Self Career Planning - Assignment Example

Running Head: Self-Career Planning Report Self-Career Planning Report [Institute’s Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 INTRODUCTION 3 SELF ANALYSIS 4 Myers Briggs Personality Test 4 CAREER GOAL IDENTIFICATION 6 JOB ANALYSIS 7 GAPS 8 CONCLUSION 9 REFERENCES 11 APPENDIX I - MYERS BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR 12 INTRODUCTION Since few decades, research organizations and psychologists (Capuzzi & Gross, 2003) have endeavored to propose strategies and tests that enable individuals and groups of people to understand different aspects about their abilities, capabilities, as well as weaknesses allowing them to make effective decisions. This paper is an attempt in the similar aspect that includes analysis of my own personality and behavior by utilization of one of the personality tests that will facilitate me in better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses, and will help me in formulating most appropriate goals and objectives for my life in the future. As a graduate student, I believe that in today’s competitive world, it is very imperative for individuals to understand and evaluate themselves personally, as one cannot survive in this globalized world by applying ostrich’s approach that results in career plateau (Allen, Russell, Poteet, & Dobbins, 1999). Thus, this paper will focus on my explorations about my own self and aspects of my personality that will play a considerable role in decision-making process during my life. The following section of this paper will include results of Myers’ Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test (Bayne, 1997) and analysis on its different indications about my personality. I will put efforts in presenting the results of the test in such a manner that the reader will be able to create a general picture of my personality. Furthermore, it will be my aim to relate results of MBTI test with different aspects of my life that have already happened in the past. The next section of the paper will focus more on identification of my career goal on the basis of analysis of the test results, as well as my personal observations. This section will include brief description and discussion about the field in which I intend to have my career and its correlation with the results. The following section will shed light on requirements, information, specifications of the particular job, as well as its field and/or industry that will be helpful in understanding the probability of my highest achievement in that specific career. The fifth section will include discussion on challenges or barriers related to the identified job and field/industry, and the gaps that exist between my current profile and the identified job. More importantly, it will include the steps that will help me in reaching closer to my vision and target achievement in life. Finally, the paper will conclude with some insights acquired during this self-evaluation practice. SELF ANALYSIS Myers Briggs Personality Test Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test is an outcome of efforts of Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs (Bayne, 1997) that complemented the work of a Swiss psychiatrist Jung to understand differences in individual personalities in a better manner. Nowadays, MBTI instrument is one of the most common tests that facilitate individuals, as well as organizations to evaluate and understand themselves with the help of a simple psychometric questionnaire. Briefly, MBTI test is a psychometric instrument that classifies individuals by labeling them as either “Extraverts or Introverts (E versus I), either Sensing or Intuitive (S versus N), either thinkers or feelings (T versus F), and either Judgers or Perceivers (J versus P)” (Bayne, 1997). This test has consequently created sixteen types of individual personalities from which an individual acquires one after completing the questionnaire. I filled out the questionnaire that indicated my personality as an ‘ENFJ’ type (refer to Appendix I). Particularly, ENFJ refers to the personality type that refers to an extrovert, imaginative, warm, and organized individual. ENFJ individuals are very imaginative, and thus original, and consequently, admire originality of knowledge, experiences, and competencies. Moreover, such individuals are more into strategic planning and management since they are able to create knowledge from their own understanding of ideas and notions. In fact, experts have indicated that individuals with ENFJ personality type turn out to be the great communicators due to their extrovert qualities and most importantly, they are easily able to connect with people around them and feel no difficulty in understanding their perspectives. Since ENFJ individuals are extroverts, they rely on people around them, and thus, they endeavor to apply their energy in displaying loyalty and spreading happiness among people. Furthermore, analysis of ENFJ personality type has indicated that such individuals continue to make associations of their ideas with people that help them in their love relationships. However, due to the presence of judgment aspect in their lifestyle, they sometimes overlook others’ perspectives and jump to conclusions that can result in conflicts. In this regard, it is very imperative that ENFJ individuals may put efforts to ensure application of their knowledge and ideas for convenience of others. Additionally, since ENFJ individuals are good communicators, they can become good leaders, planners, and managers. Due to the fact that ENFJ are extrovert, they turn out to be more sociable resulting in their interest in event management practices. Moreover, ‘F’ aspect of ENFJ personality type indicates that such individuals seek, as well as support and promote appreciation that results in harmony and trustworthy relationship that plays a very helpful role in success of ENFJ people. Quite understandably, the profile of an ENFJ fits best for the job that is more towards interaction with others, such as artists, entertainers, career counselors, therapists, psychologists, planners, managers, etc. Amongst the leading and famous ENFJs are “Oprah Winfrey, Pope John Paul II, Margaret Mead, Martin Luther King Jr., and Abraham Maslow” (Truity, 2012). CAREER GOAL IDENTIFICATION From test results, it is obvious that I belong to a personality type that surrounds around people and interaction with them and that has been my vision as well. Although currently I am an owner of a paint contracting business that works on commercial and residential buildings, however, during this business also, I felt that I also have an urge of listening to others and helping them in enhancing their understanding of different ideas and concepts, as well as feel great in resolving their issues and conflicts. From this self-understanding and from analysis of test results, I believe my career goal or internal career (Carlson & Rotondo, 2001) is to interact with business organizations and help them in becoming successful in their fields while assisting them in resolving their issues that usually happen due to lack of understanding of notions. In this regard, I am in the process of launching a consulting and HRM firm that will facilitate small and medium-sized businesses to run and maintain their business functions in this competitive environment and adverse tax situations. From experiences, it has been an observation that there is not always problem in field or vision of an organization but the problem lays in the mismanagement of resources, especially financial resources that result in failure of organizations. Therefore, my vision is to offer businesses with a platform that will help them in achieving their vision efficiently. I will make use of technologies, software, as well as policies and manuals related to human resource management. One of the major reasons of relating my vision with HRM is the inability of majority of organizations in understanding and realizing the true potential and value of people in an organization. In this regard, I will endeavor to make use of my abilities and capabilities to enrich small and medium-sized businesses with enhanced understanding of such ideas and notions that play a critical role in success or failure of an organization. JOB ANALYSIS Particularly, as far as my interests and field is concerned, I am looking forward to pursue my external career (Carlson & Rotondo, 2001) in human resource management. Since few decades, there have been huge advancements in the field of information and technology resulting in alterations in the way business organizations work. Nowadays, human resource management has become one of the most essential aspects of an organization as businesses are attempting to realize the potential of people while not taking them as machines but real human beings. Mainly, the four main functions of human resource management are “staffing, recruiting, training and development, and reward and compensation” (Johns & Saks, 2007, pp. 13-15). Although these functions seem limited to what they refer to, however, studies have indicated that human resource management is all about people and since people run the organizations, HRM ends up in every function or corner of the organization that indicates its significance. Starting from an advertisement in the newspaper to recruit an employee until a person becomes a member of the organization; HRM managers play an important and critical role in handling and managing different functions in an organization. Moreover, the process does not stop here; HR managers have the rough job of managing and resolving all the human-related issues and conflicts that exist in the organizations. Furthermore, nowadays, HR managers have now the responsibility of looking after organizational issues and aspects related to compensation, training, and labor laws to ensure safety and satisfaction of employees. In this regard, to perform this hard-hitting and sturdy job, it is essential for HR managers to be extrovert and good communicators as without these abilities and skills, they will not be able to interact and communicate with the employees effectively resulting in more conflicts in the organization. Undoubtedly, an essential requirement for becoming a successful HR manager is effective communication skills that do not include verbal skills only but listening, as well as reading skills that allow the managers to resolve issues successfully and easily. Moreover, an HR manager does not equip himself with HR-related functions only but he has to enrich himself with sufficient information regarding functions related to organizational behavior and management, customer services, and legislative issues. Furthermore, it is very important for HR managers to have access to and understanding of concepts related to human psychology that facilitate them in organizing and arranging effective training sessions to equip employees with the required amount of knowledge and skills related to their specific job requirements. In addition to this, technology nowadays play a crucial role and thus, HR managers should have the ability to make efficient and effective use of technology in an organization, in order to organize data and information related to the employees, as well as available resources in an organization. GAPS This section will include my attempt to relate analysis of the MBTI test results with job requirements of human resource managers. This section will help me in identifying gaps that exist and will allow me to work in the direction that will facilitate me in reaching to my vision of offering HRM and consulting services to small and medium-sized businesses. From results of MBTI test, I feel confident since I am an extrovert person who deserves a social job so I am glad that I have identified the job of HRM manager and consequently my vision of a consultancy firm that will include interaction with people and organizations. Analysis has indicated that HRM and consultancy-related field is not limited to the requirements of effective communication and managerial skills only but it requires strategic thinking and planning that may require an individual to sit alone and work on it. This working alone requirement may result in challenge for me, and I may confront a problem in this regard. In response, I will endeavor to work more on my theoretical skills and functions that will require my individual handling of the information and knowledge. Besides, I will have to work towards building my knowledge and understanding of concepts and theories related to human psychology that will be very imperative in dealing people effectively. Particularly, in a year from now, I would like to see myself acquiring experience as an HRM manager before launching my own firm since I believe it is very important for even owners to have job experience that facilitate them in understanding loopholes and organizational notions that exist at bottom level of the organization. In five years from now, I see my consulting firm as one of the successful business organizations along with launching of an additional office that will be offering HRM and consulting-related services to small and medium-sized businesses. Finally, in ten years from now, I see myself closer or even closest to my vision of continuing to facilitate small and medium-sized businesses in achieving their goals and vision along with expansion of my consulting firm in different locations globally. CONCLUSION This paper included discussion on different aspects of my personality based on the results of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test that enabled an enhanced understanding of my capabilities that will allow me to have a successful career in my field of interest. Finally, it is my aim to continue to reflect on my skills, progress, and achievement in order to ensure improvement in my capabilities that will be helpful in becoming leader of one of the most successful HRM and consulting firms in the industry. REFERENCES Allen, T. D., Russell, J. E. A., Poteet, M. L., & Dobbins, G. H. (1999). “Learning and development factors related to perceptions of job content and hierarchical plateauing.” Journal of Organizational Behavior. Vol. 20, pp. 1113-1137. Bayne, R. (1997). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Nelson Thornes. Capuzzi, D., & Gross, D. (2003). Counseling and Psychotherapy. Prentice-Hall. Carlson, D. S., & Rotondo, D. M. (2001). “Differences in promotion stress across career stage and orientation.” Human Resource Management. Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 99-110. Johns, G., & Saks, A. M. (2007). Organizational behaviour. Pearson Prentice Hall. Truity. (2012). Profile of the ENFJ Personality Type. Retrieved on March 07, 2013: http://www.truity.com/enfj APPENDIX I - MYERS BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR Personality ____E____ ____N____ ____F____ __J______ Read More