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Career Advice

Self-Reflection: the First Step to Building a Personal Brand

If you get rejected from a job application, you may question why you got declined. Have you ever thought that a lack of self-awareness could be the reason?

Recruiters want to hire candidates with strong self-awareness because people who understand their own strengths and weaknesses are likely to cause less trouble in a team environment.

When I attended consulting career workshops, recruiters from the Big 4 and management consulting firms frequently stressed the importance of being yourself in order to show why you are a good fit for the role. One of the recruiters metaphorically described ‘being yourself’ as promoting a personal brand. However, this is not as easy as it sounds. Not everyone is fully aware of their personal interests, strengths, weaknesses and goals. Therefore, self-reflection is necessary in order to understand your genuine identity.

In this post, we will explore the benefits and methods of self-reflection in the context of preparing for your consulting application.

What is self-reflection?

Self-reflection means observing yourself by looking back to past experiences, behaviours, feelings and choices. It can allow you to learn your authentic identity.

Benefits of self-reflection

There are three key benefits of self-reflection in the context of the consulting application process.

1. Identifying your true interests & values

Understanding your true interests and values are important because this can help you to understand whether management consulting is likely to be a good fit for you. By looking back to your university degree, extracurricular, and work experiences, you can get an idea of what you enjoy and what you are good at.

As an example, I chose to study criminology because I am interested in why people commit crimes and how I can mitigate harms in society.  I became attracted to consulting after I discovered that there are divisions which focus on risk and technology.

2. Selecting a service line

Applying for consulting without targeting a specific service line or industry sector will make it difficult for the recruiters to recognise your true interests and motivation for the job. By understanding your personal interests you will be better able to narrow down your application to a specific role.

3. Preparing for behavioural interviews

A behavioural interview is a session where you show your personality, interests and skills by answering questions about how you handled pervious work, academic, and extracurricular experiences.  Your answers will allow the recruiters to understand your compatibility with the culture of the firm and your ability to work well in a team environment. Performing well in this type of interview requires self-reflection.

It is important to provide coherent and memorable responses to recruiters. Having a clear idea of your interests and values will help you to select relevant experiences to share with the recruiters. Ultimately, self-awareness will enhance your confidence and clarity when it comes time to talk about how you achieved goals or overcame challenges in the past.

How to self-reflect

There are several methods you can adopt to help you self-reflect.  

1. Journaling

Journaling involves writing down your thoughts, sentiments and goals in a notebook or word document. You can spend as little as five or ten minutes per day. Writing a journal is much like having a conversation with yourself over time.

Whenever you write, it is best to think of a specific topic. For example, what you plan to do in the future, or what got you interested in the consulting field. Focusing on a particular topic will allow you to be more productive.

Unlike an essay or resumé, your writing expression doesn’t have to be perfect. Just write as you think without hesitation. Reading your journal will help you to keep track of your thoughts.

2. Asking ‘what’ questions

What questions can trigger you to think of related information and experiences. Most importantly, it can prevent you from being self-critical, something you need to avoid when reflecting about yourself.

Ask question such as:

  1. What are my current interests?
  2. What motivates me?
  3. What made me to choose to study X and apply to work at Y?
  4. What are my favourite memories and experiences so far?
  5. What made me get into consulting?

3. Talking aloud to yourself

There are some people who prefer to express themselves verbally. If you are one of those people, you can try talking to yourself.  Recording yourself with your phone can help you to recall these memories later.

4. Talking with close friends and professors

Self-reflection can be tricky, and sometimes it can cause confusion. Talking with your friends, family members, and teachers is another helpful way of understanding yourself and to clarify your strengths and weaknesses. They can see you with more objective eyes.

Concluding thoughts

Remember, the application journey is like a marathon; it requires resilience. While it may not guarantee that you get the job, self-reflection is one of the methods you can use to build a stronger consulting application.  It can help you to clarify your mind, define your interests, and set your goals. In other words, it can provide you with a clearer picture of your authentic self.

Christina Lee is a Criminology and Korean Studies student at the Australian National University and currently working as freelance translator (English-Korean).

Image: Pixabay

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