| Yes, we do!
Your career will span approximately 10,000 days, and
you will probably earn between one and four million dollars over
that period. In today's world, it is highly likely that your career
will move through several, quite distinct, phases. To make the necessary
adaptations, you need to know your skills and interests, and how
to relate them to the constantly changing array of career alternatives.
How do you wish to feel about your job? Are you excited and stimulated
about going to work each day, or do you feel stalled, boxed in, frustrated
with no real job satisfaction?
It's logical that, if you do what you like to do, and if you enjoy the
tasks involved, then you will be more energized and perform better.
Naturally, a top performer is more valuable to an organization, so your
financial rewards and job security should increase accordingly.
Also, until you know what you're offering, and where to offer it, an
organized job search is impossible. The first step is to take a good hard
look at yourself, where you are, what's important to you, and where you're
going in your career.
The following Career Assessment questionnaire will help with that. These
are important questions that will provide focus and a basis for evaluating
alternatives. This assessment will also help you prepare to clearly communicate
your skills, interests, strengths and career goals to others, in
print and in interviews.
First, though, it will be helpful if you have a clear understanding of some of the terminology, so here are a few definitions:
- Aptitude: An individual's capacity for learning a type of activity. You might have a mathematical aptitude, a mechanical aptitude, or a musical aptitude, and so on.
- Strength: A positive personal quality. Strengths include persistence, creativity, integrity, optimism, reasoning power, energy, self-esteem, analytical ability, problem-solving ability, entrepreneurial drive, a disciplined approach, leadership ability, physical stamina, results-orientation, self-motivation, good health, etc.
- Skill: A learned competence. Examples include public speaking, keyboarding, driving, welding, language fluency, mathematical skills, creative writing skills, planning skills, budgeting skills, cooking skills, decision-making skills, negotiation skills, selling skills, etc.*
- Personality Trait: A distinguishing characteristic that consistently influences an individual's behaviour. You might be affectionate, sympathetic, generous, sensitive to others, quick to anger, impetuous, adventurous, risk-avoiding, consensus-seeking, observant, kind, calm, attention-seeking, stubborn, ambitious, etc.
- Work Environment Characteristic: A behaviour that helps to describe the workplace because it is accommodated, encouraged or rewarded, explicitly or implicitly, by the organization or department. Examples include individual achievement, team achievement, mentoring, integrity, high levels of customer service, informality, competitiveness, continuous learning, emphasis on hierarchy, bureaucratic approaches, open communications, staff socializing, etc.
*Usually, we find that certain aptitudes, strengths and skills go together. One who has a musical aptitude will likely have the strength of creativity and will learn the necessary skills more quickly and easily than those having a different aptitude.
Career Assessment Questionnaire
This is not an in-depth psychological assessment, but it is designed to
start you thinking, and to point to certain factors that will be important
for your job search and your career satisfaction. Many others have found it
worthwhile.
Job/Career SatisfactionThis section will summarize your level of
satisfaction with your career to date, and assist you to identify
characteristics that will be important for defining Career Options.
- What are your 4 principal areas of interest?
- Have these interests been satisfied in your career?
- What are 5 areas in which you have acquired high skill levels?
- Have you used these skills in your career to an acceptable degree?
- What are 2 kinds of activity for which you have a strong
aptitude?
- Have these activities been part of your jobs?
- What are 2 of your most dominant personality traits?
- Have past positions offered a comfortable fit with these
traits?
- What would be an acceptable earnings level at this stage in your
career?
- Has this level of earnings been achieved?
- What are the 2 characteristics of the work environment that are most
important to you?
- Have these characteristics been present in past positions?
- What are the 2 qualities or strengths you most value in
yourself?
- Have these qualities been recognized and rewarded?
- Have these qualities been consistent with the type of work you have
performed?
- What are 2 areas in which you would like to increase
competence?
- Have past jobs facilitated your development in these areas?
- What are the 2 kinds of work activity you enjoy most?
- Have past jobs centered on these activities?
Career Path/OptionsThis section will assist you to identify valid
Career Options.
- Have your career changes resulted from
- your own decisions?
- events beyond your control?
- the influences of others?
- Are the original reasons for selecting your current, or most recent,
job still valid?
- What is your principal Career Goal? (Write it down!)
- Are you satisfied that this goal is realistic?
- What is your time target for achieving this goal?
- Is this realistic?
At the beginning of the first section of
this questionnaire, you identified 4 areas of High Interest and 5 areas of
High Skill. On a sheet of paper, list your High Interest areas down the left
margin, and list your High Skill areas across the top.
Where each Skill intersects an Interest, identify at least one Career
Option that combines both. This will provide 10 or more options that are
interesting and realistic for you. (Think in terms of occupational fields,
not specific job vacancies.)
Now, with regard to the Career Options that you have defined, answer
the following questions:
- Which of these Career Options will advance you toward your Career
Goal?
- Which of these Career Options fit with the principal Aptitudes that you identified?
- Which of these Career Options offer a comfortable fit with your
Personality traits?
- Which of these Career Options are likely to produce your expected
Earnings Level?
- Which of these Career Options are likely to be available in the kind
of Work Environment that you prefer?
- Which of these Career Options are likely to best draw upon your
principal Personal Qualities and Strengths?
- Which of these Career Options are likely to provide the kind of
Personal Development you're seeking?
- Which of these Career Options are likely to provide the Personal
Advancement you expect?
- Which of these Career Options are likely to provide the level of Job
Security you require?
- Which 1 or 2 factors may reduce the number of options available to
you?
- Do you feel confident that these can be overcome?
- Do you feel that you are aware of most of your valid career options?
(If not, you may want to pursue some career counselling from a
professional.)
- If more education or training is required in order to qualify for some
of your options, is that acceptable?
- If a drop in earnings would result from pursuing an particular option,
is that acceptable?
- If relocation to another city is required to pursue a particular
option, is that acceptable to you and your family?
- If the outlook for future employment levels is declining for
particular options, is that acceptable?
After considering these
items, you may wish to revise the valid Career Options previously
identified.
Attitude/MotivationThis section will summarize the way you feel
about your initial expectations, and your ability to cope with the
complexities of a job search.
- Are you moving toward a well-defined Career Goal, rather than away
from an unpleasant situation?
- Are you able to maintain and project a Positive Mental Attitude
despite the frustrations of a job search?
- Has your self-esteem remained intact despite experiencing rejection or
lack of employer interest?
- Are you coping adequately with the stress involved in a job search?
- Does your spouse or partner continue to be highly supportive of your
career change/job search program?
Family InvolvementThis section will summarize the way you feel
about your partner's role in, and attitudes toward, your career change and
job search.
- Other than yourself, who will be most affected by your career
change?
- Will he/she participate in the choices and decisions you will be
making relative to your career change?
- Is he/she likely to have insights about you that will be useful as you
assess yourself and evaluate your options?
- Is he/she likely to positively affect your sense of self confidence
and your ability to sustain motivation throughout the career change/job
search process?
- Are his/her life goals consistent with the decisions you are making
about your career?
- Is your level of career satisfaction an important priority for
him/her?
Do you wish to go on to Job Search Assistance, or back to the Career Centre ? |
