Personal Values and Interests
As a person begins the self-discovery journey in their career, an essential part of the process is establishing what is important to them. This realization is critical because it helps motivate and influence a person to achieve their personal goals. According to van Hoorn (2017), personal values are compelling motivators, and they often drive people’s actions toward their respective set goals. These goals help guide people in their decision-making and setting up priorities, therefore, affecting their evaluation of various concepts in life, such as happiness and success. Similarly, Sagiv et al. (2017) posit that the best career choices a person can make align with their values because they fuel and inspire employees’ drive to positively approach and complete work-related tasks. This approach often results in the company’s overall success and personal fulfillment as employees perceive the positive impacts of their work.
With this in mind, one of my most cherished values is integrity. As per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (n.d), integrity is the quality of having solid moral principles and being honest. As a person with integrity, I know that I can be dependable at all times, regardless of the situation or circumstance. I also demonstrate sound moral principles by always doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Having integrity in life is very important because it communicates my accountability, self-awareness, responsibility, and honesty. In this regard, my actions are perceived as internally trustworthy, dependable, and consistent by everyone that I interact with. In a workplace setting, having integrity is helpful in initiating and maintaining strong relationships with colleagues and clients because they can be assured that set promises will be kept.
Furthermore, I am a firm believer of simplicity because it makes life easier. In a world full of complex processes and lengthy procedures, simplicity helps me approach problems and tasks transparently and straightforwardly. More often than not, this approach works as it helps filter out the unnecessary items in life and only pursuing necessary and impactful things. In my work experience, I realized that most clients do not always want to hear the best pitch when they need their problems solved. These clients only require to be offered viable and sound solutions to their problems, regardless of how simple the solution may be.
One of my interests in life is exploring the possibilities of technology. I reckon that technology is an integral part of modern life as it can help solve various problems effectively and efficiently. Technology plays an essential role in cost efficiency, saving time, and easing many day-to-day processes, such as communication, access to information, and even mobility. One other main interest in my life is physical activity and regular exercise. I am a strong and vocal advocate of physical activity because of its many immediate and long-term benefits, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, and mental health. Staying active and exercising regularly has helped me improve the quality of life by keeping in shape and reducing the risk of various ailments that may be caused by leading a sedentary lifestyle. Every time I exercise, my overall mood improves. I get more energized, sleep better, and feel more relaxed.
Career Mission Statement
My career goal is to achieve the highest levels of practice in business analytics. Being aware that my actions are directly impactful in other people’s lives gives me immense fulfillment and satisfaction. I intend to continue offering my professional expertise by providing much-needed solutions to clients and their businesses. I reckon the most critical part of business analytics is the delivery of promises. Therefore, I aim to continuously work towards helping clients by identifying their business needs, eliciting facts, and advocating for appropriate reparative measures and strategies. My professional life will be geared towards ensuring end-user satisfaction through the successful execution of solutions to business problems. As I gain traction and experience in my career, I will pursue further education with the aim of specialization. In this regard, I will work to achieve a deeper understanding of complex statistical and mathematical models in business analytics and their effective application in the profession. In addition, my mission is to venture into the management and leadership tenets of my profession, where my full potential can be realized.
Achieving Career goals using the SMART technique
As per my stated mission statement, two of the career goals I plan to achieve are advancing my education and offering relevant solutions to business problems. The goals have been identified via the SMART goal-setting technique because it provides appropriate direction on how to achieve them. In this regard, the goal of advancing my education is specific because it clearly states my objective. The goal is also measurable because the proof of progress will be the certification at the end of the educational course. The goal is attainable because I have the intellectual capability to further my education. The goal is relevant because I will apply the knowledge acquired in my profession. Lastly, the goal is time-bound as I will set a reasonable timeline to complete the educational course.
On the other hand, the goal of offering relevant solutions to business problems is specific because it is clearly stated and it expressly communicates my objective. The goal is measurable because the process of offering business solutions can be evaluated by how successful the solutions are. The goal is attainable because I have the required professional expertise to carry out my duties. The goal is relevant in my profession because it is aligned with my career objective of offering businesses efficiency via IT principles and solutions. Lastly, the goal is time-based because I will set reasonable timelines with clients to observe the effectiveness of the business solutions offered.
References
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Web.
Sagiv, L., Roccas, S., Cieciuch, J., & Schwartz, S. H. (2017). Personal values in human life. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(9), 630-639.
van Hoorn, A. (2017). Organizational culture in the financial sector: Evidence from a cross-industry analysis of employee personal values and career success. Journal of Business Ethics, 146(2), 451-467.