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Self-Assessment
The beginning of any successful job search!
In
this section:
Career
Management Cycle
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Career Path Check-up |
Self-Assessment
|
Self-Assessment Exercises |
Self-Assessment Application
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Career Investigation
Managing
your career is of utmost importance. By carefully assessing your
preferences, skills, values and interests you will be better prepared
to identify and pursue your career and life goals.
In
years past, many people took a more passive role in managing their
career. Once employed with a company they remained within the organization
"for life." They relied on the organization to tell them what their
career would be, what duties they would perform and how much they
would earn. The organization "took care" of their employees. People
took much pride and ownership in receiving their twenty-five, thirty
and fifty year pins and went off into retirement with a party and
an engraved gold watch in hand.
Today
with the many transitions that are happening within industries and
organizations, the global economy and changes in the workforce,
people must take charge of their own careers. No longer do most
people desire to, nor can they rely on having a job "for life."
Proactively
managing your career means continuous self-evaluation and the development
of a career plan that fulfills your career/life values and goals.
The process is simple yet takes personal time and introspection.
Your success is dependent totally on your personal initiative and
dedication to your future. The challenge is yours…
CAREER MANAGEMENT CYCLE
SELF
ASSESSMENT
· Preferences
· Skills
· Values
· Interests
CAREER INVESTIGATION
· Research careers/job market
· Research educational options
· Informational interviews
· Experiential experiences
GOAL SETTING
· Evaluating career options
· Setting career objectives
CAREER STRATEGY
· Resume Writing
· Conduct active job search
· Professional Networking
· Research Employers
· Interview
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
· Life long learning
Career Path Checkup
Take a few minutes to complete the following information for a Career
Path Checkup
State
your educational background
(where, degree or concentration, and graduation date):
- Undergraduate:
- MBA:
What courses have you enjoyed the most?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why did you pursue an advanced degree?
Your interests and hobbies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
List the jobs you have had (the most recent first).
Include job titles,
dates, companies, and reason for leaving.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Rate your current position based on how you feel about the following:
(Scale: 5 = Very Satisfied, 4 = Satisfied, 3 = OK, 2 = Somewhat
Unhappy, 1 = Dissatisfied)
- the environment in which you work _____
- the hours you work _____
- the type of work you do _____
- the challenge of your work _____
- your motivation to do the job _____
- your influence on the results _____
- your learning rate in your work _____
- the freedom you have to direct your work _____
- the energy level you are maintaining _____
- the amount of money you make _____
- the stress you experience in relation to your job _____
Look
over your rating and explain those which you have rated dissatisfying:
Self Assessment
The
self-assessment process is rather straightforward. By evaluating
your preferences, skills, values and interests you set the foundation
to determine the career options you will want to explore, how to
write a resume that clearly represents you and how to market yourself
to employers.
To do this, you must take the time for self-reflection and honestly
answer questions that help you develop a career profile that best
fits your needs. Self-assessment is one of the most important things
you can do for yourself. Richard Bolles in his book What
Color Is Your Parachute? says:
"
You have got to know what it is you want, or someone is going to
sell you a bill of goods somewhere along the line that can do irreparable
damage to your self esteem, your sense of worth, and your stewardship
of the talents that you have. Remember you spend half of your life
at your work, whatever it may be. The world needs people who know
what they really want to do, and who do it at their place of work,
as their work."
The
following exercises will help you better clarify your own unique
traits. Carefully answer each question. Write down any notes or
personal reactions that will assist you in processing the information.
Career Success: What does it mean to you?
Write down the names of three people who you consider to be successful
and explain why:
1.
2.
3.
Self-Assessment Exercises
#1
Interests
Step
1: List
ten work activities you enjoy.
Step
2: From
this list, record those specific aspects that make each activity
satisfying.
Step
3: What
are the trends and patterns in your preferences?
Complete
these sentences:
I am
a person who enjoys...
I should avoid work situations in which...
I seem inclined towards activities that...
I am especially suited for work that...
Questions
to consider:
- What
academic assignment caught your interest? What about it challenged
you?
- What
work project or task have you performed where you went beyond
the call of duty?
- What
about it challenged you?
- If
money were no object, how would you spend your time?
#2
Values
1. When
you wake up in the morning, to what extent do you want to know exactly
what kind of work you will be doing during the day? Place yourself
on the following line:
Know exactly-------------------------------Completely uncertain
2. To what extent do you prefer spending your work day responding
to or initiating contacts with people, rather than working on specific
tasks that may not require direct people contact? Place yourself on
the following line:
People-------------------------------------Tasks
3. To what extent do you see yourself as someone who would rather
initiate the work that you do rather than respond to the request of
others? Place yourself on the following line:
Respond------------------------------------Initiate
Complete
these sentences:
The main,
overriding concern at this stage in my life is...
The main qualities I look for in my friends are...
The person whose work I admire most is...
The qualities I admire most about this person are...
Questions
to consider:
- Which
work-related beliefs or attitudes of your parents have you taken
as your own?
- Which
have you rejected?
- What
do you like about yourself?
#3
Skills and Accomplishments
Step
1:
List three accomplishments in the last five years of which you are
particularly proud. What did each entail? In each accomplishment,
explain what aspects provided the most satisfaction?
Step
2:
List the five skills and abilities that you enjoy using on the job.
Step
3:
List five skills you would like to develop further and use on the
job.
Step
4: List
five of your present skills that you dislike using in your work.
Complete
these sentences:
The compliment
I receive most often professionally is...
The type of challenge I seek out on a job is...
Questions
to consider:
- Looking
over your life, when have you made an impact?
- What
kind of impact are you making in your current life situation?
- What
kind of impact do you hope to make in the future?
- When
have you handled a personal or job-related task or communication
effectively?
#4
Personality
Step
1: List
five adjectives that describe your personality.
Step
2: List
the three ways in which you have changed the most over the past five
years.
Step
3: List
two perceptions of yourself that you don't like.
Step
4: Describe
your ideal work environment. (Consider hours of work, supervisory
style, size of organization, commute, etc.)
Complete
these sentences:
People
who work with me think that I am...
The types of people I like best are...
The types of people I like least are...
My best childhood memory is...
Questions
to consider:
- What
do you like about yourself? What personal qualities are a part
of your "image"?
- Who
are some of the people whose lifestyles you admire?
- What
things motivate you to do more--and better--work?
- Have
there been occasions that were extremely high-risk for you. How
did you respond?
- Generally,
are you challenged by surprises or afraid of risk?
Self-Assessment Application
Once
you have answered the questions above, write three or four short paragraphs
which summarize your interests, values, skills and personality. This
process will help you formulate your job objective and put you in
a better position to target companies, draft a resume, and write appropriate
cover letters. Based on what you have learned about yourself, you
know what makes you unique and effective and what you want a prospective
employer to learn about you during the interview process.
Remember:
Self-assessment is a process that should be reviewed and updated regularly
to be used throughout your life as you face transitions and career
decisions.
Career Investigation
It is
important to take the time to investigate a variety of career options
and to best match those options to your interests, values, skills
and personality. This is the task in the career planning process which
many people delay doing or do not explore completely. To maximize
your success in developing an appropriate career plan that best suits
you, take your time in researching and gathering information.
Brainstorm
all the career options your have ever considered, including those
the self-assessment process has brought to your attention. This is
your opportunity to "be wild" and use your imagination. Write down
your options:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Circle
the options which particularly appeal to you now. Write down the career
options that you intend to investigate in more detail:
1.
2.
3.
When
researching the career options write down information and your reactions
for reference later when developing your career goal.
Issues to consider when investigating careers:
- What
skills will you need?
- What
tasks will you perform?
- What
will the work environment be like?
- What
salary and benefits can you expect?
- What
other rewards should you expect?
- What
life balance is required?
- What
is the growth potential?
- What
qualifications are needed to enter this area?
- What
does it take to succeed?
- What
is the daily work life like?
- In
what parts of the country can you find jobs in this career area
- What
kinds of positions must you take in the first five years?
- What
are the future prospects for this job function?
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