Taylor Dal Ponte

As I will be entering the professional world within the

next few years, it is important to understand my
professional identity. Over the past few weeks, I have
collected data of my self perception and compared it with
feedback from my colleagues and classmates regarding
their professional perceptions of me. This document
summarizes my findings.
Driver... Mostly
I utilized a Self-Perception Survey at the beginning
of this semester to gather data about my perception.
Amiable Expressive
This survey yielded a self-reported composite
assertiveness score of 1 and a composite
responsiveness score of -7, indicating a Driver social
style. Drivers are typically known for their
determination, focus, and action-oriented approach.
I agree with my social style of a Driver since these
traits closely reflect my personal demeanor.

To gain external perspectives, I conducted a

Professional Reputation Survey among my previous
Analytical Driver
coworkers and classmates. The responses revealed
that they perceive me as an Expressive, with an
Respondent Average average composite assertiveness score of 2 and an
Self-Reported Type average composite responsiveness score of 1.
Expressive social styles are often associated with
outgoing and energetic traits which contradicts my
self-perception of a Driver.

Desired Communication
My Self-Perception Survey also allowed me to clearly understand my communication
preferences by assigning numerical values, ranging from 0 to 4, to various dimensions
of a map of beliefs and practices. I scored highly with a 3 in the “Leading” category,
indicating a preference for hierarchical leadership structures in teamwork. This has
been evident throughout the semester, particularly in my role as Team Leader in my
Business Communications Class. In this position, I coordinated meetings and allocated
tasks for our presentations. A team member remarked, “You have the traits of a leader,
you’re confident and everyone naturally follows you,” reaffirming my preference for
leading in my communication approach.

Contrarily, I received a lower score of 1.33 in the “Communicating” category, revealing a

preference for precise, simple, explicit, and clear messages. This preference has been
clear in my interactions within my Business Communication group when I have
participated with clear and concise messages in meetings. Feedback from a teammate
stated that they applauded my ability to clearly communicate deadlines to make sure
our work is done in a timely manner.
Identity and Reputation
Both surveys generated a list of adjectives that
My Identity:
allowed me to learn more about my identity and
Empathetic
the reputation I have. Among the adjectives I
Anxious
identified for myself were empathetic, anxious, Hardworking
hardworking, and perfectionistic. Responses from Perfectionistic
my coworkers and classmates mirrored these
adjectives along with adding several more. Their
feedback also characterized me as calm, self- My Reputation:
confident, driven, and leader-like. I was surprised Empathetic
Anxious
when I saw every single peer’s response perceived
Hardworking
me as “leader-like.” Feedback from a classmate
Perfectionistic
even said “Really on top of her stuff, she is doing a Calm
great job as a leader and is reinforcing during Self-Confident
meetings.” I did not initially identify myself as a Driven
leader in my Self-Perception Survey, but I have Leader-Like
come to appreciate that I have a preference for
leadership roles, aligning with my results from the
communication preferences section of my survey.

Future Developments
Constructive criticism from peers in my Professional
Reputation Summary has highlighted specific areas for
“Be more confident in improvement as I prepare to enter the professional world. I
yourself!” was given recommendations like “Be more confident in
yourself!” and “I feel like you could balance a little more easy-
going and or joking manner than being too strictly serious.”

While I have a preference for leadership, I lack self-

“I feel like you could
confidence which is something I would like to strengthen
balance a little more
before I graduate. Additionally, my intense focus on school
easy-going and or
joking manner than
has occasionally led me to come off as too serious. By
being too strictly incorporating my more easy-going personality into my
serious.” professional life, I hope to improve this behavior. Fixing these
things will not only enhance my own experience, but offer a
more enjoyable work environment for the people around me.

The surveys I conducted and the feedback that resulted from them have allowed me to
become aware of what I can improve on before I enter the workforce. With these
recommendations I hope to strengthen my desired professional identity which can help
me become a more valuable candidate in future job applications. To learn more about
me and my journey in developing my professional identity, please feel free to connect
with me on LinkedIn or send an email at the contact information listed below.

www.linkedin.com/in/taylordalponte
tdalponte@arizona.edu