Volunteering, part-time jobs, temping, extracurricular activities: all of these are valuable experiences that allow you to build up your skill set and expertise. However, to truly get the most out of them, or any experience in general, it’s crucial that you aren’t just doing them, you need to reflect on them too.

By reflecting on a work experience you aren’t just thinking about the practical skills you have picked up; you’re also learning more about yourself, the types of work you enjoy, what you’re good at and where your weaknesses lie, your values and preferences. In other words, it can help grow your self-awareness. Reflection can also help you understand better ways of doing things and open your perspective to seek out new opportunities.

So how does reflection work? In essence, it’s about asking questions. Here is a simple three-question model you can use to reflect on your experiences.\\

1. What?

This is where you paint a picture of the experience you had, taking note of what you did, with whom and why. So, for example, you may have done a work placement. Reflect on the details of the placement: who were you working for? What kind of work were you doing? Who did you work with? Highlight any noteworthy events or situations, whether positive or negative.

2. So what?

Now it’s time to analyse your experience more deeply and get to the bottom of what the experience really meant to you. How did it impact you? In which way was it beneficial? What did you learn? What was important about the situation? In the case of the work placement, your experience may have alerted you to certain skills that you have and may not have been aware of. Or perhaps you learnt something about the work environment you thrive in, or the type of work you’d rather do less of.

3. Now what?

The last step is about taking those observations forward and thinking of any actions you might want to take as a result of your experience. So let’s say the work placement you did showed you that, actually, you’re quite good at writing, but there is some room for improvement. Ask yourself what you can do to develop this skill and if it’s something you want to pursue. Then plan appropriate action.

Keep in mind that reflection does not have to be an afterthought; in fact, to get the most out of an experience, it’s a good idea to take some time beforehand to reflect on what you would like to get out of it and regularly schedule in time for some brief reflection as you go through the experience. This can be as simple as taking 5 minutes every evening to reflect on your day. Ultimately, it will help you gain a deeper sense of self-awareness and a clearer vision for the future.

Source: CFA Institute Career Resources, The University of Kansas