Want to build a self-aligned career? You MUST know your limits.
How to build a career in Healthcare Administration | Part 1: REFLECT - This article is Part 2 to my previous article "What you need to know to build a self-aligned career in Healthcare Administration"
If you don’t where to start when it comes to finding your place in the Healthcare Administration industry, I always advise students and working professionals to go back to two things: (1) YOUR STRENGTHS AND (2) YOUR SKILLS.
These two things should be your guiding light, your North Star if you will!
And every career decision that you make should start from this place. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with pivoting, or even wanting more for yourself. But, when you’re just starting out, it’s important to ground yourself with what you’re already good. It will ensure that you have a realistic view of yourself and your capabilities.
To be honest, this is the easiest part of the process because (usually) you know yourself pretty well.
In the case that you do need a small push to figure it out, you can download this free worksheet with a list of reflective questions that will lead you in the right direction:
Now, it’s time to dig into what I call “work activities”.
Work activities just describe job duties, job responsibilities, or work tasks that may be required of you for any given position or role. And let’s be honest, every job has tasks that we like and tasks that we don’t like.
Although, we won’t be able to completely remove the “unlikable” tasks that we don’t like from those “fresh out of college” roles, it eventually becomes something to consider as we gain some seniority and leverage in the workforce.
🔑 Key mindset shift: I want to find a position that leans into my current strengths, skills, and areas for growth AND leans away from the work activities you detest.
How to identify your ideal work tasks and activities
Now, the question is: How can I identify my likable work tasks and my unlikable work tasks?
And to be honest with you, this can look differently depending on where you are in your career journey.
If you have 0 (absolutely none) work experience:
Think about your class projects and assignments - What do you enjoy about them? Are there specific responsibilities you find yourself leading the group on every time?
If you have some entry-level work experience:
Think about your daily activities and responsibilities at work - Which tasks do you enjoy? Are there tasks that you’d rather do over others? What tasks do you try to avoid?
If you have 3+ years of working experience:
Think about what’s missing - Are there work tasks that you want more exposure to or experience with? Have you identified any skill or competency gaps between where you want to be career-wise and where you currently are?
At its core, this activity requires a lot of thinking and evaluating. If this kind of reflection is difficult for you, try to do it in the moment.
When you begin your work day, think about what you’re doing in that very moment and decide: Is this a likable/desirable work task or an unlikable/undesirable work task?
When you’re at lunch, think about the work task you were doing just before you sat down to eat and determine: Was that activity a likable/desirable work task or an unlikable/undesirable work task?
Keep doing this until you have a sizable list, maybe 5-10 items listed under both categories.
I’ve even created this FREE worksheet to help you work through this activity with more clarity and confidence:
Once you brainstorm, then you’re going to rank these tasks or activities from liked to disliked to abhorrent.
The reality is that some jobs - yes, even your dream job - will have you performing tasks that you’d rather not do. So, the purpose of this activity is to help you determine where you’re going to draw the line. This will bring you further clarity so that you’ll know which work activities you love, which ones you can tolerate, and which ones you never want to do again.
Establishing these boundaries will provide you with a more exacting picture of what kind of job you desire.
Identifying your limits, aka the work tasks and activities that you absolutely don’t want to do, is critical when you’re ready to build your career and take back your power.
If you’re more into video, I go over much of the same here:
Let me know your thoughts below OR happy to answer any questions or concerns!