Inquiring Mind

In a team

In a team, you're the one who thinks through why things work and spots weak points before they turn into problems. You give the most when you get a clearly defined part of the work and enough time to do it properly. If it's hard to get a word in at meetings, write your thoughts down beforehand or send them afterwards: a good idea counts just as much in writing.

Studying and exam season

You learn well when you can dig deep into a topic and understand how things connect, not just memorise facts. You make the most progress somewhere quiet, in longer blocks, but in exam season watch out for getting lost in one fascinating detail: decide in advance how much time each topic gets. Use practice questions and past papers to check that you can actually recall what you know under exam conditions.

Under stress

Talking to lots of people at once, or having to decide quickly with little information, can wear you out. It helps to ask in advance what to expect, and to keep a bit of quiet time at the end of the day to recharge. If a decision can't wait, say what you know for sure and what still needs checking.

Growth tips

• Practise explaining your ideas in two or three sentences.
• Sometimes decide on 'good enough' information: most decisions can be fine-tuned later.
• Pick up a few conversation tricks from a more outgoing friend, and help them with analysis in return.

For your first student job

• If you can, look for work with time to learn and room to work on your own, like data entry, software testing or tutoring.
• At the interview, feel free to ask what a typical day looks like and who you can turn to if you get stuck.
• If something isn't clear, ask early, even in writing: a quick question takes less time than half a day of guessing.