How to Conduct Self-Analysis When Changing Jobs? [Free Worksheet Included] Benefits and Key Points to Watch Out For

Self-analysis is indispensable for a successful career change. By organizing your strengths and values, company selection and interview preparation will proceed smoothly. However, many people don’t know how to go about self-analysis, can’t find their own strengths, or are uncertain about the necessity of changing jobs.

This article introduces the basic procedure of self-analysis and useful frameworks and explains hints for career changes. We also provide a free worksheet you can actually use, so please make use of it if you want to advance self-analysis efficiently.

Self-Analysis Is the Key to a Successful Career Change!

Self-analysis is indispensable for a successful career change. Self-analysis refers to the work of organizing one’s characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, areas of proficiency and difficulty, and values, and understanding oneself objectively. By clarifying strengths and weaknesses and career perspective, consistency is created in the statement of motivation and self-PR, making it possible to make persuasive appeals to companies.

In addition, by looking back at past experience and skills and taking stock of one’s career, document preparation and interview preparation can also proceed smoothly. Self-analysis is not limited to a mere confirmation of skills — it is a meaningful process for also facing internal elements such as values important to uphold in working and future outlook.

If you feel that “the direction of your career is not yet determined,” “you don’t know your own strengths,” or “you are unsure which job listings to apply to,” it is recommended to take time and carefully conduct self-analysis.

On the other hand, if the desired industry and job type are clear and strengths and career organization have already been completed, there are cases where a simplified analysis can suffice.

In any case, if the purpose and direction of the career change become clear through self-analysis, mismatches after joining can be prevented and a satisfying career change becomes easier to realize. Re-examining yourself with your practical experience and work skills as the axis is the first step to career change success.

Benefits of Conducting Self-Analysis in a Career Change

By clarifying your own strengths and values, you can make satisfying career choices. Here, we introduce the specific benefits of self-analysis.

Strengths Can Be Identified

By looking back on past experience and skills through self-analysis, your own strengths naturally come to the surface.

For example, within daily work such as experiences of overcoming difficult tasks and accomplishments of bringing a team together, there are many strengths that you yourself have not noticed. Putting your strengths into words gives concreteness and persuasiveness to the statement of motivation and self-PR, making it more easily conveyed to recruiters.

Furthermore, the types of positions and companies suited to you also come into view, making it easier to settle on a career direction.

However, rather than forcibly “creating” strengths to fit a company, correctly identifying strengths rooted in your own essence is important. This makes it easier to prevent mismatches after the career change and to find a workplace where you can work naturally and for a long time.

The Job Change Axis Becomes Clear

Clarifying your “job change axis” is indispensable for succeeding in career change activities. The strengths and ideal career direction revealed through self-analysis are important elements that shape the job change axis.

If company selection proceeds with the axis vague, attention tends to focus only on conditions such as salary and location, making it easy to feel a gap after joining of “this is different from what I imagined.”

On the other hand, if your values and working style preferences are organized in advance and priorities are set, it becomes easier to find companies that suit you. In addition, consistency is created in application documents and interview responses, enabling persuasive appeals to companies.

Drilling down into the fundamental aspect of “what do I want to value in working?” and setting the job change axis is the first step to realizing a satisfying career change.

Mismatches with Companies Can Be Prevented

By carefully conducting self-analysis, your own strengths and characteristics can be accurately grasped, making it easier to identify work where they can be applied.

Work you want to do is not necessarily work you are suited to, and cases of feeling “I like it but I’m not good at it” or “there is a gap between the ideal and reality” are not uncommon. Such misalignments can potentially lead to a decline in motivation after joining or early departure.

On the other hand, if a job type is chosen that matches one’s qualities and aptitude, the possibility of being placed in a work environment with good compatibility with the company and where ability is easily demonstrated increases.

Without being too fixated on what you want to do, expanding options from the perspective of “in what kind of environment can I demonstrate my ability?” and “what kind of work suits me?” is important for preventing mismatches with companies.

The Necessity of a Career Change Can Be Judged

Self-analysis is an important step for identifying whether a career change is truly necessary for you. If a career change is decided based on emotional dissatisfaction or impatience, it may lead to regret such as “conditions deteriorated more than expected” or “the current job was more suited to me.”

In fact, according to data from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, a certain number of people experienced a decrease in annual salary through a career change, and this includes cases where it decreased by 10% or more.

To avoid such risks, it is reassuring to carefully clarify through self-analysis what one wants to improve through the career change and whether it is truly impossible to resolve at the current workplace.

If desired conditions and the direction of future career are organized, confidence can be held in the judgment of whether to change jobs or continue at the current workplace. Self-analysis is an indispensable process for calmly identifying the path forward without being swept by emotion.

Reference: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “Overview of Results of the 2023 Employment Trend Survey“

Basic Methods of Self-Analysis [With Free Worksheet]

Before starting career change activities, getting to know yourself deeply is most important. Here, we explain in an easy-to-understand manner the basic procedure of self-analysis that anyone can tackle.

A free worksheet where you can fill in your own thoughts has also been prepared in line with the article content. Please download it and try reading while actually moving your hand through it.

1. Organize Past Experience, Skills, and Career

The first step in self-analysis is the work of organizing past experience, skills, and career. When considering a career change, it is necessary to specifically grasp what kind of environment you have been in and what you have done.

Effective here is the “5W1H” framework. Try drilling down in order through when (When), where (Where), with whom (Who), what (What), why (Why), and how (How) you worked on things.

If you find it difficult to recall, it is smooth to first freely write out what comes to mind, then organize it.

For those with ample professional experience, looking back on not only success experiences but also how difficulties and failures were overcome allows them to be told as persuasive episodes during interviews.

On the other hand, for second-year career changers or those with limited professional experience, it is important to look at yourself from multiple angles — including hobbies, club activities, and part-time jobs. By carefully taking stock of your own journey, the direction of your next career becomes clearer.

2. Clarify Strengths and Areas of Expertise

After identifying past experience and skills, use these as a basis to clarify strengths and areas of expertise. By organizing common characteristics from work experience, your own distinctive strengths become clear.

For example, translating into simple yet specific expressions such as “coordination ability” or “problem-solving ability” allows them to be communicated more effectively in self-PR and statements of motivation.

In addition, putting “what you are particular about” and “values you hold dear in working” into words also makes it easier to find common points with applying companies.

Using the content looked back on with 5W1H as a basis, organize keywords that symbolize you — such as “persistence,” “flexibility,” and “broad perspective” — and advance preparation so you can convey your appeal in a persuasive form.

3. Determine the Purpose and Axis of the Career Change

Indispensable when starting career change activities is the work of clearly establishing your own “job change axis.”

First, based on the strengths and areas of expertise clarified through self-analysis so far, consider work content and workplace environments suitable for you. At the same time, identify goals to realize through the career change, and organize your preferences regarding work content, workplace atmosphere, and compensation.

Building on this, distinguishing between “Must conditions” — non-negotiable conditions — and “Want conditions” — conditions adjustable depending on circumstances — and prioritizing each is important. Also confirm whether desired conditions are realistic and pay attention to alignment with industry trends and your own skills.

The “job change axis” clarified in this way is useful not only for selecting companies to apply to but also as a reliable guideline for building a future career vision.

4. Find an Environment Where Your Strengths and Areas of Expertise Can Be Applied

By putting into words the strengths and areas of expertise revealed through self-analysis, try to specifically envision “in what kind of environment can you demonstrate your abilities.”

Next is the stage of looking for companies and job types that meet those conditions. Recruitment pages and job listing sites include the type of person sought and company culture, serving as a reference for determining compatibility with yourself.

Furthermore, by utilizing career change agents, there is a possibility of encountering options that you might tend to overlook on your own. Careful information gathering and analysis are indispensable for finding a workplace where your own individuality can be applied.

Tools and Frameworks Useful for Self-Analysis

What is useful for efficiently and effectively advancing self-analysis is various tools and frameworks. Here, we introduce representative methods that can be used differently according to purpose.

There is no need to try all of them, but please use them as clues to finding methods suited to you.

Personal History

A personal history is a method of looking back at one’s past, putting dreams, goals, and interpersonal relationships into writing, and deepening self-understanding.

When using it for job hunting or a career change, experience from elementary school to the present is organized in table format and the events and feelings from each period are written out in concrete terms. Through this process, one’s values and behavioral patterns become clear, and material for persuasive self-PR is obtained.

In addition, a personal history is effective not just for discovering strengths but also for noticing the causes of repeating the same failures and weaknesses. By carefully unraveling past choices and actions, unconscious thinking habits and original orientations can be re-recognized and connected to self-growth.

In the process of creating a personal history, one’s own changes and growth can be objectively grasped, making it also useful for future goal-setting and reviewing career plans.

Mind Map

A mind map is an effective method for visualizing thinking and deeply understanding oneself. Placing yourself in the center of a blank page, thick branches are drawn for each category such as personality, values, and past experience, and from there more specific episodes and characteristics are spread as thin branches.

By organizing information structurally using a mind map, information scattered in the mind becomes easier to grasp at a glance and you can look at yourself objectively.

A mind map is not created for the purpose of completing it. The process of creating it connects to organization of thinking and self-analysis, and is useful for clarifying strengths and future goals.

Johari Window

The Johari Window is an analytical method for comparing self-recognition and evaluation from others to deepen understanding of oneself. One’s characteristics and information are classified into the following four categories.

Through classification, aspects of yourself that are not normally conscious of can be discovered, and misalignments in recognition with others also become easier to close. In particular, expanding the “blind window” requires candid feedback from trusted others.

The Johari Window is not limited to self-analysis — it is a practical framework also useful for improving interpersonal relationships and enhancing communication ability.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a method originally used in management strategy, but also effective for self-analysis. In this framework, your own situation is organized by dividing it into the following four categories.

Strengths refer to skills and achievements superior to others; weaknesses refer to things difficult to do or points requiring improvement. Opportunities include industry growth and social changes advantageous to oneself, while threats are external factors such as intensifying competition and regulatory changes.

By looking back at internal elements and the external environment in a well-balanced manner, how to leverage one’s strengths and which challenges to focus on become clear. As a result, a strategic perspective in career change activities and career design becomes easier to adopt, enabling more effective self-PR and decision-making.

By regularly reviewing the SWOT analysis, it can also be used as a guideline for building a career while flexibly adapting to changing environments and personal growth.

Logic Tree

A logic tree is a thinking method that hierarchically subdivides a single thing and organizes it in tree form to clarify the essence. By repeatedly asking “Why?” and “How?” about a specific theme and branching it out, the overall picture of the challenge can be visually grasped while arriving at root causes and solutions.

A logic tree is also effective for self-analysis. For example, by classifying past experience and skills from perspectives such as “human skills” and “technical skills,” it becomes easier to organize and put into words one’s strengths.

It is simple yet highly versatile, applicable to diverse scenes such as problem-solving and decision-making. Even for first-time users, it is easy to approach intuitively, making it also recommended for those who want to deepen self-understanding.

Lifeline Chart

A lifeline chart is a tool that visualizes happiness levels and fulfillment regarding memorable events and experiences in one’s life, along the flow of time. Age is placed on the horizontal axis and happiness level on the vertical axis, and changes in emotion are shown as a single curve.

By visualizing what events occurred at what age and how you felt about them, it becomes possible to grasp in what situations satisfaction is easily gained and in what scenes stress tends to be felt.

Since it can be reflected upon intuitively, it is also optimal for those just starting self-analysis or those with limited time. By drilling down into fluctuations in happiness level, what is influencing fulfillment and motivation comes into view.

Being able to grasp your own values and selection criteria through chart creation is also a point. If there is little variation, characteristics such as a stable living environment or reserved emotional expression can be considered. When making self-PR and career choices, looking back on small everyday experiences and also listening to the opinions of family and friends is also effective.

Will-Can-Must

Will-Can-Must, useful for career formation and self-analysis, is a practical framework for working with a sense of fulfillment. The purpose is to organize the following three elements and find in the overlapping domain the direction one should take and appropriate tasks.

For example, if “I want to be helpful to people (Will),” “I am confident in communication (Can),” and “I must contribute to the company’s profits (Must)” align, customer proposal-type sales positions can be considered a suitable job.

It is also effective for self-analysis in job hunting and career changes, and is a framework where even higher effects can be expected when tackled as a group.

Points to Be Careful About in Self-Analysis for a Career Change

Self-analysis is the first step to finding the ideal career change destination. By clarifying your strengths and values, mismatches can be prevented and you can get closer to the ideal workplace.

Here, we explain the points to be careful about in self-analysis.

Don’t Adjust to the Type of Person the Company Is Looking For

Self-analysis is an important process for accurately understanding your own essence, strengths, and values.

However, when conducted simultaneously with company research, there are cases where you end up adjusting yourself to fit the type of person the company is looking for. Forced performance not only carries a high risk of being seen through by interviewers, but also leads to mismatches after joining.

For example, even if a job offer is obtained, if you have been misrepresenting yourself, adaptation in the workplace becomes difficult and may adversely affect long-term career formation. In career change activities, “finding a company where your own individuality can be applied” is far more important than “adjusting to a company.”

Conduct self-analysis carefully in order to identify compatibility with a company.

Avoid Abstract Language

In self-analysis for career change activities, avoid abstract expressions and clearly indicate your strengths and experience with specific words. Vague expressions make it easy to lose sight of direction and become a cause of wandering without a settled job change axis.

To clarify the career path, deep-diving into experiences and results tackled enthusiastically, and expression in your own words, are key.

In statements of motivation, it is necessary to show specific strengths that can differentiate from other applicants. The point is to make it easy to remain in the interviewer’s mind by presenting results using numbers and detailed experience stories to increase persuasiveness.

Replace Negative Elements with Positives

As self-analysis advances, weaknesses and shortcomings inevitably come into view. However, rather than accepting them as-is, replacing them with positive expressions is important.

For example, “neurotic” can also be expressed as “attentive,” “indecisive” as “flexible,” and “easily bored” as “highly curious.”

Changing the perspective in this way allows shortcomings to be viewed as advantages and utilized as strengths in self-PR. Even when shortcomings are asked about in an interview, conveying the positive aspect gives a forward-looking impression.

In self-analysis for career change activities, be conscious of actively converting negatives to positives.

Conduct Self-Analysis Regularly

Even after conducting self-analysis once, completely understanding yourself is difficult. Since values and strengths change as environment and experience change, regular review is indispensable. Since ways of thinking also change according to work experience and new roles, having the latest self-understanding allows approach to work history documents and interviews with confidence.

Self-analysis during career change activities is ideally conducted about once a month. Reviewing after career change activities have ended or after moving to a new workplace deepens self-understanding further.

Without relying too much on past analysis, having the habit of always re-examining the current self allows satisfying career choices to be made.

What to Do When Self-Analysis for a Career Change Isn’t Going Well?

Self-analysis is extremely important in career change activities. However, there are also people who struggle not knowing what to look at and how. If self-understanding is insufficient, it becomes difficult to proceed to the next step.

Below, we introduce the causes and countermeasures.

Try Utilizing Multiple Frameworks

If you feel stuck in self-analysis, rather than fixating on a single framework, the approach of combining multiple ones is effective. By utilizing different frameworks complementarily, self-analysis can be conducted from multiple perspectives rather than one-sidedly.

For example, after identifying past experience and values with a “personal history,” organizing that content visually with a “mind map” allows your own thoughts and tendencies to be more objectively grasped.

Furthermore, by incorporating others’ opinions using the “Johari Window,” strengths and challenges you had not noticed yourself become clear. By also using methods such as “SWOT analysis” and “Will-Can-Must” together, internal insights and career direction are connected and self-understanding deepens further.

Flexibly choosing methods suited to yourself and having the attitude to review them as necessary connects to satisfying career choices and persuasive self-PR.

Try Consulting a Professional

When struggling with self-analysis, there is the option of consulting a career professional. Strengths and values difficult to identify on one’s own also become easier to objectively organize by incorporating the perspective of a third party such as a career change agent or career consultant.

In particular, when aiming for a career change in the consulting industry, clarification of industry-specific skills and orientations is required, making support from agents with specialized knowledge effective. As self-understanding deepens, persuasiveness of the statement of motivation increases and connects to selection strategy, increasing the success rate of career change activities.

ConsulNext.jp constantly accepts consultations specialized in career changes in the consulting industry. Specialist agents with abundant transaction track records with mid-sized and small consulting companies provide specific and practical advice tailored to the user’s orientations and strengths.

They handle a wide range of job listing information, company introductions, and the latest industry news, and their strength is the multifaceted support of people aiming for consulting career changes. All services are available free of charge, providing an environment where one can consult with peace of mind.

Frequently Asked Questions About Self-Analysis for Career Changes

Finally, we explain in an easy-to-understand manner frequently asked questions about self-analysis and their answers.

Summary

By clarifying your own strengths and values through self-analysis and settling on a career direction, mismatches can be reduced.

By organizing work history and clarifying statements of motivation, interviews and document screening can proceed smoothly. Compatibility with companies also becomes easier to judge, and it is effective as a guideline for choosing workplaces where one can work for a long time.

When advancing self-analysis, specific strengths come to the surface by utilizing frameworks such as 5W1H and SWOT analysis. In addition, using mind maps and lifeline charts makes values and career direction easier to organize.

Those who want to advance career change activities advantageously should take sufficient time and work on self-analysis.

For those considering a career change in the consulting industry, by registering for free at ConsulNext.jp, job listings suited to you can be found while receiving support from specialist agents. Career change consultations are also possible, so please make use of it.