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3 words to describe my career journey – upward, learning, evolving.

At Access, we take pride in our award-winning work environment and people-first culture . Each of our team members professional paths and personal stories are valuable and significant in contributing to our success today. I sat down with Matt Ringgenberg , an IT Account Executive who enjoys his ever-changing and never dull workdays.

Open Communication Is the Key to Grow & Explore

Did you explore other job roles in access systems before you became an account executive.

“Yes, I started off in telemarketing where I eventually managed a small team. The company is always growing, so I moved around to at least 5 different positions to explore and help as needed.

I developed my passion for IT, when I was an IT Service Coordinator for 4 years. I wanted to be on the front-line of the business cycle, meeting and servicing our customers. So, I decided to bring the conversation personally to my manager and the President of Access Systems, Shane Sloan, to express my interest in exploring. After a few meetings and training sessions, I landed at my current role, and the rest is history.

As an employee, the role transitions in the past 9 years really speak to the endless career possibilities and options at Access. If you think your skills and traits would be better suited in a different role, speak with your manager! They will help you guide and mentor you on how to make it happen.”

Why Did You Choose to Change Positions & Not Companies?

“Each role change within the company has helped me build on my knowledge of the entire company, and how it operates. Being an Account Executive now, I can paint a holistic picture with confidence to a new potential customer.

Existing relationships are also one of my biggest considerations. My managers were and are all so supportive while being realistic through all my role transitions. They have been helping me to build my goals and chart a plan to achieve them. Whenever I speak to my family about my career and the culture at Access, they really can’t say the same about the companies they work for.

I went back to college to obtain my Bachelor’s degree a year ago, and Access has entrusted me with flexibility and helped to balance my schedule. I was both working and going to school full time, Steve Ames, who I just started working with, literally told me not to work so long into the night, so I wouldn’t be burnt out. I appreciate their care for our personal life situations and goals which allows us to work to our full potential .

With the growth that I’ve witnessed each year at Access, I believe that it’s important to invest into a workplace that I’ll always be able to grow in so many different directions. There isn’t a reason for me to look elsewhere when I can look within, especially with plenty of support and opportunities around me!”

Dedicated Leaders Keep Cultures Connected

What do you like the most about your job.

“The culture and people that I work with! It’s an epic blend between a corporate setting and small, connected community. Some of the best people I’ve met since moving to Des Moines nine years ago, I met them at Access Systems.

I know it may sound cliché, but I am always impressed by our “work hard and play hard” mentality. My recent top 2 moments are definitely, when I landed on a few of my first large sales (so rewarding and exciting to see the months of hard work come to fruition) and our team outing weekend ( such a fun weekend and a great bonding experience with the people you work with every day). Not to mention, my all-time favorite, the annual company Christmas party. I’m also hoping to earn a spot to our Presidents Club trip to Cabo, Mexico this year!

I honestly also stay around because of the people, especially the leaders of our company. Shane Sloan, he isn’t your normal CEO. I have some of the most candid conversations with him just like I would with any of my friends or family. The Vice President of IT, Mitch Henry, I can testify that he has had my back through thick and thin professionally and personally. Last but not least, my manager, Steve Ames, always goes the extra mile to ensure that I have what I need to succeed and grow as a sales executive.”

Two Things I Need to Succeed Here – Integrity & Strong Work Ethic 

What is the biggest change in your personal & professional life after working at access.

“I have literally grown into an adult while working at Access. I was fresh out of college after getting my Associates degree when I started back in 2010. It has shown me the ropes on how business is conducted -- honestly and correctly. Having integrity, being loyal and trustworthy became even more important to me, as those are my personal core values as 

What Advice Would You Give to Young Professionals who Are Choosing the Right Fit to Grow their Career?

“The amount of work you put in is the amount of praise and reward that you get back. There are days where things are great, and there are days that are very challenging as with any job. Keep in mind that you want to choose a company that will give you support to help you through any obstacles thrown at you.

Look for a place where the opportunities for advancement are endless! If you’re looking for a challenging yet rewarding career, then Access is the place for you. With the way our company is expanding, what you start out doing may not be what you do in 2 years. Get planted here at Access and watch your career grow!”

We Are Expanding our Team!

Workplace culture should be one of the top factors to consider when looking for a new job, especially for young professionals. Matt’s investment of talent and time at Access has rewarded him with the best opportunities, coworkers and lifestyle.

Want to work hard, play hard and invest in yourself like Matt? We are #YourAccessToMore Career Possibilities! Join us today!

Topics: career , Your Access to More

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How to Share Your Professional Journey in an Interview

• Job Interview Insights

During a job interview, it’s common for interviewers to ask questions about a candidate’s professional journey.

This includes questions about their previous work experiences, career goals, and the skills they’ve developed along the way. Sharing your professional journey can be a powerful way to demonstrate your qualifications, highlight your achievements, and build rapport with the interviewer.

However, talking about your professional journey in an interview can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not sure how to structure your response or what information to include.

In this article, we’ll provide you with some tips and strategies for sharing your professional journey in an interview, including how to prepare in advance, what to focus on during the interview, and how to effectively communicate your experiences and achievements.

Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, these tips will help you showcase your unique story and stand out as a top candidate for the job.

So, let’s get into it shall we?

Reflect on Your Professional Experiences

Before you can share your professional journey, it is essential to reflect on your past experiences. Take some time to review your resume, focusing on the major milestones and achievements throughout your career.

Consider what you have learned from each role, the challenges you faced, and the skills you developed. This reflection will help you identify the key moments that shaped your career and allow you to discuss them confidently during an interview.

This reflection is also important from another perspective, it shows your hiring manager to see that you are an honest person who is quite forth coming, these are both great traits to have!

Another thing to keep in mind is that as you reflect on your professional experiences, it’s important to think about your long-term career goals and how your previous experiences have helped you get closer to achieving them.

This can include opportunities for growth and development, as well as challenges and setbacks that have taught you valuable lessons. By reflecting on both the highs and lows of your professional journey, you’ll be able to communicate a well-rounded and authentic story that highlights your unique strengths and qualifications.

Choose Relevant Stories

The second thing on our list here is choosing relevant stories, but what does that mean?

When talking about your professional career in a job interview, choosing relevant stories is crucial, because you don’t want to say just whatever.

Sharing stories that demonstrate your skills and experiences can help the interviewer understand your capabilities and assess whether you’re a good fit for the job.

However, it’s important to choose stories that are relevant to the position you’re applying for and the company culture.

To choose relevant stories, start by reviewing the job description and researching the company. This will help you understand the key skills and qualities that are required for the job, as well as the company’s mission and values.

Once you have a clear understanding of what the interviewer is looking for, you can select stories that demonstrate your relevant experience and align with the company’s culture and values.

When selecting stories to share in the interview, be sure to focus on the positive aspects of your experiences. This includes highlighting achievements and successes, as well as lessons learned from challenges or setbacks.

Choose stories that demonstrate your problem-solving skills, communication abilities, and teamwork, as these are qualities that are highly valued in many industries.

By choosing relevant and positive stories, you’ll be able to make a strong impression on the interviewer and demonstrate your potential as a valuable addition to the team.

Craft a compelling narrative

This goes hand in hand with the relevant stories you would have chosen because without tying those with a solid compelling narrative, it is almost as though you will allow for gaps in your story about your professional carrier.

This is because crafting your own compelling narrative is another excellent way to reel whoever is interviewing you in your story and give them something for their brain to latch on to. Doing this will allow you to talk about your professional career in a job interview.

A well-crafted narrative can help you present yourself in a way that is very clear, concise, and memorable. This makes it very easy for your interviewer to recognize your experiences and qualifications. To achieve this, you need to sell a version of this narrative that is not only relevant but engaging too.

So, you must be wondering how you can do that. Well, to start crafting your narrative, consider what you want the interviewer to know about you and your professional journey.

This can include your career goals, key achievements, and the unique skills and qualities that set you apart from other candidates.

Think about the challenges you’ve faced and the lessons you’ve learned along the way, as well as the people who have influenced and supported you throughout your career.

When crafting your narrative, it’s important to keep it concise and focused. Choose a few key themes or experiences that you want to highlight and structure your story around those themes.

Use clear and descriptive language to help the interviewer visualize your experiences and include specific examples that demonstrate your skills and accomplishments.

If you correctly craft a compelling and well-structured narrative, you’ll be able to showcase your strengths and qualifications in a way that resonates with the interviewer and helps you stand out as a top candidate for the job.

Be Concise and Engaging

When you are crafting a compelling narrative or creating an engaging storyline, this does not mean you should keep every detail in there, because not every detail is relevant to what you are trying to achieve!

You want to make sure you convey the most important information about your skills, experience, and achievements without overwhelming the interviewer with unnecessary details. By being concise and engaging, you can ensure that the interviewer remains interested and focused on your responses.

One effective way to be concise and engaging is to use the STAR method when answering behavioral questions. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This approach involves briefly describing the situation you were in, the task you needed to accomplish, the action you took to accomplish it, and the result of your actions. This approach allows you to give a clear and concise answer while still providing enough detail to demonstrate your skills and experience.

Another way to be concise and engaging is to use storytelling techniques. Stories are a powerful way to connect with the interviewer and make your experiences more memorable. Start by choosing a relevant experience or achievement, and then craft a story around it. Use vivid language and imagery to help the interviewer visualize the situation and the impact you had. Keep the story concise and focused, and make sure it highlights the skills and qualities that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Tell it like a Story

Telling your career journey like a story is a great way to make a lasting impression during a job interview.

This approach allows you to take the interviewer on a journey, showing them how you arrived at your current place in your career. By framing your journey as a story, you can engage the interviewer, highlight your key achievements, and showcase the skills and qualities that make you a great fit for the job.

To tell your career journey like a story, start by identifying the key moments in your career. Think about the experiences and achievements that have had the most significant impact on your professional development.

Once you have a clear idea of these moments, you can start to structure your story around them, using them as anchor points to guide your narrative.

As you tell your story, make sure to highlight your growth and development over time. Discuss the skills you’ve acquired, the challenges you’ve overcome, and the accomplishments you’re most proud of.

Be sure to emphasize how each experience has prepared you for the role you’re applying for and how it aligns with the company’s goals and values.

Final Words

Sharing your professional journey in a job interview can be a daunting task, but with the right approach, it can be a powerful way to showcase your skills, experience, and unique qualities.

By reflecting on your experiences, choosing relevant stories, crafting a compelling narrative, and being concise and engaging, you can make a strong impression on the interviewer and increase your chances of landing the job.

Remember that the key to sharing your professional journey effectively is to be authentic and genuine. Don’t be afraid to share your successes and failures and highlight the lessons you’ve learned along the way. This will help you build a connection with the interviewer and demonstrate that you’re the right fit for the company culture.

With these tips in mind, you’ll be well-prepared to talk about your professional journey in your next job interview.

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How to Describe Your Work Experience in One Sentence

Describing your work experience in one sentence is no easy task. Including the right information in your resume will make a positive impression on a potential employer . In this article, you will learn how to get this information and which aspects of yourself you should use when describing your work experience in one sentence.

Dissecting Your Past Work Experience

Reflection helps us see what we have.

Building a work experience section on your resume is a process that everyone must go through. This section is your primary source to convey to an employer what you can offer them. Creating a personal timeline of your past will help create a foundation of what you should include in the work experience section.

Begin by listing all your previous job titles and roles. Write down what each position gave you in terms of experience, accomplishments, skills, strengths, and perspective. Reimagine how you can frame your achievements to a potential employer while you accurately inventory your past.

Once you have listed your previous work experience, stand back, and see how your career has unfolded so far. See if there are any patterns in your work and determine which elements stand out. Your story is not the sequence of events, but instead a mosaic of skills, experiences, and achievements that you can put together in a variety of ways.

If you are having difficulty deciphering your past, ask a buddy to help you out. A different perspective can offer valuable and honest insights about yourself that you may have never considered. When you feel like you have a clear assessment of your assets, begin putting your work experience onto your resume and think about how you can describe your past employment in one sentence.

What You Should Include (and Not Include) in Your Sentence

Competition for positions is high in the current job market. On average, an employer will only spend 6-7 seconds reviewing an applicant's resume , before they move on to the next candidate. When constructing your sentence, try to be concise and straight to the point with your message.

Here is an example of a poor sentence:

"As for my work experience, I have worked as a customer service advisor, a shop assistant, and a fast-food cook."

Your sentence should be relevant to the job you are applying for to entice an employer to read further. The phrase "as for my work experience" is unnecessary as what follows is a description of your work experience. Instead of just listing the job titles and organizations you've worked for, focus on your relevant skills and experience.

Here is an example of a better sentence:

"A motivated individual committed to adding value and supporting operations, with five years of experience dealing with customer service, cash handling, and quality control."

This sentence shows an employer what you can offer their organization in effort, experience, and skills. Outlining your experience by naming skills lets a recruiter know which areas you are competent in. Remember, you should focus on listing the skills you have that are most relevant to the job you are applying for.

Tailor Your Sentence to the Job Application

Although it is time-consuming and seems tedious, it is vital to tailor your resume to the job you're applying for to give yourself the edge over other applicants . When describing your work experience in one sentence, make sure to research the job description and organization thoroughly. If a job requires you to be flexible or self-sufficient, then prioritize skills and experiences that are relevant.

Be honest, self-aware, and positive in your sentence to give yourself the upper hand in your job search. The key is to make yourself stand out to any recruiter who is scanning your resume. Good luck and happy job hunting!

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“Tell Me About Your Work Experience” (Sample Answer)

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Being asked about your work experience is a given during a job interview. Hiring managers ask interview questions about your experience because they want to understand the impact of your prior work more comprehensively than reading the bullet points on a resume .

If you’re a job seeker preparing for an interview, this article will guide you through how to talk about your skills and experience in a way that clearly communicates your value to an interviewer. You’ll also find “tell me about your work experience” sample answers, as well as the different forms this question might take in a job interview.

Key Takeaways:

Connect how the experience you have relates to the role you’re interviewing for.

Be honest about your your skills and experience.

If you don’t have much experience in the specific field, express your interest in gaining that experience and learning through this opportunity.

Tell me about your work experience sample answers

Why interviewers ask about your experience, tips for answering interview questions about experience, work experience faq.

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While everyone’s work experience is unique, use these “tell me about your work experience” example questions and answers as a way to frame your own response:

Tell me about your professional background. This is a generalized question that hiring managers often ask to get a sense of how you’ll speak about your professional background.

While other questions are targeted to a specific position listed on your resume , this question is phrased in a way that asks for the complete story of your work history succinctly and informatively.

Tell me about your work experience sample answer example answer #1

“I started working towards my goal of becoming an early childhood educator long before I began teaching. Since I was in high school, I knew it was what I wanted to do with my career. When I was studying for my undergraduate degree in child development, I took on my first internship role as a teacher ’s assistant to a kindergarten class. I worked in that role over my senior year, and at the end of the internship, I was offered a position as a substitute teacher . This gave me a lot of experience working with many different children and strengthened my skills in classroom control. I’m now seeking a full-time teaching position to further my knowledge of childhood education in the field.”

What not to say:

“I don’t have much professional experience because I’ve never had a full-time teaching job before. I’ve worked as a substitute teacher, but only for about a year.”

Why it doesn’t work: This answer makes the applicant sound insecure and inexperienced. The interviewer doesn’t specifically ask for a recounting of paid positions you’ve worked.

Use that opportunity to speak about experiences you do have if your job history is lacking, such as an internship or project.

What experience do you have related to this role? When an interviewer asks what experience you have related to the role, they’re curious about two things.

First off, your prior experience and the intent to use it for success in the future.

Secondly, how familiar you are with the requirements of the role you’re interviewing for. Answer this interview question by tying in elements of the job description with your background.

Tell me about your work experience sample answer example answer #2

“Most of my professional experience has led me up to this administrative secretary role. I’ve been working in the field for almost ten years now. I got my first position as an office assistant when I was 18 – a position that required a lot of communication with both co-workers and customers. After two years, I was offered a new position as a secretary for a well-known dental group in the area. I worked in that job for nearly seven years. I eventually worked my way up to a management role. The job description stated that you’re looking for a candidate with at least four years of experience in a secretarial position with excellent communication skills . My background satisfies these conditions, and more. I’m interested in this position specifically because it would allow me to expand my leadership potential and continue working in an environment that I have a great deal of experience in.”

Why it works: A hiring manager chooses to use this phrasing of an experience interview question because it’s more direct. It gets right to the point of skills that are relevant to the job . This response works because it answers what the interviewer is asking.

The speaker gives a solid description of their work history up to that point and paints themselves as an experienced candidate.

They also mention specific skills that were asked for in the job description, which shows the interviewer that they did their research on the role and company.

“I’m not sure what your business wants in its secretaries, but I’ve worked in similar roles before.”

Why it doesn’t work: Unless you’ve scoured the job listing and it’s given very little information about the position, there’s no excuse for not having a good idea of what the company is looking for in the role.

This answer doesn’t have any specificity about their responsibilities, and the interviewer is forced to pull these details out of them.

What prior work experience has prepared you to take on this position? This question is a similar rendition of the last one.

The interviewer is assessing the candidate’s knowledge of the position’s requirements and if their abilities line up with these stipulations.

Answering well depends on the candidate’s prior knowledge of the position and a focus on the most applicable experience.

Tell me about your work experience sample answer example answer #3

“While I’ve worked in a few different positions in the past, I think the prior experience that has most prepared me for this position was working as a nurse in a Greenview Hospital emergency room for five years. A position that required me to provide top-notch patient care under pressure . In the position description, I noticed that you’re interested in hiring a candidate with experience in high-stress medical situations and a familiarity with an ER nurse’s schedule. This former job gave me practice in both these aspects of nursing. I believe these skills would help me to succeed in this role as well.”

Why it works: The candidate references the original job description to state how their skills fit these needs.

They explain a specific role that gave them the most relevant experience for the position they’re applying to and then went on into further explanation. This is a compact and informative answer.

“I’ve had experience working as a nurse.”

Why it doesn’t work: Responding to an interview question is best done briefly, but it isn’t supposed to be this short.

This answer doesn’t work because it doesn’t provide any details about the responsibilities of the role involved or how it relates to the position you’re hoping to land. It all around just needs more detail.

What has your work experience taught you about yourself? A hiring manager wants to know more than just a laundry list of your last few jobs’ responsibilities; they want to hear how you think about those experiences, what you’ve liked and disliked, and what you want to do with your skill set now.

Asking about what you learned from your last few jobs helps both you and the interviewer understand if the open job would actually be a good fit for you.

Tell me about your work experience sample answer example answer #4

“I got started in marketing 4 years ago as an analyst , which taught me a lot about how to make data-driven decisions and make rapid pivots when the underlying data you were relying on started to shift. I also learned that I wasn’t built for a job that spent so much time making and using spreadsheets. From there, I moved to a content strategist position, which was sort of a lateral move but involved a lot more creativity. I was actually applying the sort of data I was analyzing in my earlier job, and I found that I enjoyed and thrived in an environment where I could make decisions based on more than just spreadsheets. In my current job as a marketing analytics manager , I’ve learned much more about lead generation, working with sales and design personnel more closely, and honed my skills as an analyst. Through this career path , I’ve learned where my skills and interests lie, which is what led me to apply for this role.”

Why it works: The candidate directly refers to elements from their past jobs that directly relate to the job they’re applying for. They show that the candidate has carefully considered what lessons they learned at each of those jobs, and why those lessons led them to apply for this new job.

“My work experience has taught me that I excel at working alone. With group work, I tend to be tied down by other people’s timelines, but when I’m able to just focus on my own tasks, the quality is much higher.”

Interviewers ask about your previous work experience, to clarify your background, gauge your ability to communicate, and hear firsthand how you hope to put that experience to use in the future:

Clarity. As with any other inquisition put forward during an interview, experience questions are used to form a clearer picture of who you are professionally. This helps an interviewer decide if you’re the right fit for the position needing to be filled.

Honesty. Any form of lying is unacceptable in an interview. Some questions require you to reach into your professional past and find examples of skills that match the job you’re going for.

An intent to put experience to use. While your professional background may be a compelling story, there’s a reason beyond this that interviews ask about former experience.

When discussing your work experience, you should always be as specific as possible and connect your prior experience to your career goals:

Be specific about responsibilities and accomplishments. When discussing your previous professional experience, be specific about the role you served.

Don’t memorize an answer. A lot of candidates decide to prepare for their interview by memorizing their answers to questions about prior experience. This often produces a stiff response that’s unsatisfying to an interviewer.

Connect prior experience to future goals. An interview seeks to gather information about how an applicant intends to behave in their role if chosen for hire.

How can I describe myself through work experience?

You can describe yourself through your work experience by being specific about what you learned about yourself in previous roles. Providing details about what you liked and didn’t like about past responsibilities will go a long way in showing your unique personality and why you’re interviewing for this particular job.

What are examples of work experience?

Examples of work experience include specific responsibilities and the skills you used to carry out your tasks in previous jobs. Ultimately, the best examples of work experience are completely dependent on the job you’re applying for. It’s essential that you highlight the most relevant aspects of your former jobs, even if they were a smaller part of your last job than the new job you’re interviewing for.

Drexel University – How to Describe Your Work Experience

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

Denise Bitler has 30+ years of HR experience working in various industries and with all level of employees from hourly through C-suite, as well as company Board Members.She is the founder of Resume-Interview Success, LLC and is an expert in best practices related to resume, cover letter, and Executive bio writing, LinkedIn Profile optimization, job search strategies, and interview coaching.

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Employee experience journey map: A complete guide + example + template

Today, we are all obsessed with the experience of the customer. However, only some seem to care about employee experience. This makes no sense whatsoever.

It is common to think that customers are the drivers of our business. And while this is true, imagine what would happen if all employees from your company decided to take a couple of days off, stay home, and watch Netflix? This would be a disaster. Yet, many companies still don't see the importance of designing a better employee experience.

• 1 What is an employee journey?
• 2 Benefits of employee journey mapping
• 3 Employee experience journey mapping
• 4 What to map?
• 5 Employee journey stages
• 6.1 Start with employee experience research
• 6.2 Produce an employee persona
• 6.3 Map the employee experience journey
• 7 What’s next?
• 8 Wrapping up

What is an employee journey?

Put simply, an employee journey is the complete experience an individual has while they're employed at an organization, starting from the day they apply for the job until the day they leave. Such a journey includes every interaction they have with the organization, whether it's having a conversation with a manager, participating in a training session, or attending a team meeting. Think of it like a story that unfolds over time, each chapter representing a different part of the work life.

For example, consider Steve, who just got a job at a technology firm. His employee journey starts with applying for a job, getting an interview invitation, and having the interview. Then he has the second interview and receives the job offer, which moves Steve to the next stage — his first day of work, where he's welcomed by his colleagues and continues as he works on projects, receives feedback, and grows his skills. 

Over the years, Steve might get promoted, switch to different roles within the company, or take part in special programs. His journey captures all these experiences right up until his retirement party or the moment he leaves the company, capturing the entire arc of his career at the firm.

Benefits of employee journey mapping

Why is it essential to know the state of your employees’ journeys and improve them? Many smart companies all over the world are using a very effective idea. They treat their employees really well, just like they do with their customers. 

They've figured out that this is super important. In this paragraph, we'll explain why this is a big deal and how it can make companies much better in today's world.

Here are a few down-to-earth points as to why you should take employee experience seriously:

• Employee engagement means customer success. Did you know engaged employees are almost 90% less likely to leave their company compared to employees who have a low level of engagement? Leave alone the fact that engaged employees are a lot more productive.
• Employees come at a great cost . And it’s not just about money. Customers do not interact with CEOs. They interact with front-desk staff, customer support, sales, you name it. Mistakes of these people may seriously damage your company’s reputation. That alone is a good reason to start thinking about designing a better employee experience.
• Word of mouth. Finally, just like a great customer product, an outstanding employee experience gets spread by word of mouth. It becomes one of the ways you attract talented people to the company.
• Enhanced onboarding and retention. By understanding the employee journey, organizations can create a more structured and engaging onboarding process. This will help new hires become productive more quickly and feel a greater sense of belonging, which can reduce turnover rates.

Now that we’re on the same page regarding the importance of designing a better experience for employees at a company, it’s time to proceed to actionable to-dos.

Read also: Case study on improving the employee journey

Employee experience journey mapping

One of the proven approaches to analyzing, understanding, and enhancing the employee experience and employee journeys is a great technique called customer journey mapping.

Not familiar with this subject? Check out our complete guide on creating a customer journey map .

The idea behind this technique is fairly simple: you take the journey people take when interacting with your business and break it down into stages. The next step is to look at each stage from different angles to get a complete picture of what the experience of this particular person may look like. In other words, a map of your employee’s journey helps you see through the eyes of your customer or, in our case, through the eyes of employees. 

There’s another similar technique called employee experience mapping. These two techniques are often used interchangeably, but it should be noted that experience mapping takes a broader view. It goes beyond chronicling the stages an employee goes through, delving into the qualitative aspects of an employee's daily life within the organization, their experience with it. This encompasses, for example, the emotional experiences of employees at various touchpoints, like participating in daily team meetings, using the company’s tools and technologies, or during interactions with leadership.

What to map?

First, it’s important to decide which part of the employee experience journey you want to start with. At this point, there are a couple of routes you may take:

• High-level mapping. Obviously, it simply would take too much time to map the entire journey, as the employee lifecycle is way too long for one map. Unless you want to start with a high-level map and dive into details later as you dig more information. The downside of a high-level approach is that you won't get a lot out of it. The formula is fewer details = fewer insights.
• Focus on a specific part of the journey. It would be a whole lot easier to start with something like onboarding. The best part about onboarding is that if you are an HR, you have just enough knowledge to take the first steps.
• Identify the most problematic stage and start with it. However, it’s not that easy to tell which part is the most problematic without running research.

Employee journey stages

As we’ve touched the employee journey stages, let’s consider some of the common ones to give you an idea of what to include in your employee experience journey map.

• Attraction. This is the beginning of the journey, where potential employees first encounter the company brand or job opening. They form initial impressions about the company culture and values, and these impressions are often influenced by the company website, social media presence, and employer reviews.
• Recruitment. The potential employee actively considers the job opening and applies for a position. This stage may encompass submitting applications, attending interviews, and communicating with the company's hiring team.
• Hiring. This is when you make the job offer, and the candidate accepts it. 
• Onboarding. The new employee starts their job, they get oriented and integrated into the organization. They learn about company policies, may undergo training for their specific role, and start building relationships with the team and managers.
• Development. This stage involves the employee's growth within the organization. It includes receiving feedback, pursuing professional development opportunities, and potentially participating in mentoring or coaching programs.
• Advancement. This is when the employee moves up within the company hierarchy through promotions or transfers. 
• Exit. This is the final stage of the employee journey when the employee leaves the organization, whether for retirement, a new job, or other reasons. The exit process can include such substages as exit interviews, knowledge transfer, and the employee's transition out of the company.

Looking for more information about employee journey stages to add to your model of journey map? Check out our deck of cheat cards to look deeper into the stages and substages of employee journeys.

Three steps in designing an employee journey map

Now, we will cover the basic steps for creating a full-fledged, true-to-love employee journey map.

Start with employee experience research

Employee research, often referred to as employee surveys or employee feedback programs, is of paramount importance for organizations across various industries. 

It involves collecting, analyzing, and acting upon feedback from employees to gain insights into their experiences, attitudes, and needs within the workplace. Here are some key reasons why employee research is important:

• It enhances employee engagement. By understanding what engages or disengages employees, organizations can take targeted actions to boost engagement.
• It supports informed decision-making. Employee research provides quantifiable insights, allowing leaders to allocate resources more effectively and prioritize initiatives that matter most to employees.
• It helps measure progress. By conducting surveys periodically, organizations can track progress over time. They can see how their efforts to address employee concerns and improve the workplace have translated into tangible results.

In other words, employee research is a strategic tool that empowers organizations to create better workplaces, improve employee satisfaction, increase productivity, and drive overall success. It aligns the interests of employees and employers, contributing to a positive organizational culture and sustainable growth. 

So, you should always start with profound research. Otherwise, what exactly are we going to put on that map? And when it comes to interviewing employees, some really nice factors contribute to great research:

• Employees are easy to get in touch with, and such research is inexpensive compared to customer research. Imagine a situation where you have to bring a bunch of customers for a focus group or an interview. Each has a different time availability and level of involvement. Plus, chances are they might want to have something in return. Whereas, employees are almost always there and ready to share their thoughts over a cup of coffee.
• You have lots of data already. If you’ve been working in the company for a while, there’s probably enough information for you to start with employee journey mapping. And you can always talk to the HR department to get this information.
• Co-creation opportunities. There is nothing better than inviting coworkers for a journey mapping workshop . And again, it’s much easier within a company than when you’re trying to bring in real customers.

In addition to employee feedback and interviews, it may also be helpful to review internal audit reports to gain a better understanding of potential areas for improvement in the employee experience journey.

Surely, there will be a conflict of interests and ethics issues, so be ready to get creative!

Before doing any kind of research, make sure you come up with a list of sources. They can be:

• Employee feedback. If you are an HR, chances are you have a lot of info on hand that can be used for employee experience mapping.
• Interviews with employees. Trust me, they have so much to say, and chances are they wanted to say it years ago.
• Interviews with managers. They observe employees and are able to give you a whole different perspective on things.
• Polls and surveys. Those can give a lot of quantitative data. And the best part is that polls can be anonymous.

Produce an employee persona

To truly empathize with employees, it’s vital to create an employee persona. It is a made-up person that is based on real employees. It should have some basic description as well as some of the details you found during the research phase: goals, motivations and frustrations, some background, and maybe even skills.

Meet Michael, our example, a young finance professional in the heart of NYC. With a year's experience under his belt, he aspired to land a job in a prestigious firm. Living with his brother's family in their cozy apartment, he found solace in their company but yearned for his own space. His daily routine includes job hunting between work, and his mind is always set on reaching the top of the corporate ladder.

You can have one, two, or multiple personas depending on your needs. To create your own persona, here's our guide with examples of how to create a persona in 7 steps .

Map the employee experience journey

Now, after the research has been done and personas have been created, it’s time to put everything on a map. The way you map an employee experience journey is the following:

• Define the stages you need for your map

If we talk about the journey part that covers a new employee onboarding, there will be stages like awareness, research, first contact, phone screening, job interview, the hiring process, the first day, the list goes on. It is very likely that some stages will have multiple substages (especially the hiring process and job interview).

• Decide on map layers or sections

These are layers of data you want to have on your map. Some of the commonly used journey map layers include employee goals, employee expectations, emotional experience, process, channels, touchpoints, and problems.

For each stage you defined, fill in the map sections with data about this stage. For example, write down the goals of the employee persona as well as their expectations or describe the process the employee persona goes through at each stage.

Feel free to add anything that can benefit you in the search for employee experience insights. If you feel like adding some quotes from real employees — it's great. Want to add a photo of the workplace for a new employee? Go ahead! 

In fact, if you're mapping employee experience in our journey mapping tool , multiple sections will help you capture all the details you might want to have in your map!

• Find flaws and come up with solutions

Once you see the whole picture, you can start looking for roadblocks that prevent employees from, for example, getting the best onboarding experience.

Once you put roadblocks on the map, you can come up with ideas and solutions. In the end, you will have a map that looks somewhat like this:

What’s next?

Once the journey map has been created, it serves as a valuable foundation for a positive employee experience. To ensure that their experience continually improves and stays aligned with the evolving needs of your company, consider the following actions:

• Collect ongoing feedback. Encourage employees to provide feedback throughout their journey. This can be done through surveys, one-on-one discussions, or anonymous feedback channels. This feedback should be used to identify pain points and areas for improvement.
• Regularly update the map. As processes and procedures change within your organization, update the map accordingly. This ensures that it remains an accurate reflection of the journey and can guide improvements effectively.
• Implement quick wins. Identify low-hanging fruit or quick wins based on the map insights. These are small, immediate changes that can significantly improve the experience without requiring extensive resources or time.
• Prioritize key touchpoints. Focus on the most critical touchpoints in the journey that have the greatest impact on the employee experience. Allocate resources and efforts to improve these areas first.
• Involve cross-functional teams. Collaborate with HR, IT, training, and other departments to address issues and implement changes. A cross-functional approach ensures a holistic perspective and comprehensive solutions.
• Set clear objectives. Define specific goals and objectives for improving the employee experience. This provides a clear direction for change initiatives and helps measure their success.
• Training and development. Invest in training and development programs for managers and mentors involved in onboarding. Equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to support the company’s employees effectively.
• Leverage technology. Use technology to streamline and automate parts of the onboarding process. This can reduce administrative burdens and create a more seamless experience for new hires.
• Monitor progress. Continuously monitor the impact of changes on the employee experience. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should be tracked and analyzed to ensure that improvements are achieving the desired outcomes.
• Employee involvement. Involve new employees in the co-creation of their onboarding journey. Seek their input and preferences to tailor the process to individual needs.
• Celebrate successes. Acknowledge and celebrate successes and improvements at different stages of your employees’ journey. Positive reinforcement can motivate teams to keep making enhancements.
• Stay compliant. Ensure that the onboarding process remains compliant with all relevant laws and regulations. Regularly review and update documentation as needed.
• Communication and transparency. Maintain open and transparent communication with employees regarding changes in the onboarding process. Provide clear explanations and expectations to manage their experience effectively.

Remember, journey mapping is not a one-time activity; it should evolve alongside your company's growth and changing needs. By actively listening to employee feedback, making data-driven decisions, and continually refining the onboarding experience, your organization can create a positive and impactful journey for new employees from day one.

Wrapping up

Mapping the employee experience is undoubtedly a challenging undertaking, one that demands a significant amount of effort, time, and resources. However, the rewards that come with creating an exceptional workplace environment and a satisfied workforce are simply too compelling to ignore.

Good news: we have a library of free templates, including employee experience map templates, which you can use for high-level mapping. Either download a PDF file and print it out or create a map in our Journey Mapping Tool, tweak it as you like, and then export it to show all the insights you came up with! 

Related posts

Rate this post

Thanks for the map. It’s a great template to start with for my company’s employee journey.

You’re welcome, Chris! We also have templates for remote employee journey and an employee journey mapping whitepaper with expert advice. Be sure to check those out and happy mapping!

Thank you for these employee journey mapping examples. Our problem is not so much with onboarding but with keeping people from leaving after 6-8 months. Do you have any advice on how to improve retention in the long run?

Hi Tarik, you’re welcome! We do have some employee experience examples you could use for better retention, and a detailed breakdown of common stages people go after the probation period is over: annual performance evaluation, office events, paternity leave, skill upgrading, etc.

You can find them all in our filled-out template called “End-to-end employee journey map” right here: https://uxpressia.com/templates/education-and-career

8 Tips When Explaining Your Career Journey

If you’re an employee and have a career, chances are you’ve been asked to talk about working at your company. 

It’s important to be able to answer questions like: “What is it like to work here?” or “How do you measure success?”

It is vital to know some tips when explaining your career journey , and luckily for you, that is what this article is all about.

Article Road Map

Explaining Your Career Journey

Nothing feels better than getting your dream job. You stand a better chance of landing that job if you are good at explaining your career journey.

Stay tuned to get some tips below:

1. Start By Describing Your Past

You can’t start your career story with a blank slate, so starting with some context is important. 

Describe what you did before this job, where you worked, and your responsibilities at those jobs. 

Here are some questions to practice:

• What were some of the things that made up your life while working in one industry or another?
• How did they shape who you are today?
• What kind of experience do you have? 
• What are some of the things you learned from your past jobs? 
• In what ways has your career prepared you for this current job opportunity?

2. Move On To The Present

The second step is to explain the present. Why did you choose to do what you do now? What’s different about your career trajectory than others in similar positions? 

You can use stories and examples from your experience as well as examples from other successful people in the same field.

The best way to explain where you’re at right now is with pictures. 

You should use pictures that show how much progress has been made since graduation day (or even since high school). 

If possible, include some shots of yourself with friends or family members from when they were younger (or even if they don’t know much about photography yet). 

This will make it better for them to understand how far apart their lives have diverged over time and make it clear why something such as travel could be so important for both parties involved.

The third step is to explain the future. How will this trip change your life? What will you do in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? 

These questions are important because they help people understand why it’s vital for them to take a break from work and go on an adventure.

3. Describe What You Do Now And Why

When you’re explaining your career journey, it’s important to be clear about what you do now and why. 

This can be as straightforward as saying, “I’m a software engineer” or “I work in sales and marketing.” 

You should also describe the role that best describes your current position: Is it a full-time job? A part-time one? Or are you freelance or contract based?

Once this is clear, explain how this relates to the bigger picture at your company. 

For example: “My role helps us meet our revenue goals by creating products that sell well on Amazon.” 

This helps show both customers and potential employers how much value their product will bring them if they decide to buy it.

4. Cover Every Aspect Of Your Career, Not Just Your Duties Or Responsibilities

Ensure the story is complete when explaining your career path and how it led you to where you are now. 

• This means covering every aspect of your career: Education, 
• Qualifications and training; 
• Work experience; 
• Job history; 
• Interests outside of work or any other aspects of your life that are relevant to the discussion (e.g., hobbies).

5. Explain How You’re Different From Other People In Your Field

You must explain how you’re different from other people in your field. This is an important step because it will help set you apart from the competition. 

You want to offer examples of times when you’ve been able to overcome challenges and grow as a person.

It emphasizes that hard work and dedication are no limits to what can be accomplished.

6. State Challenging Moments And How They Helped You Grow As A Person And An Employee

Giving examples of times when you overcame challenges and how they helped you grow as a person and an employee is quite effective.

When talking about your career journey, it can be helpful to give examples of times when your skills or knowledge have been put to the test. 

This will help people understand how to apply those skills in their careers . 

It may also help them relate to what you’re saying because they might have faced similar challenges themselves in the past.

7. Explain The Job You Have Today And The Qualifications You Need To Be Successful In It

It is good to talk about how you got into the job you have today and the qualifications you needed to succeed.

Why did you choose this career? What were your reasons for choosing this role over others?

Can you describe your previous work experience, including the jobs and roles that led up to this one, and any skills or knowledge gained from those experiences?

If so, these should be listed on your resume under “Work Experience” or “Education.”

8. Share Examples Of Successes That Occurred During The Process Of Getting Where You Are Now

When explaining your career journey, it’s important to share examples of successes that occurred during the process of getting where you are now. It would be ideal in chronological order.

This will show how far you’ve come and how much progress you’ve made. It also demonstrates how much hard work goes into achieving success.

When sharing these examples with potential employers, be sure to explain how this experience has improved who you are as an employee and as a person. 

You can use these experiences to determine why they should hire or keep working with you.

You could also use them because they’re interesting stories from someone who knows firsthand what it’s like being part of a team at work.

1. How Would You Describe Your Career Journey?

Focus on the big accomplishments, the things you’re most proud of, the notable promotions, and the steps that got you to where you are today.

2. How Do You Describe A Journey?

A journey involves traveling from one destination to another, usually taking a long period.

3. What Are The Eight Career Success Standards?

These expectations and competencies are known as Career Success Standards (CSS). They include Workplace Relationships and Ethics, Interpersonal Skills, Multicultural Awareness, Personal Growth and Development, Information Management, Communications, Independent Living, and Career and Personal Planning.

4. How Do You Write A Journey Paragraph?

Train travel paragraph in 200 words:

Traveling by train is the most exciting and pleasant experience of my life. I remember when I was traveling to Bangalore with my friends.

My friends added to my excitement. We were seven friends traveling together and had the most fun in those 24 hours.

5. What Are The Bases Of Your Career Journey?

It is based on a self-assessment of your skills, interests, hobbies, values ​​, and passions.

A personal career path can lay the foundation for your career without being limited to a single organization.

6. What Is A Good Sentence For A Journey?

He set out on a lonely journey. He went on a journey a few days ago and made a journey around the world. 

7. What Are The Four Types Of The Journey?

There are four major types of journey maps that you can design to understand various scenarios your customer may encounter: Current state, Future state, Day in the Life, and Service Blueprint. 

8. What Makes A Journey Meaningful?

What is Meaningful Travel? To us, meaningful travel is when travel enriches your life in some way. That could be done by focusing on improving your life by discovering and learning new things about the world and yourself.

9. What Is Your Career Journey?

A career trajectory is a path an individual follows throughout their working life.

10. How Is A Journey Like Life?

Life is a journey with vital lessons and hardships, highs and lows, heartaches and joy. 

In the end, we hope you’ve found some useful tips on explaining your career journey. 

We also hope you’re feeling inspired to share your career story with us, and if so, please do.

We always love hearing from readers who have stories about their journeys and the effort they put in to get to the point they are today.

Related posts:

• Complete Guide To Handling A Business Lawsuit
• How To Choose The Right Career
• What To Do After Your College For A Job Placement
• What Motivates You?

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Employee journey mapping: everything you need to know

The experience that your employees have in your organization has a direct impact on your business. The better the experience that you offer at each touchpoint in the employee journey, the more likely they are to become happy, engaged and productive members of your team. And given the recent shift in employee expectations and the increasing demand for improved working environments, the employee experience has never been so important. In fact, according to a 2021 report by Isolved, 92% of HR leaders said that employee experience is now a top priority for them .

The first step in improving your employee experience is understanding the entire employee lifecycle. And this is where employee journey mapping becomes a vital resource to have in your HR toolbelt. An employee journey map can help you better understand the experience your workforce has at each stage of their time at your company. That way, you can identify what you need to improve in order to offer the best possible experience. This, in turn, will help you attract and retain loyal, engaged and productive talent in your business.

Table of Contents

What is the employee journey?  

The employee journey, also known as the employee lifecycle , covers every touchpoint that an employee has with your company . The journey begins when a candidate applies for a position with your company and ends when an employee leaves their job. The primary stages of the journey relate to attraction, recruitment, onboarding, retention, development and separation.  

Notable experiences within the earlier stages of the employee journey include an employee’s first job interview, their first day at work, and their first performance review. When an employee has a good experience at each of these initial touchpoints, it sets them up to have a positive overall experience at your company. And this is the first step in making a good impression so that a new employee is motivated to become an engaged and productive member of your workforce. 

What is employee journey mapping?  

Employee journey mapping is the process of creating a defined timeline that covers each stage of the employee lifecycle. The aim is to identify the ‘ moments that matter ’ for employees so that you can improve each touchpoint and offer the best possible employee experience. That way, you can build an engaged, loyal and productive workforce.

The most important aspect to consider when you map your employee journey is the perspectives of employees at each stage of their lifecycle. 

How many applicants accept your invites to interviews? What percentage of candidates accept your job offers? How do new employees feel about your onboarding processes? Do employees feel they are being offered enough training and development opportunities? Do they get valuable feedback from their performance reviews? What are your retention levels like?

In terms of separation, at which stage of the employee journey do leavers tend to become disengaged? Why do employees leave your company? What would they improve about your employee experience? Are they happy with your organization’s management style?

You can find answers to these questions by collecting feedback at each touchpoint of the journey . For example, during onboarding and performance reviews, by sharing employee satisfaction and engagement surveys, and by conducting exit interviews. You can also find valuable feedback from sites like Glassdoor where ex-employees are more likely to be honest about their experience with you and what they would change.

What are the benefits of employee journey mapping? 

There are a number of reasons why it’s important to map the employee journey:

• The biggest benefit is that it provides you with a visual representation of the employee lifecycle that helps you understand how your staff experience every interaction they have with your organization. This provides you with the insights you need in order to improve each touchpoint in your model so that you can offer the best possible experience to employees. And this is vital because the better the experience that employees have with you, the more likely they are to remain at your company and become productive and engaged members of staff .
• By gathering the right employee feedback at every stage of their lifecycle you can identify at which points employees feel engaged and disengaged . In other words, you can determine what you’re doing well, and what you need to improve in terms of your internal processes. You can also collect valuable information to help you define the experience that you can offer, helping you create job descriptions that give candidates a clear understanding of what their role involves . 
• The feedback you collect from employee satisfaction surveys and performance reviews can help you design learning and development strategies that encourage your employees to build on their skills and realize their full potential.
• Above all, by implementing measures to improve your overall experience, you can improve your reputation as an employer and attract the talent you need to build a loyal and driven workforce . 

What steps are included in the employee journey?

There are numerous stages in the employee journey. Generally speaking, though, they can be broken down into 6 specific phases. These are attraction, recruitment, onboarding, retention, development, and separation.

It’s important to understand what employees expect at each of these stages. That way, you can balance their expectations with those of your organization.

We are now going to look at each of these 6 phases. For each stage of the journey, think about the experience that your employees have, what they might be feeling, and whether there are any potential barriers that you need to address. 

This is the first stage of your employee journey, and it is where potential applicants are first exposed to your employer brand . This is a vital stage because if a candidate’s first impression of your organization is negative then they are unlikely to accept a job offer from you.

Think about the following:

Where do you advertise your job openings? How can candidates apply for positions? Do you communicate directly with all applicants? Do you promote the value you have to offer as an employer?

Overall, though, the best way to improve this initial stage of the employee journey is to focus on building your brand and reputation. Think about what you have to offer potential applicants and whether your EVP is strong enough to attract candidates with a genuine interest in working at your company.

Recruitment

The next stage of the employee journey is recruitment. This is when an employee passes from applicant to employee, and the experience they have at this stage has a big impact on the opinion they form of you as an employer .

The best way to improve this touchpoint is to use the right tools to streamline your recruitment processes so that you can focus more on building positive experiences. It’s also important to create clear and informative job descriptions so that applicants understand their roles and your expectations. 

Here are a few tips to consider:

• Be specific about the skills and abilities you are looking for so that nobody wastes their time.
• Involve your existing employees. Encourage them to refer potential candidates and to share opinions on the skills new team members should possess. Ask managers to sit in on interviews.
• Offer attractive benefits and compensation to keep you competitive as an employer and help you attract top talent.  

Once you have hired a new employee, the next stage in their employee journey is onboarding and orientation. This is where you give employees more information about their roles and responsibilities. This is also where you share all the tools and resources they will need to perform their duties. Plus, you should be giving new hires the opportunity to ask important questions at this stage. All this will help employees understand how to blend into your company culture.

During this stage, make sure you share enough information so that new hires understand your goals, attitudes, and values as a company . You want them to understand the role they will play in helping to build your organization. Check out this onboarding checklist for more information about this stage of the employee lifecycle.

Here are some tips to help you make this stage a positive experience:

• Make employees feel welcome and provide them with as much information as possible.
• Be as clear as possible about your expectations .
• Provide as much training as possible.
• Conduct regular check-ins  to see how new employees are settling in and if they are integrating well with the team.

Once you’ve got your new hires settled in and ramped up, you need to make sure they are happy enough to stay at your organization. This is a vital stage of the employee journey because if your employees are not satisfied and decide to leave, then the time and money you invested in sourcing, hiring and onboarding them will be wasted.

Essentially, this is all about doing what you can to provide a working environment where your employees are happy and motivated.

There are a few strategies you should implement to improve your chances of nurturing happy employees:

• Focus on building relationships with your employees.
• Foster a culture of respect and transparency .
• Promote open lines of communication amongst all team members. 
• Seek out employee feedback and measure team morale frequently.
• Understand what motivates each of your employees.
• Implement a rewards and recognition program to keep your employees motivated.
• Build a nurturing and supportive culture that promotes employee satisfaction and engagement.

Development

Another vital touchpoint in the employee journey that will help you retain employees is offering opportunities for them to develop their skills . It’s important to make your employees feel valued and challenged and that they have a clear career path in your organization. That way, they won’t be tempted to seek opportunities for professional development elsewhere.

Here are a few tips to help you improve this stage of the journey:

• Meet with employees regularly to discuss their goals .
• Regularly assess the knowledge and skills of all your employees.
• Provide regular training opportunities .
• Encourage external learning and reward employees who learn in their own time.
• Get your managers to work with employees directly to help them prioritize the areas that require further development. 
• Encourage your team members to be responsible for their own development .

The final stage of the employee life cycle is separation, also known as offboarding. This is what happens when an employee leaves your company. This might be due to retirement, new employment, or personal reasons. It also includes employees who you lay off . 

Whatever the reason for leaving, it’s important to provide a positive experience at this final stage. Aside from anything else, when a team member leaves, it has an effect on your other employees. And this can impact your overall employee journey.

• If an employee resigns, conduct an exit interview with them so that you can understand why they are leaving. Ask for open and honest feedback . Is there anything that you could have done to improve their experience with working with you?  
• If you fire an employee, make sure you do it the right way . This includes following an established dismissal process, giving enough notice, and providing them with a clear and concise termination letter .

Best practices for creating an employee journey map

Now that we’ve discussed the various stages of the employee lifecycle, let’s finish by taking a look at a few best practices for creating an effective employee journey map. 

Above all, though, the best way to improve your employee journey is to engage with your employees at every touchpoint of their time with you so that you can better understand their needs and provide them with the best possible experience.

Segment your employees and create employee personas

Most companies will have a variety of different employee personas . These will depend on roles, departments, and level of seniority, among other factors. It’s important to keep this in mind when you begin the process of employee journey mapping, as the experience an executive has at your company is likely to be very different to the experience of an intern, for example. To the same effect, a finance administrator is likely to have a very different experience than an external sales rep. Make sure you take into account each and every individual experience at your company. 

Start by identifying your employee segments . Once you’ve done that, create a typical employee persona for each segment. Make sure you consider all the interactions each persona has with your organization. Are there any processes that might frustrate them currently? Are there any barriers preventing them from having a positive journey in your company? In terms of employee feedback, are there any specific departments where employees consistently report a lack of engagement or satisfaction?

Identify touchpoints that matter in the employee journey

When you create your map, make sure you identify all the moments that matter . In other words, the touchpoints that employees are most likely to remember when they leave your company. These usually include a candidate’s first interview with you, a new employee’s first day, and their onboarding experience. Memorable experiences also include performance reviews and any support they get for their professional development.

Did onboarding go smoothly? Did they receive regular communication from you? Are you providing enough information for employees to blend seamlessly into their new roles? 

The more memorable touchpoints you include in your map, and the more you focus on the employee experience at these touchpoints, the more complete your visual representation of their journey will be.

Create metrics for tracking your employee journey

Once you have created your employee journey map, you need to implement a strategy for measuring and monitoring each stage of the journey .

Make sure you define clear KPIs and objectives for each stage of your employee journey.  Obvious indicators include retention and turnover, but you should try to include goals that specifically target the employee experience. For example, you could set goals for improving your onboarding process, the channels you use for collecting employee feedback, or the training initiatives you offer employees. You could also implement regular pulse surveys to understand the experience your employees have at each stage of their journey. Any metrics related to onboarding, wellness and engagement are essential for understanding the employee experience.

Use the right tools to manage and collect employee feedback

The best way to ensure you offer the best employee experience is to use the right tools and software. The software you use should support you at each stage of the employee life cycle . Firstly, you need effective recruitment and onboarding software and an integrated employee portal. Secondly, you need tools to help you keep track of employee performance and support your L&D programs. Thirdly, you need tools for employee recognition, as this has a huge impact on building a positive, nurturing culture. Finally, you also need a platform to conduct employee surveys and appraisals so that you have access to honest and transparent feedback at each stage of the employee life cycle.

Factorial’s all-in-one solution supports you at each stage of the employee life cycle, including attracting, recruiting, engaging, retaining, and developing employees. Streamlining and automating all your HR processes with Factorial has a huge impact on improving the employee journey.

Focus on continuous improvement

Your employee journey map should be an ongoing process . That means you need to monitor your employee experience regularly and update your map periodically. Send out regular employee surveys to keep your finger on the pulse of how your employees feel. When you identify problem areas, implement measures to improve them. 

Most importantly, make sure you are as objective as possible when you create your map. Don’t design the journey you want employees to have – create the journey they actually have. This means listening to what your employees have to say by collecting feedback at each stage of the employee lifecycle. After all, the best people to describe your employee journey are your employees themselves. They are your most important asset when it comes to designing a journey map that improves your employee experience.

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Answers To Describe What You’re Most Excited About At Work

June 26, 2023 by Hannah Morgan

“Describe what you’re most excited about at work” is a unique interview question that many candidates aren’t prepared for. While it might not seem hard to answer from afar, it’s deceptively tricky to deal with on the spot.

This guide will teach you how to come up with an impressive response that makes the interviewer eager to learn more about you.

Table of contents

The reasons interviewers ask this question, how to answer, “describe what you’re most excited about at work”, common mistakes when answering, example answers.

Describing what you’re excited about at work helps hiring managers determine your suitability for the position you’re interviewing for. The question seems simple at face value, but it unveils more about who you are as an employee than most realize.

This question comes down to job satisfaction and understanding what factors go into creating a positive work experience for you.

But why does that matter?

Ultimately, employers want to bring people into the company who will be naturally motivated to perform. They don’t want people who are only there for a paycheck, or worse, people who are miserable doing the job they’re hired to do. If you’re excited to come to work every day, there’s a better chance that you’ll give great effort and will stick around for much longer than if you didn’t.

Hiring a new employee is a big investment. If hiring managers have even an inkling that this position is only temporary or not a good fit for your needs, they are more likely to pass in favor of a candidate who will enjoy their time at the company. They want to invest in employees who are enthusiastic about the job and company!

Asking you to describe what you’re excited about at work helps them understand the workplace situations you enjoy and what helps you reach a high level of professional fulfillment and performance. It can also shed light on what motivates you to succeed and how you’ll fit into the work environment , company culture, and more.

There are many layers to this question, but it ultimately gives interviewers an easier way to assess how easily you’ll fit into the role while being happy and successful.

There are many ways to approach answering this question. It’s open-ended by design, giving you the freedom to unveil the information interviewers are after in a less structured way.

So how do you deliver a knockout response that works in your favor? Here are a few tips to follow.

1. Do a Little Brainstorming

The first thing you should do is think about what makes you feel fulfilled in a job. Professional satisfaction is wholly subjective. There’s no right or wrong answer, and what motivates you may not be what motivates someone else.

The key to describing what excites you at work is to fully understand what makes you happy in a role. There are many great examples. For instance, it could be a healthy work environment that fosters collaboration and teamwork.

Alternatively, it could be having a solid work/life balance, gaining opportunities to continue developing your career, employee-sponsored benefits, or the chance to advance within the company. Those are concrete examples that many people talk about when answering this question.

Think about what matters most to you. You can even reflect on past jobs to determine what you like and don’t like. The important thing is to reflect on the things that make you leave work feeling content and accomplished.

Answering this question is not about the specific aspects of the position. You can certainly talk about certain elements of the job, such as the ability to help people or getting opportunities to work as part of a team. However, your answer should focus on what brings you the most joy.

Ideally, you’ll already know what the position entails. This question revolves around workplace satisfaction and motivation. Think beyond the day-to-day and focus on what excites you most about your work and career.

2. Find Connections Between What Excites You at Work & the Job You Want

Here’s where you need to study the job description and do your research.

While this question focuses on your satisfaction and happiness, it’s still a job interview! You still need to impress hiring managers and deliver a great answer. The best way to do that is to draw connections to the position you’re interviewing for, showing that this is a job you’ll love to do.

Examine the job description and do a deep dive to learn as much as possible about the job. You can look up similar job postings, research the company itself, and reach out to people currently working at the organization. Learn as much as you can to get a complete picture of what you can expect working there. Then, find ways to tie what excites you, to the job you want. Think about what initially attracted you to this position and connect the dots. You may even learn more about what’s truly important to you.

Maybe this job gives you plenty of opportunities to contribute to large projects that boost the bottom line. Or perhaps it comes with the amazing opportunity to work with other high-performers who keep you motivated to succeed as much as possible.

Whatever the case, bring it up! Connect the dots for the interview and show them why this job is for you.

3. Keep Your Answer Brief

Open-ended questions can run long. There’s no hyper-focused response that will deliver the information interviewers need. As a result, many candidates find themselves rambling!

Resist the urge to give a drawn-out answer. Ideally, you should be able to discuss what excites you most about work in two minutes or less.

Keep it short and sweet. Eliminate superfluous details and cut to the chase.

This question often leads to follow-ups from the interviewer. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it could mean that you provided a compelling answer that warrants more information.

It’s better to leave room for follow-up questions than to run long. Get to the core of your response, and if the interviewer wants to learn more, they’ll ask.

4. Practice

Always practice your answer before you head to your interview. This isn’t a question you want to think up on the spot. It’s multi-layered and more important than simpler questions.

It deserves great thought and preparation.

Take time to develop a solid response and practice delivering it in a few ways. But you shouldn’t have a canned response that you recite verbatim. Doing that comes off as inauthentic.

Instead, know what points you want to hit when giving your answer. You can create a list of things you want to say and memorize them. Then, get comfortable talking about what excites you in a natural way.

Confidence is key here. Practice enough so that you avoid stuttering or creating long pauses. You should respond with conviction to show that you’ve thought about this question and the job.

Now that you know how to answer this question successfully, let’s talk about a few common mistakes that applicants make. Open-ended questions like this have plenty of room for error. Avoid these faux pas to ensure that your answer works in your favor.

Unprofessional Responses

This question is strictly about what excites you at work. Talking about personal matters will make you come off as unprofessional.

We’re talking about answers like:

“The thing that excites me most is clocking out at the end of the day. That keeps me motivated.”

That answer, and anything related to it, will do nothing but hurt you. It’s a huge red flag. You should also refrain from talking about your personal life. Stick to professional excitement!

Monetary Motivations

Another thing to avoid is talking too much about money. It’s fine to bring up benefits and other things the company does to reward hard workers, but focusing your answer solely on money will come off the wrong way.

This can send a signal that you’re only there to get paid. That’s not what employers want to hear. They prefer it when candidates get real satisfaction out of their job.

Unsure Answers

Finally, avoid the answers like:

“I’m not really sure. I don’t get excited at work. I just show up, do what I’m supposed to do, and go home.”

You need to have something you’re excited about! An answer like the one above doesn’t provide any information about how you fit into the company or your ability to find happiness in the role. Plus, it comes off as ill-prepared.

There are plenty of great ways to answer this question. And while your response should be unique to your true motivations, we have a few samples to serve as inspiration and get you started.

In our first example, we have a candidate who loves working with others. This response is a knockout because it checks off all the boxes. The candidate explains why they are excited about collaborating with colleagues and how this job can fulfill their wishes.

“The thing that gets me most excited at work is the chance to collaborate as part of a team. There’s something special about working with others towards a big common goal. It’s great to see that my work contributes to the growth of the company. Collaborating with others is something I enjoy. It makes my day and provides genuine satisfaction. Seeing the finished product always makes me feel proud. I know that collaboration is a big deal here at [COMPANY], and I’m excited to become part of this type of team.”

Next up, we have a candidate with a more unusual response. But despite its unorthodox nature, it works perfectly for the administrative job they’re trying to land. It’s easy to connect this answer to the job, proving to hiring managers that they will get satisfaction from the role.

“This may sound odd, but staying organized and helping others accomplish their work is something that excites me. I’ve worked administrative jobs for the last several years, and I enjoy staying organized. From keeping the office uncluttered to lending a hand to others in their projects, I feel fulfilled after a long day. I find joy in helping an office run smoothly. While my work doesn’t directly impact the bottom line, I know that doing a good job keeps the office productive. It’s my indirect way of contributing to the success of the company, and that’s why I believe that this is a role I can truly succeed in.”

Finally, we have a candidate who enjoys the prospect of a challenge. They’re interviewing for a complex role that involves substantial problem-solving. So, they use this question as an opportunity to prove to hiring managers that they have what it takes to not only succeed but thrive.

“I’ve found over the last several years that the thing that brings me the most excitement at work is the ability to challenge myself. I’ve worked a few positions that had little variation in the day-to-day routine. I thrive in environments where I have to think creatively. I see it as a chance to push myself and further my professional development. While others dread challenges, I embrace them and revel in the opportunity to adapt and overcome any situation. That’s one of the reasons why I was so drawn to this position. From what I’ve learned, this job keeps people on their toes! I’m excited to push myself, try new approaches, and find solutions that drive progress.”

It takes a little brainstorming to describe what you’re most excited about at work in a way that impresses your interviewer. But once you’ve developed a response you’re happy with, you’ll be amazed at the feedback you’ll receive.

Do some soul-searching, connect your excitement to the job you want, and practice. 

Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including  Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success .

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7 Meaningful Answers to "What are Your Career Aspirations?" in an Interview

Learn the best approaches to answer interview questions about your career aspirations. We provide example answers and explain what makes them meaningful.

Together Team

Published on 

August 9, 2023

Updated on 

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“What are your career aspirations?”

This has to be one of the most commonly asked questions in interviews besides the standard questions about the candidate’s professional background, skills, and experience.

"Career aspirations" refer to an individual's long-term professional goals and ambitions, encompassing the desired achievements and personal growth they seek throughout their journey.

Interviewers inquire about your professional aspirations to gain insights into your long-term motivations, passion, and alignment with the company's vision, helping them assess if your goals and the organization's objectives are in sync. 

The key to providing meaningful answers is to be genuine and demonstrate a clear connection between your career aspirations and the value you can bring to the organization. Tailor your responses to the specific job and company, and let your passion for personal and professional growth shine through.

7 examples of answers about career aspirations

When asked about your career aspirations, a meaningful answer that goes beyond personal growth will help you differentiate yourself from other interviewees. Here are seven meaningful answers that can make a lasting impression on interviewers:

1. Pursuing continuous learning and skill development 

Example: "My career aspirations are centered around constant growth and skill enhancement. I am committed to staying updated with the latest trends and technologies in the industry. In the coming year, I plan to pursue specialized certifications and attend industry conferences to learn from experts . By continuously improving my skills, I aim to bring innovative strategies to the table and contribute to the company's success in reaching new audiences."

While the above example is a generalized statement on continuous learning , you can improve it by naming specific skills and certifications that you mean to acquire.

2. Making a positive impact on society and the environment

Example: "Beyond personal career goals, I am passionate about creating a positive impact on society and the environment through my work. I aspire to work for a company with a strong commitment to sustainability. I envision aligning my career with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and actively participating in corporate social responsibility initiatives. I find immense fulfillment in contributing to a greener and more sustainable future, and I believe that my dedication to these causes will resonate with the organization's values and mission."

The above answer will help you showcase your interest in contributing to a larger purpose by making a difference in the world. Make it your own by discussing any volunteer work you are involved in to emphasize your commitment to meaningful impact.

3. Becoming a thought leader and influencer in the industry

Example: "My ultimate career aspiration is to become a thought leader and influencer in my field. I plan to publish research papers, contribute to open-source projects, and participate in conferences to share my knowledge. Additionally, I aspire to become an active member of industry forums and engage in public speaking opportunities to promote advancements in the industry. By becoming a recognized authority, I can position the company as a leader in our space."

Turn the above example into a highly specific answer by mentioning your area of expertise and your topic of research. Give examples of other thought leaders in your industry and how they helped establish their organizations as leaders in their space.

4. Embracing leadership opportunities

Example: "As a seasoned manager, my career aspiration is to take on more significant leadership roles and contribute to the growth of the organization's talent. I envision leading cross-functional teams, fostering a collaborative work culture, and mentoring emerging managers . A company can grow and succeed faster when the more experienced members of the team empower and guide others."

Communicate your interest in taking on leadership roles and guiding others to success. Make the above example your own by discussing your leadership style and how you plan to inspire and motivate team members.

5. Driving innovation and advancement within the company 

Example: "Innovation drives me, and I am passionate about leveraging technology to push the boundaries of what's possible. My career aspiration is to lead the research and development team, where I can spearhead new product ideas and create groundbreaking solutions. I envision fostering an innovation-focused culture within the organization, where employees are encouraged to experiment and think outside the box. By introducing disruptive products to the market, we can elevate the company's position and stay ahead of the competition."

To be more specific with the answer, talk about your ideas for improving processes or developing new products or services for the company.

6. Cultivating a diverse and inclusive work environment 

Example: "My biggest career aspiration revolves around creating an inclusive and diverse work environment. I envision implementing diversity training programs, establishing mentorship opportunities for underrepresented groups, and ensuring that all employees feel valued and respected. By fostering a workplace that celebrates differences, we can boost employee morale, creativity, and ultimately contribute to the company's overall success."

In your answer, discuss strategies for promoting inclusivity and building a diverse team. Emphasize the positive impact of diversity on organizational performance and innovation.

7. Becoming a mentor and guiding others to success

Example: "One of my most significant career aspirations is to take on a mentorship role within the organization. Throughout my career journey, I have benefited greatly from the guidance and support of mentors who have helped me develop both professionally and personally. I aspire to pay it forward by becoming a mentor to junior colleagues and assisting them in their career growth. By sharing my knowledge, experiences, and lessons learned, I hope to inspire and empower others to reach their full potential and contribute to a more dynamic and skilled workforce within the company."

Mentorship can have a profound impact on individual development and team cohesion. By showcasing your willingness to mentor and uplift others, you demonstrate not only a commitment to your own growth but also a dedication to fostering a supportive and collaborative work culture within the organization.

How to answer questions on career aspirations during an interview

When answering the question about career aspirations, demonstrate your alignment with the company's values and showcase your enthusiasm for personal and organizational growth. To ace this critical aspect of the interview, consider the following tips:

Read about the company’s vision and mission, and the job role

When asked about your career aspirations, connect your goals with the company's mission. Search the company's website and annual reports to understand their core values and long-term objectives. Read the job description carefully, because it will also have details about how the role you are interviewing for contributes to the overall picture. 

You will be able to give better answers if you know what the company stands for and how you will potentially fit in and add value. For instance, instead of saying, "I want to improve my leadership skills," say, "I aspire to become a leader who can drive the organization towards achieving its mission of sustainable environmental practices."

Speak with a “We” mindset

Avoid phrases that focus solely on personal gain. Most employers look for a team-oriented and collaborative mindset in their employees. By focusing on how you can contribute to the collective success of the organization and its goals, you will show the interviewers that you are a team player.

Instead of saying, "I want to be making $150,000 in two years," say that "I aim to contribute to the success of the team by utilizing my skills to achieve higher growth."

Be specific and realistic about your goals

Instead of providing vague statements like, "I want to be successful," be specific about your aspirations, such as "I aspire to take on a managerial role within the next three years, leading cross-functional teams and driving innovative projects."

Being specific and realistic about your goals during an interview shows that you have a clear understanding of your career path and have thoughtfully considered your aspirations. It also indicates that you are pragmatic and grounded, making you a more credible candidate who can set achievable targets and work diligently towards them, increasing your chances of being seen as a reliable and valuable asset to the organization.

Show enthusiasm and passion for your career path

Demonstrate your excitement for your chosen career path by saying, "I am genuinely passionate about (let’s say) marketing, and I look forward to creating impactful campaigns that can connect with customers on a deeper level and drive brand loyalty."

Employers value candidates who are enthusiastic about their work as they are more likely to be motivated, proactive, and willing to go the extra mile to excel in their role.

Common pitfalls to avoid when answering questions about career aspirations

By effectively communicating your career aspirations during an interview, you can leave a lasting impression on potential employers. However, candidates should steer clear of the following two common pitfalls:

1. Using cliches and vague responses

Using cliches and providing vague responses can make your answer sound insincere and lacking in authenticity. Vague statements like "I want to make a difference" or "I want to be successful" don't provide meaningful insights into your actual goals and may come across as generic.

Instead of saying, "I want to be a leader who inspires others," be more specific by saying, "My career aspiration is to become a compassionate and influential team leader, empowering my team members to achieve their goals and foster a collaborative work environment."

2. Being too modest or self-deprecating

While it's essential to strike a balance between confidence and humility, being overly modest or self-deprecating may undermine your credibility and hinder your chances of making a strong impression. It's crucial to showcase your strengths and aspirations with conviction without sounding arrogant.

Instead of downplaying your accomplishments with statements like, "I was just lucky to receive that award," own your achievements and say, "I am proud of the hard work and dedication that led to receiving the award, and it motivates me to continue striving for excellence in my career."

Strike the right balance between authentic and impressive 

When answering questions about your career aspirations, honesty in your responses is essential, as it reflects your genuine motivations and long-term goals.

Strike a balance between authenticity and alignment, and let your enthusiasm for your career path shine through. By articulating your aspirations with clarity and conviction, you present yourself as a proactive and dedicated candidate, poised to make a significant impact within the organization. Your ability to combine honesty and alignment is the key to leaving a strong impression and increasing your chances of securing the opportunity that aligns perfectly with your career aspirations.

Want to grow in your career and achieve your career aspirations? Learn from those who have walked the path before you. Find mentors that will teach you how to navigate the ups and downs of your career and make the right moves to achieve your goals.

Dive deeper into the topic in our mentees guide

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110 Words to Describe Company Culture: The Good, Bad, and Indifferent

Think of the last time you recounted your work life. What were the words you used?  When chatting about work, we use certain words to paint a picture of what it’s like. The words we use to describe a company, department, or team invoke a feeling in the listener of our daily experiences of how people behave, their attitudes, and how work gets done. Not necessarily knowingly, these conversations describe the culture of our workplace.

Taking a step back and evaluating how you describe your work environment , are the words positive, negative, or neutral? How do you think your team members would describe the culture to others? To gain insight from your team, use the lists of words to describe the work environment below and see which of these words they use to describe the team culture and what words they would like to be able to use in the future. Their input can expose what’s working well in the team’s culture and where improvements need to be made. But first, let's start with a definition of company culture to clear up any confusion on the topic.

• What is company culture?
• Positive company culture words

Negative words to describe company culture

Neutral words to describe company culture.

• Understanding culture in the workplace

What is Company Culture?

Company culture is how employees work together to get things done. It’s the totality of the behaviors and attitudes of employees and can be witnessed in the way they think, act, and interact with each other.

110 Words to Describe Work Culture

Every company has its own unique business culture, whether intentionally crafted or not. Unfortunately, when a work culture is left to form organically, harmful or undesirable behaviors can become the norm.

Being intentional about your company culture starts with understanding where you are today. Use this list of 110 words to describe work culture to get insight into how individuals would describe the current company culture to others.

When positive company culture words, such as those listed below, are used to describe a team's culture or the culture across an entire organization, the impact can be far-reaching. If these are words used, you may experience the benefits of great workplace culture, such as reduced turnover, increased productivity, enhanced job satisfaction and engagement, and reduced absenteeism.

words to describe Positive company culture

• Accountable
• Achievement
• Adventurous
• Appreciative
• Change leader
• Collaborate
• Compassionate
• Customer-focused
• Cutting-edge
• Encouraging
• Entrepreneurial
• Feedback rich
• People-focused
• Progressive
• Recognition
• Results-driven
• Stimulating
• Transparent

If the words you or your team use to describe the current culture fall within the list below, let this act as the impetus for a culture change. These words can help you pinpoint why the current culture is the way it is today, what needs to change, and what behaviors need to be eliminated. While it may not be easy to hear the negative aspects of your current culture, change can only happen once a problem is recognized. 

• Antagonistic
• Bureaucratic
• Controlling
• Destructive
• Disrespectful
• Machiavellian
• Micromanaged
• Power-hungry
• Restrictive
• Unapproachable
• Unsupportive

The Indifferent

Depending on the industry and the nature of work, the words below may be positive or negative. Your interpretation of whether these words are positive, negative, or neutral regarding your team culture will be up to you.

• Competitive
• Established
• Hierarchical
• Predictable
• Risk-Averse
• Traditional

Next Steps: Understanding Culture in the Workplace

To round out what you've learned from your team, you'll want to get insight into how current and former employees describe their experiences and the cultures they work within is Glassdoor. There is no more humbling experience than a Glassdoor review. These reviews and the words used are packed with such good insight that MIT Sloane Management Review, CultureX, and Glassdoor partnered to “conduct a rigorous large-scale research project to measure corporate culture in top companies, using a data set of 1.4 million employee reviews from Glassdoor. Over a three-year period, the Culture 500 research team developed an AI-powered system for measuring culture using natural language processing to analyze text responses from actual employees.”  Now you won’t necessarily be able to run the large-scale analysis the team at Culture 500 did to evaluate your culture; you can, however, review your Glassdoor reviews for common themes and pair that information with what you learned from your team to understand where you are today and where you want to go. To help you, The team at the Niagara Institute created The Toolkit for Understanding Your Team Culture to start your journey. Within it, you will find:

• Work Team Culture Assessment : A quick diagnosis tool to understand which of the four types of work culture is most dominant for your team.
• Employee Questions About Culture : A series of questions for leaders to ask their team to get a pulse on the team’s culture. As a bonus, a step-by-step guide to creating your culture survey using Google Forms is included.
• 110 Words to Describe Culture : As found in this post, a sharable, one-page document that teams can use to describe their current and desired culture.
• The Ace Method Worksheet for Shaping Your Team Culture : An editable worksheet for leaders and their teams to intentionally set the behaviors they need to create the right culture.

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Describing Journey: Adjectives with Examples

Are you ready to embark on a journey through the world of adjectives? Join me as we explore the power of words and delve into the realm of describing words for journeys. From the thrilling to the serene, the mundane to the extraordinary, adjectives have the ability to paint vivid pictures and evoke emotions. In this article, I’ll introduce you to a variety of adjectives that will help you bring your travel experiences to life. So, strap in and get ready to discover the perfect words to describe your next adventure.

As we navigate the vast landscape of adjectives, we’ll uncover words that capture the essence of different types of journeys. Whether you’re embarking on a wild expedition through untamed wilderness or embarking on a soul-searching pilgrimage, the right adjectives can transport your readers to the heart of the experience. From the breathtaking vistas of a mountain trek to the bustling streets of a vibrant city, we’ll explore how adjectives can add depth and richness to your travel narratives. So, let’s dive in and uncover the descriptive gems that will elevate your storytelling to new heights.

Journeys are more than just physical travels; they are transformative experiences that shape our lives. And with the right adjectives, we can convey the essence of these journeys and take our readers along for the ride. In this article, I’ll share examples and insights into the world of adjectives for journeys, helping you find the perfect words to describe the sights, sounds, and emotions that accompany every step of the way. So, let’s embark on this linguistic adventure together and unlock the power of descriptive words for journeys.

Table of Contents

How to Describe journey? – Different Scenarios

When it comes to describing a journey, it’s important to use the right adjectives to bring the experience to life. Let’s explore different scenarios and the adjectives that would accurately capture each one.

• Adventure : When describing an adventurous journey, you want to highlight the excitement, thrill, and sense of exploration. Adjectives like “thrilling,” “exhilarating,” “daring,” and “wild” can help convey the adrenaline rush and the sense of stepping into the unknown.
• Serenity : For a more peaceful and calming journey, words like “tranquil,” “serene,” “soothing,” and “relaxing” can help create a sense of tranquility. Think of a journey through a peaceful countryside or a serene beach at sunset.
• Transformation : Journeys can often be transformative experiences, where we learn and grow. Adjectives like “life-changing,” “transformative,” “enlightening,” and “inspiring” can capture the profound impact of such journeys on our lives.
• Cultural : If your journey involves immersing yourself in a new culture, you’ll want to use adjectives that highlight the richness and diversity of the experience. Words like “vibrant,” “colorful,” “authentic,” and “enriching” can convey the cultural significance and the depth of your immersion.
• Spiritual : For journeys that touch the soul and delve into spirituality, adjectives like “sacred,” “uplifting,” “soul-stirring,” and “transcendent” can help articulate the profound connection and sense of inner peace experienced through spiritual journeys.
• Epic : For journeys of epic proportions, adjectives like “majestic,” “awe-inspiring,” “grand,” and “monumental” can capture the scale, grandeur, and significance of the adventure. Think of scaling towering mountains or exploring ancient ruins.

In each scenario, it’s important to choose adjectives that best reflect the essence of the journey. By carefully selecting the right words, you can transport your readers to the sights, sounds, and emotions of your journey, making it come alive in their imagination.

Keep in mind that these descriptions are just a starting point. Feel free to explore and experiment with different adjectives to convey your own unique journey.

Describing Words for journey in English

Being able to effectively describe a journey is a valuable skill. The right choice of adjectives can bring a journey to life and paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. In this section, I will provide you with a list of adjectives to describe different aspects of a journey, allowing you to enhance your storytelling abilities.

Let’s dive into the world of descriptive words for journeys:

• Adventurous Journeys
• Peaceful and Calming Journeys
• Transformative Journeys
• Cultural Journeys
• Spiritual Journeys
• Journeys of Epic Proportions

Feel free to mix and match these adjectives to create descriptions that accurately capture the essence of your journeys. Remember, variety is key to keeping your prose engaging and captivating. Experiment with different adjectives to add depth and richness to your storytelling.

By using descriptive words effectively, you can transport your readers to far-off places, evoke emotions, and create lasting impressions. So go ahead and let these adjectives guide your journey descriptions!

Keep exploring, keep experimenting, and keep expanding your vocabulary. The possibilities are limitless!

And now, onto the next section of this article, where we will explore the importance of storytelling in journey descriptions.

Adjectives for journey

When it comes to describing a journey, the right choice of adjectives can make all the difference. They have the power to transport readers to a different time and place, evoke emotions, and create a vivid picture in their minds. In this section, I’ll provide you with a range of positive and negative adjectives that can be used to effectively describe different aspects of a journey.

Positive Adjectives for Journey

Positive adjectives can capture the excitement, beauty, and joy of a journey. They can paint a picture of adventure, discovery, and awe. Here are some examples of positive adjectives that can bring your descriptions to life:

Negative Adjectives for Journey

While journeys can be exciting and fulfilling, there are also moments of challenge, fear, and disappointment. Negative adjectives can help convey these experiences and add contrast to your descriptions. Here are a few negative adjectives that can be used to describe different aspects of a journey:

Synonyms and Antonyms with Example Sentences

Synonyms for journey.

When it comes to finding the right words to describe a journey, it’s important to have a diverse vocabulary. Here are some synonyms for the word “journey” along with example sentences:

Using these synonyms helps to add variety and depth to your journey descriptions.

Antonyms for journey

In addition to synonyms, it’s also helpful to have antonyms to create contrast in your descriptions. Here are some antonyms for the word “journey” along with example sentences:

By incorporating antonyms into your writing, you can effectively highlight the different aspects and emotions associated with a journey.

Remember to choose words that best capture the essence of your journey. Combining positive and negative adjectives can create engaging and captivating descriptions. Let your creativity shine and tell your story with vivid and impactful language.

Describing a journey is an art, and adjectives play a crucial role in capturing the essence of our experiences. Throughout this article, I have explored various types of journeys and provided examples of adjectives that can accurately depict each one.

From adventurous journeys filled with excitement and thrill, to peaceful and calming journeys that offer solace and tranquility, we have seen how the right choice of adjectives can transport readers to different worlds. Transformative journeys that change us from within, cultural journeys that immerse us in new traditions and customs, spiritual journeys that awaken our souls, and journeys of epic proportions that leave us in awe – each one can be vividly described with the right words.

I have also highlighted the importance of using synonyms and antonyms for the word “journey” to add variety and depth to our descriptions. By combining positive and negative adjectives, we can create engaging and captivating narratives that truly reflect our experiences.

So, as you embark on your own journey, remember to let your creativity shine and choose adjectives that paint a vivid picture. Captivate your readers with impactful language and tell your story in a way that is uniquely yours.

Happy writing and may your journeys be filled with beautiful words!

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Here's how much money I made as a software engineer at Meta, Apple, and Oracle

• Sandeep Rao is a software engineer who has worked at Meta, Apple, and Oracle. 
• When he first started his career as a new graduate, his compensation was only $15,000.
• He explains how, thanks to high performance and negotiation skills, he now makes nearly $700,000. 

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sandeep Rao, a 32-year-old software engineer based in San Jose, California. Business Insider has verified his income with documentation. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.

My salary journey in Big Tech has seen my total compensation — which includes base salary, bonuses, and stocks — increase from $15,000 in 2012 to $685,000 in 2024.

I'm a staff software engineer and have worked at three different tech companies, moving from Oracle to Apple to Meta. Over my career, I've led the development of successful software apps and features from scratch that are used every day by millions of people across the world.

While I have made my career moves primarily based on which areas of software engineering I'd get to work on, compensation is also important to me, so I've been strategic and negotiated for higher salaries with each move.

Tech companies use tools like additional equity to retain high-performing employees. In my experience, if you're consistently a top performer at your organization, it's certainly possible to keep your pay at or above market level and have a rewarding career within your company.

I took a low-paying job to get my foot in the door

While I got my undergraduate degree in electrical engineering , I realized midway through college that software engineering was my passion and pivoted to pursue a career in software instead.

My first job was as a software developer at Oracle in India. While Oracle isn't generally low-paying in the tech industry, my salary of 850,000 rupees, or $15,000, was low compared to what new grads were making at that time in competing Big Tech companies like Microsoft or Amazon because it was a "take it or leave it" new grad offer.

The work was unappealing to me because it didn't align with my career interests — I didn't want to continue building expertise in that specific area of software engineering — but I took it to get my foot in the door of a Big Tech company and build credibility.

I knew I eventually wanted to end up where all the action is — Silicon Valley . I worked at Oracle from 2012 to 2014, and during this time, I applied to graduate schools in the US because I felt a formal computer science degree would help me compete with the talented people in the Valley.

I got accepted into a graduate program in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. I left behind my family and friends in India and moved to the US with nothing but a suitcase and $65,000 in student debt.

Grad school was hard, but the doors it opened for me made the struggle worth it.

I was ecstatic to get a job at Apple

I finished grad school and got a job as a software engineer at Apple in Cupertino, California, where my base salary was $115,000.

I was ecstatic to work at one of the best companies in the world and felt my dreams were coming true. But I realized I wanted to work on more direct user-facing applications rather than on technology that ran under the hood.

Initially, I considered looking for new opportunities within Apple, but between high taxes, the high cost of living, and my student loans, I felt more compelled to switch companies, given that I'd likely receive a significant salary bump .

I had gotten a very small cost-of-living raise on my base salary at Apple, but it wasn't significant; not getting a bigger raise wasn't a big motivator in my decision to change companies, but it certainly made my choice easier.

My negotiation skills helped me get a 10% salary increase

At the end of 2017, I moved to Meta (then Facebook) in Menlo Park, California. I wanted to experience the culture of younger internet-based companies whose products are used by billions of people.

When I received my offer, I did my research to get a clear understanding of what my market value was and what salary I wanted to land on. I also learned what parts of my total compensation are negotiable, such as stocks and the sign-on bonus, and what is non-negotiable, like base salary and annual bonuses.

I was prepared to negotiate and walked away with an offer of $140,000, which was 10% more than their original offer.

In 2021, I landed a large-scale project at Meta that added a lot of value to the Messenger app and worked with several cross-functional teams across engineering, design, data science, and legal.

My accomplishments, such as this one, and high performance at work got me the promotions, visibility, and leverage to negotiate for higher pay and a successful salary journey.

Every year between 2018 to 2023, my base salary increased — as did my total compensation — through a combination of performance-based yearly stock refreshers, additional boosts from promotions, and stock market appreciation.

Related stories

Compensation in a tech career usually gets more and more equity-heavy than salary-heavy, so base salaries don't increase as quickly as equity, but my salary and total annual compensation steadily rose:

2012-2014: $15,000 total compensation

Grad School

2014-2016: $0 total compensation

Student loan debt: $65,000

2016: $130,000 total compensation

2017: $165,000 total compensation

2018: $230,000 total compensation

2019: $240,000 total compensation

2020: $350,000 total compensation (promotion)

2021: $510,000 total compensation

2022: $375,000 total compensation (promotion, but total compensation dropped due to stock price drop)

2023: $545,000 total compensation

In 2024, I'm projected to make $685,000 through a combination of base salary, bonuses, and stock.

Five strategies for increasing my compensation package

Over the years, I learned five salary strategies that helped me grow my salary and overall compensation:

1. Always do your homework about market rates for your role, level, and location — especially when you switch jobs.

Switching jobs is a good way to increase your income.

Even if money may not be the primary motivator for a job switch, I always make sure to be conscious and strategic about my compensation by doing salary research to avoid leaving any money on the table.

When I started doing salary research during my switch to Meta, I found out my market value was much higher than what I was making at Apple at that time. This helped me start my negotiations with Meta at the market rate rather than the salary I was making.

I used Levels.fyi , Blind , and Glassdoor to find salary information and clearly understand my market value. Keep yourself updated on these benchmarks even if you don't plan on a job change anytime soon, so you know you're on par with the market, and any salary difference is offset by other factors such as better work-life balance.

2. Never let your bad salary "baggage" carry over to your new job.

If your salary isn't up to market standards right now, don't let it affect your pay at the next job. Otherwise, it'll lead to a cycle where you'll be underpaid for the rest of your career.

Employers and recruiters could use your salary history to give you only a modest raise, while your actual market value could easily be double or triple your most recent salary.

In California, labor laws make it illegal for employers to ask you about your current salary and salary history. You're also allowed to ask potential employers for the pay range for the position you're applying for.

If your state has similar protections, just being aware of this law can help you make any corrections to your pay during negotiations. This helped me start offer negotiations from my market value instead of my current pay.

3. Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith to make that 10x impact on your career.

That could involve switching from a non-tech job to a tech job or taking a short-term hit for long-term gain. For example, I picked Oracle for my first job despite the low pay and unappealing work so I could build credibility to get into a Tier 1 grad school.

I also took a loan of about $65,000 to pay for Carnegie Mellon, even though I could have chosen to go to a cheaper public university.

Deciding to work at Oracle and attend Carnegie Mellon cost me a few years and a lot of debt, but doing so opened doors unlike anything else, and I haven't looked back ever since.

4. Negotiate to keep your base salary from falling behind

It's inevitable for your salary to fall behind as you stay longer at a company, especially in tech due to restricted stock unit (RSU) "cliffs."

Most RSU packages offered to new employees in the tech industry have a two- to four-year vesting period. Unless the employer offers a significant pay bump along the way, total compensation usually takes a drop after this vesting period. Many companies also offer annual performance-based stock refreshers to lower this salary gap, but they're usually not as large as the initial grant. 

If you love working at your company and feel forced to move just to get a raise, you can ask your senior leadership to make a "correction." After all, it's much more expensive and time-consuming for employers to hire new people than to retain good employees.

Most Big Tech companies have employee retention programs like additional or discretionary equity. Additional equity programs are mainly used to retain high-performing employees, so they're usually highly selective.

This is how I was able to keep my compensation at or above market level despite spending six years at Meta. When I was reaching the end of my vesting period in my fourth year, I had a conversation with my senior leadership to see if there was any room for a pay correction so I could go back to focusing on my work 100% without worrying about salary.

Being prepared with my predicted compensation drop and market data greatly helped me build a cogent narrative going in. If you're consistently a top performer at your organization, it's certainly possible to keep your pay at or above market level and have a rewarding career within your company.

5. Don't assume people will reward your work or anticipate your needs — ask.

Always ask for what you want , whether it's a raise or that interesting project that just came in. The worst that will happen is you'll get a "no." If you don't ask, nobody will know, or even worse, people may assume that you're happy with what you have and move on. 

I used this strategy when I heard of a new company initiative and asked to be a founding engineer because I was looking to create more impact in my role. Despite the high risk and ambiguity involved, I successfully delivered on the projects, which eventually led to a promotion. None of this would've been possible if I hadn't asked. 

At the end of the day, you're your biggest advocate when it comes to your salary and career journey. There's no substitute for hard work, but being strategic about how you achieve your goals can go a long way. Sometimes, you have to take big risks and step out of your comfort zone to get that high-paying dream job.

If you want to share your career progression and salary journey, email Jane Zhang at [email protected] .

Watch: Nearly 50,000 tech workers have been laid off — but there's a hack to avoid layoffs

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John Scott’s journey to becoming a community leader: A journey of service

• Author By Eric Boerngen
• April 8, 2024

Raised in University Park, John Scott credits his family for having a huge impact on who he is today. Having several brothers and sisters who are all creative had a positive impact on the people around him. John says, “My family has a mindset of going the extra mile, never giving up, being passionate about your work and doing so even if no one is watching.”

Scott was fueled by an eclectic group of interests ranging from architecture to films, creating videos, camerawork, photography, videography, digital art, and visual effects. His love for politics and urban planning is matched only by his deep-rooted connection to nature often found exploring the scenic trails of University Park, the Constitution Trail, or Starved Rock. Scott ran a YouTube channel for several years that taught others how to create visual effects in Adobe After Effects.

Transferring to Illinois State University in January 2020, Scott, and the rest of the world, had no idea how much the world would be reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. When Illinois State closed the campus and went to a fully remote model in March 2020, Scott was forced to learn how to provide for himself off-campus. He remained resilient and persevered by working jobs back home and around town while also keeping up with his course work. Although he sometimes felt overwhelmed, he was able to become involved in multiple registered student organizations and even became president of Plant-Based at State by his senior year.

After graduation, Scott joined AmeriCorps, a national service program dedicated to addressing critical community needs. He also assumed the role of digital navigator. According to Scott, digital navigators are “individuals who work on the digital inclusion process—home connectivity, devices, and digital skills—with community members through repeated interactions.” In this role, Scott gained experience collaborating with schools and government entities to enhance digital literacy and connectivity in an effort to bridge the digital divide. Despite challenges like juggling work, school, and AmeriCorps responsibilities, Scott successfully organized events like Digital Inclusion Week and honed invaluable skills in leadership, project management, communication, and networking.

As part of the Digital Equity Initiative, a program funded by Broadband Regional Engagement for Adoption + Digital Equity (READY), Scott explored opportunities for equitable advances in the areas of broadband access, adoption and utilization. His innovative approach to promoting digital literacy and accessibility has earned recognition with his plan being considered a template for other organizations like Lead for America and Heartland Community College.

Scott’s journey with AmeriCorps has been covered by many media resources, such as WGLT , The Pantagraph , WEEK-TV , and McLean County’s YouTube channel .

Scott’s journey from University Park to becoming a community leader shows the power of perseverance, resilience, and a passion for service. As he continues with his service and leadership in effecting meaningful change, Scott’s story serves as an inspiration to all who aspire to make a difference in the world.

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Solar eclipse 2024: Follow the path of totality

Want to see how a solar eclipse alters colors wear red and green on monday.

Bill Chappell

Pinhole shadows show crescent shapes in 2019 as the moon moves in front of the sun — one of several unique phenomena we can see during a solar eclipse. Louis Kwok /AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Pinhole shadows show crescent shapes in 2019 as the moon moves in front of the sun — one of several unique phenomena we can see during a solar eclipse.

If you live along the path of totality for Monday's solar eclipse and you have any Christmas or Hanukkah gear, you might want to break it out. The celestial event will bring odd phenomena to our planet — including changes in how people see colors such as red, green and blue.

Here's a look at some of the unusual visual effects a solar eclipse brings to humans on Earth:

Red and green colors will look strange

That's partly due to the change in light when the moon blocks the sun, but also the way our eyes and brain adjust to and interpret that change.

How to keep pets safe during the solar eclipse, whether at home or on the road

As light dims, our eyes transition from photopic vision, associated with the retina's cone cells that deliver full colors and fine detail, toward scotopic night vision that relies on rod cells to detect objects in low light. In the middle is mesopic vision, the transitional phase where both rods and cones are active.

When the light's intensity dims in the eclipse, colors with longer wavelengths, like red, will look darker as cones become less active. But because rods are sensitive to the shorter blue-green wavelengths , those colors will have a chance to shine.

"This is pretty much a totality thing," Erika Grundstrom, director of astronomy labs at Vanderbilt University , told NPR, with only people in the eclipse's central path guaranteed to witness the phenomenon.

Also, she said, you shouldn't rely on just one red or green T-shirt to trigger the effect.

"You have to have lots of people (or colorful things) around to see it," Grundstrom said via email, adding, "the effect is the result of sudden dimness and your rods and cones trying to make sense of that dimness."

It's called the Purkinje effect.

The Purkinje effect, aka the Purkinje phenomenon or shift , was documented some 200 years ago by Johannes Evangelista Purkinje, a Bohemian scientist who noticed that when light passed through a prism in dimming conditions, the brightest spot moved — shifting away from red and toward blue, on the shorter end of the wavelength spectrum.

Simple tips to safely photograph the eclipse with your cellphone

The effect has been studied in the years since — including during the famous 1919 total solar eclipse that gave scientists important observations affirming Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity .

The dimness should become more noticeable about 15 minutes before the eclipse reaches totality. To many people, the light takes on a metallic or silvery quality.

Some shadows will sharpen; others will alter

For one thing, your own shadow will be different.

"The change in lighting makes shadows look sharper on the ground, so it's possible to see individual hairs on your head in your shadow," according to the European Space Agency .

And if you see the sun's light coming through tight gaps in trees, you might notice lots of little crescents. As the ESA says, "The tiny gaps in the leaves will act like multiple pinhole cameras, projecting the Sun's image to the ground."

What you need to know to watch Monday's total solar eclipse

People in the eclipse's path can also see an odd shimmering called shadow bands.

"A minute or two before totality, ripples of light may flow across the ground and walls as Earth's turbulent atmosphere refracts the last rays of sunlight," as the EarthSky website said in 2017.

Other changes to expect include a drop in temperature — and the appearance of colors in the sky that will make it seem as if you're seeing a sunset (or sunrise) across the full 360 degrees of the horizon.