The Challenge of Self-Assessment (2)
Another bias in self-assessment is what I call “Strength over-optimization”, it means that we tend to highlight one of our strengths as the most important one and the cornerstone requirement of any task, whether it’s actually important or not.
My nephew considers solving problems and analytical skills as the only reflection of intelligence, simply because he’s good at math. While the daughter of a friend of mine talks about communication and verbal skills as the cornerstone of success in ‘real life’, because she took her major in communication and scores high in English literature.
I’m not saying that they’re wrong; but they based their definition of absolute success on their own abilities rather than looking objectively at the need of the job market. They both should be seeking careers that honor and respect their points of strength. However, they can’t over-generalize their strengths as the absolute requirement in any job market.
"The unexamined life is not worth living" Socrates
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