Your career, like any journey, has a beginning, an end, and a direction. For many people, their current career direction is probably not the result of their own choices. If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with the direction of your career, there is a way out: take charge of your career and change its direction.

1. Know yourself

Has it happened to you that after desperately looking for something (for example, keys) everywhere, you finally found it in your pocket or drawer?

That is exactly the case with the search for a new career direction. We usually try to find a new career direction by looking around us, for example at interesting jobs, emerging fields, prestigious companies, a friend’s career, what’s safe, etc. Ironically, we don’t look for the answer where it really is: inside of us.

The secret to finding the right career direction is not to look outside but to look inside. Know yourself and you will automatically know the right direction for your career.

2. Dig deeper

Most people define themselves in terms of what they write on their resumes. That is just the tip of the iceberg. To really know yourself, dig deep and discover your:

(a) Strengths

(b) Personality

c) Values

(d) Interest

(a) Strengths

Your strength is what you do well and enjoy doing. We never stop admiring the strengths of the best athletes, painters, writers, leaders, but we fail to ask ourselves “What is my strength?”

Strengths have a strong connection to a person’s career. According to Peter Drucker, a person can only act on the strength of him. In other words, mediocrity is guaranteed if we don’t use our strengths. So know your strengths and get into a career that allows you to make the most of your strengths.

Discover your strengths by asking:

• What am I good at and also like to do?
• What makes me feel energetic?
• What comes naturally and easily to me?

(b) Personality

Personality is the sum total of a person’s behavioral, temperamental, and emotional traits. For example, some people are naturally extroverted and enjoy getting to know other people. But some people are born introverts and feel more comfortable when they are left alone.

Studies show a direct link between a person’s personality and their career. In fact, if you are an outgoing person, you would do well in roles like sales, marketing, public relations. But an introverted person would be better off in roles that don’t require public treatment.

To get to know your personality in detail and its implications for your career, take personality tests such as the Myers Briggs Test Instrument (MBTI).

c) Values

Values ​​are what you consider important and valuable. Values ​​differ from person to person and can range from things like money, prestige, and power to more subtle things like respect, harmony, and independence.

Your values ​​point towards the type of work that will follow you. For example, if you value “achievement,” you would do well in roles that regularly challenge you. Someone else, however, may value “helping others” and would therefore do well in occupations that provide the opportunity to serve others.

To know your values, ask yourself what is important to you, make a list and prioritize the elements. You can also use Internet value inventories to identify your values.

(d) Interest

Should the job be interesting? Yes, for one important reason: if your work piques your interest, you’re going to do well. History shows that the great achievers always pursued what fascinated them. Akio Morita turned down the option of joining the family sake brewing business to pursue what interested him: an electronics startup. And he created Sony.

Doing work that interests you can have a lasting impact on your career. To discover your interests, find out what fascinates you and grabs your attention.

Knowing your strengths, personality, values, and interests is like having a compass with its needle pointing in the right direction for your career.