Assessing your work-related relationships can dramatically impact your career. It's important to know how others at work see you.

Why Should You Pay Attention?

Getting work done in today's workplace often depends more on influencing others than on formally directing them. Change is happening at a rapid pace and if you're not looking, the organization could be heading in a new direction while you're following the old one. You never know who has it in for you, so it's important to know what others think of you.

How to Get Feedback

Select five people who know you well at work. These people can be inside or outside your organization. Select a mix of bosses, peers, subordinates, and even clients. Your bosses can be your immediate supervisors and your bosses' bosses.

Call or approach each person and mention that you are participating in a career development program and would like their feedback. Send them five questions in a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Let them know the questionnaire will not have their name on it so it will be confidential.

The Questions

Ask each participant the same five questions:

1) Could you describe in general what you think of me from a work point of view?

2) What do you see as my most important strengths?

3) What do you see as my downsides or limitations or things that could hold me back, whether or not you think I would choose to change them?

4) If you could think of the ideal job for me, what would it be or what would it be like?

5) If you had one piece of career advice to give me, what would that be?

This process will give you a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses and a clear picture of how you are viewed by others. You can then take steps to address your weaknesses and build on your strengths.