Talents Inquiry

Diana Vides

I believe I am a well-rounded individual. After reviewing my talents inquiry I was not really surprised to see a pattern emerge in the responses I received. Most of the adjectives used to describe me from the talents inquiry were very similar. Some of the same words that I came across were kind, intelligent, hard working, motivated, engaging, and active listener. I sent out a talents inquiry to my preceptor and was surprised to see that she found me to be one of the best interns she has had because I was so driven and eager to learn. This goes back to my motivation to accomplish goals I set for myself. I believe I set SMART goals. They are specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and can be accomplished in a timely manner. An example of a SMART goal I have recently set for myself is to become more active. On a piece of paper I have noted what I plan to accomplish which is being able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes. I will measure this every time I work out, I plan to attain this by strength training and working out harder. I believe this to be a realistic goal because that means it will take me 10 minutes to run a mile, and I plan to accomplish this goal in a 2-month period.

Several strengths that were stated from the talent inquires I received were that I was an active listener who paid close attention to what others said. People also said I managed myself well in difficult situations, and that I used judgment and decision making skills to make decisions. Other strengths that were mentioned were my professionalism and motivation. Several people said I was driven to accomplish goals I had set for myself. I feel that people perceive me the way I want them to perceive me, and that is a hardworking, motivated, caring, kind, and insightful individual.

Addressing negative aspects about oneself is always difficult, no one wants to sit down and think negative things about oneself. However, it does help a person understand their weakness. Some of my biggest weaknesses are public speaking, accepting change, and self-criticism. I was surprised when no one mentioned that I could be shy. Some of the responses I got on skill sets I should strengthen were networking, attaining experience, enhancing thoroughness of my work, and time management. There have been many instances were I have left an assignment for last minute because I have not managed my time well. Procrastination can be one of my weaknesses, but I find that I work well under pressure. I am a person that can handle stress better than others. I enjoy the fact that I do not stress often, but this can be a weakness for me because I will not see the severity of a situation. Having a clear understanding of my weaknesses has allowed me to better understand what areas I need improvement in. I believe a person can always improve their skills, personality, and understating of situations. I have an ethics presentation coming up in November, and I plan to aim my efforts in improving my public speaking skills by preparing myself, practicing, and believing that I can do a good job when speaking in front of a big group of people. This will be a challenge for me but I plan to work on this weakness by practice. I plan on enhancing my public speaking skills, creativity skills, and time management as I progress my journey into the working world.

STRENGTHS SCAN_____20_________________

Complete 18-20 pts– includes responses for each question from each person either as a list or identified in the essay (highlighted, specifically described/noted)

Partial 13-17 pts– fewer than five participant responses are noted or fewer than five of the questions are addressed; participant responses not clearly identified in the essay

Incomplete 0-12 pts– no list of the questions asked or the participant responses included, participant responses not clearly identified in the essay

TALENTS INQUIRY______20___________________

Complete 18-20 pts – includes a list of everything that comes natural to you and a list of things you are not naturally good at.

Partial 10-17 pts – list is short and not descriptive of talents; only a list of natural talents included, or a list of only things not naturally good at included.

Incomplete 0-9 pts – no list included; talents inquiry not completed

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER_________17___________________

Complete – 18-20 pts - Reflective essay describes a talents and strengths profile based on the information gathered from the strengths scan and talents inquiry. Essay includes a description of strengths and talents in action and includes examples from work and life history. Essay describes how this information guides your leadership development.

Partial – 10-17 pts – Reflective essay describes some of the talents and strengths identified by the strengths scan and talents inquiry, but misses a key opportunity to reflect; description of the strengths and talents in action is brief and incomplete; no examples from work and/or life history are included. Essay begins to describe a plan for leadership development but is not complete.

Incomplete – 0-9 pts – reflection essay brief, does not include reflective thoughts on strengths scan or talent inquiry; description of strengths and talents in action is missing, no examples from work and/or life history are included. Minimal description of how the information guides your leadership development plan.

Total____________57/60=95

Things that come naturally

People person
Organized
Making list
Motivation
Initiator
Working well under pressure
Devils advocate
Good Listener
Optimism

Things that don’t come naturally

Relaxing
Artistic skills
On the spot decisions
Public speaking

Talent #1

What are my standout strengths? (Very few others are as good as I am.)

Diana is exceptionally good at doing a lot yet getting it all done. She can work under pressure and tight time constraints. Every day she has classes and possibly work and other activities and she effortlessly manages her day to day life. She is very level headed and does not get flustered easily. She is very focused and always has a plan

Active listening is paying close attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points made, asking appropriate questions, and not interrupting.

Social perceptiveness, writing, and speaking skills include being aware of and understanding other people’s reactions. This is important to have because managers might need to read their audiences carefully to make sure they understand the information they are receiving.

2. What are my moderate strengths? (I’m good – so are many others.)

Diana is very intelligent academically and well rounded. She maintains a positive attitude always. She is good at planning activities such a trips and when to study for tests.

Management of Personnel Resources and Time management skills are critical to ensure that all tasks are completed on schedule.

Active learning skills allow persons to understand and assess the implications of new information, a particularly useful tool for accounting staff who can be bombarded with data from a variety of sources.

Critical thinking helps identify the strengths and weaknesses and devise potential solutions.

Reading comprehension and writing skills are necessary create coherent work-related documents and emails.

Judgment and Decision-Making skills balance the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and choose best approach.

Coordination skills help a person learn how and when to adjust actions and reactions.

3. How would people describe me?

Very friendly and open. Smart and driven. Focused and happy. Knowledgeable about tasks you preform.

4. What are my overdone strengths? (Things I’m good at, but not interested in using – I’m going to burnout if I keep focusing on these.)

I feel that you are very good at managing your self and you do not stress easily. I feel that if you keep doing what you are doing you should not “burn out”.

5. What are two skills I should strengthen? How would it help me, given what I want to do?

Continue networking and gaining more experience in the healthcare field.

Talent #2

1. I think a really great strength is how professional you are. Additionally, I think you're really motivated as a person and it shows. You also come across as a really positive person which makes me people want to be around you!

2. I feel like you're pretty organized and on top of things and have your priorities straight. You're also really detail oriented. (last time we worked together you made sure you knew when all the babies were last changed and fed)

3. Hmm, intelligent, kind, funny & driven.

4. Uhm, i'm not really sure what this means. Maybe text me and I can think of something?

5. Honestly, I can't think of any at all but here's something just so you have an answer written down: maybe an increase in policies and stuff for the health care profession and skills for working with patients like how to handle certain situations or crises but I don't know if you work directly with patients. I'm not sure if the major trains you guys on that stuff but it could be good to know?

Let me know if there's anything else you need girl! I hope these help you out!

Kenzie

Talent #3

What are my standout strengths? (In which very few others are as good as I am.)

Standout strengths include being respectful and a great, energetic team player.

What are my moderate strengths? (I’m good at this – but so are many others.)

Moderate strengths include being a hard worker and having a very kind personality.

How would people describe me?

A sweet, fun, and intelligent peer who gets the job done. Also a great friend and team member to work with.

What are my overdone strengths? (Things I’m good at, but not interested in using – I’m going to burnout if I keep focusing on these.)

Overdone strengths include engaging others in the decision making process and communication.

5. What are two skills I should strengthen? How would it help me, given what I want to do?

Skills to strengthen include thoroughness of work and time management. Strengthening these skills will help to get the job done well in the healthcare management field. It will also help generate excellent job performance.

Talent #4

. 1. What are my standout strengths? (Very few others are as good as I am.)

Knowing how to speak Spanish, good with technology, following instructions, good with people and always willing to jump in and learn.

2. What are my moderate strengths? (I’m good – so are many others.)

3. How would people describe me? People would say that you are energetic, friendly and have a great attitude. You were not shy and always willing to help do anything.

4. What are my overdone strengths? (Things I’m good at, but not interested in using – I’m going to burnout if I keep focusing on these.)

5. What are two skills I should strengthen? How would it help me, given what I want to do?

I can’t think of any weaknesses or improvements for you. You were the best intern that I have ever had. You were always on your toes, not shy and willing to jump in and help in any way. I was impressed with your willingness and eagerness to learn all the different departments and aspects of public health. I always think it is important for interns to not only work with me but other departments so you can get a good picture of what public health is. You have a great career outlook and I know that you will do well with whatever path you choose to take. Attitude goes a long way in life. Kudos to you!

Talent #5

1. What are my standout strengths?

Harding working and caring individual

2. What are my moderate strengths? (I’m good at this – but so are many others.)

Moderate strengths include being a goal orientated and driven to accomplish difficult tasks.

3. How would people describe me?

Sweet, kind, funny, smart, caring, leading.

4.What are my overdone strengths? (Things I’m good at, but not interested in using – I’m going to burnout if I keep focusing on these.)

Overdone skills might be delegating work and compromising.

5. What are two skills I should strengthen? How would it help me, given what I want to do?

Skills to strengthen could be amount of time spent doing an assignment. Another thing that can be strengthen is coming up with new ideas or being creative.