Comments on: The best career tool is self-knowledge

By: Secrets to smart decisions when you graduate from college » Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk

Wed, 21 May 2008 13:11:50 +0000

[…] what you like, what you need, and how you make decisions based on that information. Self-knowledge is hard, though. Even for someone who’s been in the work world for […]

By: Amanda Janicek

Amanda Janicek — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:07:27 +0000

I agree with this article. I feel that when we are looking for a job, we are looking for who we are. If you don’nt know who are, it’s going to be very difficult to find a job and sell yourself in an interview. Many people go through many jobs throughout there lifes to try and figure out which one fits them best. It’s all about making errors and growing from them to find out what you do best.

By: William Mitchell, CPRW

William Mitchell, CPRW — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:46:57 +0000

For me, it was thinking I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps. My dad was an optometrist and I’d been helping in the laboratory since I was a 6th grader. It was all I ever knew. I operated in this charade until my 5th semester in college. After finishing that 5th semester with a GPA of 0.00 (yeah … you heard that right), I finally took some time to figure out what my true calling was.

I’d always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and finally figured out that business was my calling. I went back to school, changes my focus, and graduated cum laude. I now run my own business and love what I do.

By: Full Frontal Politics » An Unexpected Sex Work Advocate

Full Frontal Politics » An Unexpected Sex Work Advocate — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:03:00 +0000

[…] may not be much for nude modeling but it’s still nice to see a respected mainstream female career blogger sticking up for the […]

By: Abbey Todras

Abbey Todras — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:52:27 +0000

Wow these comments are all amazing. I’ve never been so moved by the blog community, or seen this sort of display of compassion online before. This has been truly inspiring. Thanks to everyone who commented (including PT)– you are all making the world a better place for some of us!

By: Calcopyrite Communications » Blog Archive » Keeping true to thine own self

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:41:27 +0000

[…] true to thine own self March 18, 2008 5:47 pm Patricia Life Penelope Trunk has written about the great importance of knowing yourself. What you like, what you can do. What you […]

By: Steve Errey

Steve Errey — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:31:03 +0000

Finding work that fits with who you are is absolutely on the money. Getting paid to be who you really are inside is the best way to give you the kind of success that really matters.

Don’t put too much stock in tests like Myers-Briggs - the easiest way to crack this is to figure out your personal values - the building blocks, cornerstones and foundations for who you are; the things you have 10,000 feet down inside that are most important to you.

Your values are the things in yourself, others and in the world that are most important to you, and when you know what they are you can align different elements of your life around them. The times when you’re buzzing, on a roll and feeling like you’re at your best are the times when you’re living in line and demonstrating one or more of your values.

Know your values, demonstrate them and both your self-confidence and the richness of your experience improves massively.

Nice post Penelope.

By: littlepurplecow

littlepurplecow — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:00:53 +0000

Penelope, you are one of the most fascinating people I know. Enjoyed reading this.

During my junior year in high school, I took a job selling cemetery plots because I liked the idea of commission sales. I’d drive out to the cemetery after school, sit at someone’s cluttered desk and make calls to a hit list of aging folk. Thankfully, my boss suggested that I resign after the first week. Experiencing the wrong career choice can often be the best guide for defining the right one.

By: Steve Cook

Steve Cook — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:25:19 +0000

What a great post. It certainly shows that you have guts as well as smarts. My comment is, I’m wondering why folks don’t avail themselves of the career tools at the local one-stop Career Centers. I worked for a Career Development non-profit some years ago, and was stationed at a Career Center. We had some great occupational/career assessment tools available, O’Net comes to mind, but there were others and probably newer ones that I don’t know about. Someone mentioned Myers-Briggs, a nice personality tool, but not designed for business applications. There are behavioral assessments out there that can specifically match you up with possible career fits. Smart companies use these assessments when screening job applicants. The really smart ones assess their high performers to develop a benchmark, or pattern, which they can use to profile the characteristics of their high performers. Then they compare your results to see how you fit in. Why not get a jump on them by using one of these tools to assess yourself, then add the results to your portfolio/resume when you submit one to a prospective employer? The top of the line ones will cost you $175-$200, but I think it is money well spent and certainly could give your portfolio an edge over the others. You don’t have to be a corporation to purchase these assessments. Thanks all, I enjoyed your comments.
Steve Cook

By: Dale

Dale — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:20:07 +0000

For some of us it doesn’t get any better with age. I’m forty++++++ and I still struggle with who I am and therefore who I am to become from a career standpoint.
This is especially poinant as the who I think I want to become does not pay the cost of supporting a family etc - and the courage to do the dangerous thing just isn’t there. So what comes next?
Myers-Briggs again I guess:)

Dale