Self-reflection is recommended as a career coaching technique for professional development. Making a career decision is like going on a journey that has to be traveled while keeping in view the various options and possibilities available on the way. The journey improves if as a traveler, you seek this self-coaching to gain self-knowledge thereby compounding further the learning from the process. Self-coaching helps one tread on the path to success as it maximizes the potential for achieving professional development. You can do serious self-reflection for gaining clarity over choices that need to be made regarding job or work.
Inner talking allows peaceful resolution of conflicts regarding choices that need to be made for reaching decisions, whether personal and professional. Self-reflection provides space for this kind of inner talking. Self-reflection is a learning tool for identifying and capturing the teachings from a situation. Aside from gaining self-knowledge, self-reflection also makes the possibility of serious self-evaluation highly likely.
You could consider doing serious self-reflection in case you plan to make a different career choice either out of compulsion or out of choice. Planning a career is as important as career development. Self-reflection lets you analyze your current situation by helping you identify your areas of interest, skills, strengths, and weaknesses. As a technique that lets you assess whisperings of the inner voice, you could make use of the following four ways available for engaging in a constructive self-reflection process.
What you Question Matters
What you think and the kind of questions you let your mind ponder upon reflects a great deal about the kind of inner talking that you are doing to yourself. Thinking critically for self-reflection purposes depends upon the kind of questions you ask yourself and the manner in which you address them. This step also outlines a more action-oriented approach for reaching career goals.
Analyze by Writing
Undertake writing exercises after you are done analyzing the questions, which you did reflect upon. Writing expresses thoughts and conflicts within a person in a more honest manner. An honest and genuine attempt at writing increases the possibility of a fairer and clearer self-reflection process.
Decide and Commit
An approach, which is action-oriented from the start, seeks to provide answers that are focused on a solution than the problem. Make a commitment to not look back once your decision to advance your career goals is reached upon by due self-reflection.
Collect Feedback
Gather responses and feedback related to your work from professionals, experts, trainers, mentors and managers/employer. Collecting feedback in the form of opinion, observations, reviews or suggestions let you think critically about areas that need to be worked upon. You would also come across appreciation that lauds your strength and skills thereby boosting your confidence and motivation to work upon areas that need improvement.