Method 1: 360-degree feedback tool
A good method to find out more about yourself is by asking friends, family, colleaques and peers to describe you. Sending them an email with a few questions about how they would describe you can give you clear insights. This method is called 360-degree feedback.
Method 2: personality tests
Another method is to make personality tests. The results of these tests help you to make a profile of yourself. There are many sites where you can do personality tests for fee. One example is: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
Method 3: doing a SWOT analysis
It always makes sense to make a personal SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and is often used to analyse businesses. You can also use the SWOT for yourself. What are you good at? What can be improved? You can ask yourself this, but also others. Below, you can find an example:
| Ask yourself | Ask someone else | |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths | Ask yourselfWhat is my natural strength? What do I find natural about me? |
Ask someone elseWhat do you appreciate in me? What do you think is typical for me, in the positive sense of the word? |
| Weakness | Ask yourselfWhat behaviour is OK for me in others? What do I excuse for myself? |
Ask someone elseIn which aspects might I be going too far? What do you fault me for sometimes? What behaviour do I have, which you feel I refuse to see? |
| Opportunity | Ask yourselfIn what situation did I feel completely at ease? What is the dream job? And why? | Ask someone elseWhat working environment suits me, according to you? What kind of people do I get along with best, according to you? |
| Threat | Ask yourselfWhat situations am I actively avoiding? Is there something I really hate? |
Ask someone elseWhat tasks do you think I dislike? What situations should I be annoyed by less? What is bringing out the worst in me, according to you? |