, communication and learning style, and goals based on three specific assessments I took within the last few months. The StrengthsQuest, and CareerLeader tests have contributed to a greater understanding for who I am as a whole, and have allowed me to recognize my unique traits in everything I do. Not only did these two assessments highlight a few of my key qualities, but they also indirectly emphasized how I am different from others, and I now have the knowledge to see how my characteristics play out in day-to-day interactions.
Since taking the StrengthsQuest assessment last year, I have utilized my top strengths in a more effective manner. My top five strengths are achiever, positivity, communication, maximizer, and individualization, and while I had always recognized that I had these qualities, I never realized that they were strengths or tangible, definable abilities. I see my strengths being used everyday and in most situations. I strive to accomplish tasks in an efficient way so as to save time, produce a high quality product, and maintain good time management. This has always been important to me, and even in middle school and before, I knew that I had a talent in getting tasks done on time and aiming to ‘achieve’ objectives. I love being a positive person and pride myself on being optimistic. I enjoy encouraging others but also like to surround myself with equally as giving and happy people. I feel that I communicate well in regard to my ability to concisely and effectively transfer information from one person to another, and like connecting with people on a deeper level. I look to constantly improve things from average to superb, and find this task to be very rewarding. I can see other people’s strengths easily and enjoy finding ways to bring out these qualities. Each person has a special skill, and through my individualization strength, I enjoy finding what makes every individual distinct.
The CareerLeader assessment helped me a lot in terms of categorizing my motivators, my interests, and my skills into a set career path. These results have helped me realize what I value most about life and have shown me the jobs that will align with my goals and personal objectives. My top five motivators are lifestyle, affiliation, altruism, financial gain, and security. I want a job that will be flexible to accommodate for family life, but also one that provides me with many networks and social groups at work. I want to work within a positive, upbeat environment where relationships are emphasized and the employee’s wellbeing is put first. I am looking for a position that will provide me with job security and financial gain, but also one where I can work towards bettering our planet and the people that live in it. I am interested in creative production fields, and my natural inclination towards this area is greater than 86% of other business professionals. I am skilled in written communication and time management, and hope to pursue a career that allows me to utilize these abilities. The culmination of this data led to my top five business career choices to be advertising account management, training and organizational development, human recourse management, management of new product development, and marketing and marketing management. I am very much interested in learning more about all of these job options and hope to continue to do research about the jobs themselves and the opportunities that come along with them. I enjoy writing, working with others, having stability and consistency, and being successful, and I will keep these characteristics in mind while analyzing possible career options.
As the first semester of sophomore year comes to a close, I wanted to take the time to analyze how these assessments have impacted me. Although college has an academic focus and drive, I believe that some of the most valuable things we learn in college don’t come from a textbook. A good understanding of how the world works and how you will fit into the chaos of ‘real life’ is important, and I feel that these tests have provided me with the necessary information to do this. I can see how I fit into the professional world, and I look forward to taking on these challenges.
Since taking the StrengthsQuest assessment last year, I have utilized my top strengths in a more effective manner. My top five strengths are achiever, positivity, communication, maximizer, and individualization, and while I had always recognized that I had these qualities, I never realized that they were strengths or tangible, definable abilities. I see my strengths being used everyday and in most situations. I strive to accomplish tasks in an efficient way so as to save time, produce a high quality product, and maintain good time management. This has always been important to me, and even in middle school and before, I knew that I had a talent in getting tasks done on time and aiming to ‘achieve’ objectives. I love being a positive person and pride myself on being optimistic. I enjoy encouraging others but also like to surround myself with equally as giving and happy people. I feel that I communicate well in regard to my ability to concisely and effectively transfer information from one person to another, and like connecting with people on a deeper level. I look to constantly improve things from average to superb, and find this task to be very rewarding. I can see other people’s strengths easily and enjoy finding ways to bring out these qualities. Each person has a special skill, and through my individualization strength, I enjoy finding what makes every individual distinct.
The CareerLeader assessment helped me a lot in terms of categorizing my motivators, my interests, and my skills into a set career path. These results have helped me realize what I value most about life and have shown me the jobs that will align with my goals and personal objectives. My top five motivators are lifestyle, affiliation, altruism, financial gain, and security. I want a job that will be flexible to accommodate for family life, but also one that provides me with many networks and social groups at work. I want to work within a positive, upbeat environment where relationships are emphasized and the employee’s wellbeing is put first. I am looking for a position that will provide me with job security and financial gain, but also one where I can work towards bettering our planet and the people that live in it. I am interested in creative production fields, and my natural inclination towards this area is greater than 86% of other business professionals. I am skilled in written communication and time management, and hope to pursue a career that allows me to utilize these abilities. The culmination of this data led to my top five business career choices to be advertising account management, training and organizational development, human recourse management, management of new product development, and marketing and marketing management. I am very much interested in learning more about all of these job options and hope to continue to do research about the jobs themselves and the opportunities that come along with them. I enjoy writing, working with others, having stability and consistency, and being successful, and I will keep these characteristics in mind while analyzing possible career options.
As the first semester of sophomore year comes to a close, I wanted to take the time to analyze how these assessments have impacted me. Although college has an academic focus and drive, I believe that some of the most valuable things we learn in college don’t come from a textbook. A good understanding of how the world works and how you will fit into the chaos of ‘real life’ is important, and I feel that these tests have provided me with the necessary information to do this. I can see how I fit into the professional world, and I look forward to taking on these challenges.
Hey Shelly, I enjoyed your post! I definitely agree with you, a lot of the personality tests that they make you take at Neeley are actually really interesting. I remember that when I first had to take the tests I actually thought they were pretty pointless, but after knowing my results and really having time to reflect on them I am surprised how accurate they are! It is such a valuable opportunity to get a chance to asses what you're best at rather than just doing what has been working. Knowing your innate strengths allows you to focus on developing them!
ReplyDeleteMy top strength is achiever too! Thank you for this inspiring post. It's clear that you have a strong hold on your personal strengths and that is very encouraging. I think it's cool how StrengthsQuest reveals to us what distinguishes us from everyone else but also connects us with other people who share our strengths. I agree that some of the most valuable things we learn in life are learned from experiences and not from a textbook. I'm glad these assessments offered you a grasp on what can be a stressful life as a college student.
ReplyDeleteAchievers for the win! I love taking personality assessments, from legitimate ones like StrengthsQuest to not-so-legitimate ones on Buzzfeed. (Hey, knowing what kind of pizza I am may come in handy one day, right?) The best moment is when you get the results and you read the descriptions, you're just like, "oh my gosh, this is soooo me." I always knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I possessed all of the traits that it said I had, but after actually seeing the results, you start to realize just how much these characteristics affect your thoughts and actions. You become much more consciously aware of them. It's always good to know what your strengths are so you can harness them and use them to their full potential!
ReplyDeleteAdd one more achiever to the list! I remember when they made us take the StrengthsQuest assessment for CLP and I didn't really buy into it, but I really am beginning to see my strengths shown in my every life. My other strengths are consistency, harmony, adaptability, and learner. I haven't taken the CareerLeader assessment but I think I am going to eventually! It would be really interesting to see where it puts me, especially considering I already have an idea of what I want to do. I enjoyed reading your reflection on strengths and your sophomore year!
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