Identify What Drives Your Career

It’s no secret that the more motivated you are, the better you’ll be at your job and the more you’ll be able to contribute at work. The challenge is figuring out what motivates you. Here are four tips from MyCareer@VA to find out what drives you and use it to improve in your career.

1. Recognize

Knowing your strengths can serve as a big motivator in your job. In fact, Gallup’s Strengths Center reports that people who use their strengths are six times more likely to be engaged at work. If you want to better understand your strengths, take a personal assessment like StrengthsFinder, which will help you identify what you do best. Then, you can use other resources – like MyCareer@VA’s My Career Fit Tool – to see how your strengths and interests align with different careers.

2. Remind

Teams that use their strengths on a daily basis increase their productivity by 12.5 percent, according to Gallup. Take time daily to remind yourself of your strong points. By focusing on your strengths – instead of simply trying to improve on your weak points – you can become better at what motivates you, improve your performance, and contribute more to your team.

3. Reframe

When you’re in a job that’s compatible with your unique characteristics, studies show that you’ll have greater job satisfaction and be more committed to your work. But what about the times when you find yourself working on a stressful or difficult project?

Reframing your work to focus on your strengths can improve your feelings toward these challenges. For example, if you value connecting with others, try finding opportunities to share your work, which will give you a greater sense of purpose.

4. Refine

Discovering what motivates you is an ongoing journey. Look for regular opportunities to grow in your strengths. Talk with your supervisor about using your individual development plan (IDP) to assess and improve on your strong points.  You can also find a mentor who will encourage you to reflect on your strengths, assess job fit, and continually improve.

Want to learn more? Take this free 30-minute job fit training course to find out how to align your career path with your strengths.

Andre J. Castillo is the Program Manager for MyCareer@VA, the world’s best career development program.

Andre J. Castillo is part of the GovLoop Featured Blogger program, where we feature blog posts by government voices from all across the country (and world!). To see more Featured Blogger posts, click here.