Page 105 - Talane Miedaner - Coach Yourself to a New Career_ 7 Steps to Reinventing Your Professional Life (2010)

STEP 4: IDENTIFY YOUR NATURAL TALENTS AND ABILITIES 93

or a debate. You will tabulate all the data afterward and then see
what common themes, if any, appear. Ask people you’ve known
for ages and also people you’ve recently met, as the two groups
may have different perspectives.
If you e-mail this list and do not receive a response, be sure to
follow up with a phone call or gentle e-mail reminder and include
a deadline. For example, “It would be great if you could get this to
me in the next two weeks.” People will want to give these ques-
tions some serious thought and may need some time to work on
them. If you still don’t get a reply from someone, call the person
and ask if you can do the interview by phone, or just ask someone
else. Strive for five to ten or more replies. Then take a few minutes
to interview yourself as well.

SIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR YOUR
FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND COWORKERS
1. What do you think is my greatest strength?
2. What is my biggest weakness? (Ask this because typically,
the flip side of our greatest strength is one of our primary
weaknesses. For instance, the person who has a talent for
seeing the big picture is usually not good at details; if you
can readily imagine five to ten years into the future, you
may not be so proficient at dealing with the task at hand
today and find that you procrastinate.)
3. What do you see as my special talent, ability, or gift?
4. What do I do naturally and effortlessly that is special?
5. If I were on the cover of a magazine, what magazine would
it be, and what would the article be about? (This is a really
fun one!)
6. When am I most fully expressing this talent, gift, or ability?