Over the last few weeks, I have been talking with companies about potentially joining their teams as I prepared to leave Stem. While it is simple to show these companies what skills I have, it is a lot harder to prove I am so-called “culture fit.” While it means something different to each company, a “culture fit” can be described as a company’s ability to mesh with your personality traits, communication methods, first principles, and your motivations.

However, it can be hard to reflect your character to your hiring manager, new colleagues, and team members, especially if you haven’t gone over it with yourself before a high-pressure moment like an interview. That is where the Personal Blueprint (a template that can be found here) document comes in. The blueprint is designed to be the personal half of your CV. I like to think of the resume as the document that highlights skills and positive outcomes and the blueprint is the document that illustrates personality and approach.

Your job will feel more rewarding if you find yourself in a company that culturally fits well with you. Misrepresenting yourself by trying to bury parts of your character or by not being aware of your preferences can result in a mismatch with your next job. By answering the six questions below, you will begin to be more transparent with yourself and the people who interact with you.

This section is focused on giving a brief non-work related overview of who you are from a high-level perspective. This is all information that people might be able to find via a simple Google search but stated in your tone. This section can include things like your age, where you live, who is important to you in your day-to-day life, and your interests outside of work.

Examples:

• I am a 26-year-old, scooter-riding man from Atlanta, Georgia.

• I love swimming, reading magazines from the grocery store checkout, and attempting to act in the community plays.

• I have three children. Two daughters and one son.

This is where the self-reflection begins to get real. By writing down the key characteristics of your personality, you give potential or new colleagues a clear idea of how you tick. It is essential not to augment the truth in this section because it will serve as a guiding light for the person reading it. For example, if you’re a nervous individual, this is the perfect place to call that out.

Examples:

• I am an extrovert. I get energized by spending time with others.

• I talk at a million miles a minute. Sometimes I need to be interrupted and told to repeat something.

• I am emotionally stable. I do not react too hot or cold for most things.

First principals are defined as “the fundamental concepts or assumptions on which a theory, system, or method is based.” These principles are added to the blueprint because you are a system that must have core concepts that you return to when you find yourself lost. When adding the first principles section to the blueprint document, pick a couple of core areas of interest such as Sales or Design. From there, list the key things that guide your philosophy in those areas of interest.

Examples:

• Always remember time is a limited resource.

• Collaboration is the key to creating something everyone is excited about.

• I am not my work.

Being motivated is arguably the hardest and most important part of any job. Outlining what drives you helps potential employers and team members get a good idea of how you could be useful in their organization. If they understand how you are motivated initially, then you can see maximized impact in your first few months at your new company. This initial impact will help fuel further successes over time. On the flip side, writing out what demotivates you helps your new company understand where they could go wrong.

Examples:

• I am motivated by being told that I did a good job.

• I am motivated by seeing a user smile when they use our software.

• I am demotivated by seeing my co-workers get yelled at by a manager.

Most failures in business can be traced back to a breakdown in communication between teams or individuals. The communication section of the blueprint allows you the opportunity to lay out which forms of communication work for you and more importantly the forms that do not work for you.

Examples:

• I like to communicate via one-on-ones every week.

• I like to communicate via email and instant message.

• I do not like to communicate in person.

Getting feedback is tough. Giving feedback is tough. However, feedback is crucial for any team to succeed. It allows you and your team to operate at the maximum potential. No individual should ever feel uncomfortable giving feedback because feedback is the driving force of progress. With that said, everyone likes feedback given and received in different ways, and this is your opportunity to outline what works best for you.

Examples:

• I like to give feedback in public in a constructive manner.

• I like to give feedback in a private room with no more than one person.

• I do not like to give feedback by yelling at you in front of my teammates.

While the Personal Blueprint is not the only self-reflection you should be doing, I find it to be a helpful tool for beginning a conversation about yourself. By working on this document, you will have to think about yourself objectively and describe the core of what makes you unique. Being clear with yourself lays the foundation for opportunities to align with you.

P.S. Thanks to Gannon Hall for making me do this the first time around. If you want to see my personal blueprint you can find it here: Jovin’s Personal Blueprint