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EXPLORING CAREER:
TAKING THE FIRST STEPS – SELF-ASSESSMENT
EXPERTS HAVE PROPOSED THAT CRITICAL TO MANAGING ONE’S
CAREER AND INTEGRATING WORK
WITH OTHER SPHERES OF ONE’S LIFE IS A CLEAR SELF‐AWARENESS, OR A SENSE OF IDENTITY –
KNOWING WHO WE TRULY ARE. THE FOLLOWING IS A SERIES OF ACTIVITIES THAT WILL GIVE YOU
SOME INSIGHT AND PRACTICE IN GATHERING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WILL HELP
YOU TO FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON CAREERS THAT WOULD MATCH YOUR ABILITIES, YOUR
PERSONALITY AND YOUR PREFERENCE. ENJOY!
DREAM JOBS
When we were young, we dreamt of what we would like to be when we grow up. As adults,
our professional goals might likely be shaped by our dream jobs. We may or may not be
holding our dream jobs of the past now. Nevertheless, revisiting them and thinking about
why those jobs appeal to us would help us to identify our interests, preferences and
provide us with a trend of the kinds of qualities that would attract us to a job. In the box
below, fill in your dream jobs from your younger years and indicate why they were so
appealing to you:
DREAM JOBS WHAT APPEALED TO ME ABOUT THIS
CAREER?
Up to age 10
11‐15
16‐20
Now
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YOUR VALUES
One key contributing factor to how individuals form their meaning of work is the valued
outcomes of engaging in work. Work values guide and influence our decisions throughout
our life. They are deeply held beliefs that shape our decisions and worldviews. They act as
standards and guidelines for evaluating information and options. To value something
involves:
Prizing: What do I espouse as a value?
1. Do you feel strongly about and cherish a position very much?
2. Do you consider the alternatives available to you before taking a position,
affirming your decision with conviction when appropriate?
Choosing (reactive) : When I am forced to make a choice, does the value generally carry a
great deal of weight in my decision‐making?
1. Do
you
consider
the
alternatives
available
to
you
before
taking
a
position?
2. Do you examine the consequences of a position before taking it?
3. Do you select a position independently of external pressures to feel, think, or act in
a certain way?
Acting (proactive): When I make my plan for the day, do I consistently look for ways to
make time to exhibit this value in my actions?
1. Do you back up your feelings and beliefs with action?
2. Do you act on your feelings and beliefs consistently?
If your answer to all of the above questions is positive, it shows that you truly value it. Any
negative responses indicate an emerging value that is becoming important to you. By
engaging in asking and answering the above questions, you are clarifying the significance
of the values to you. When you have value clarity, you can define what you need and want
to thrive in a job. Identifying your work values helps you understand where you passions
lie and avoid entering a career that is inconsistent with your deeply held convictions.
For each of the work value presented in the box, rate them them according to:
1 – Always Valued
2 – Often Valued
3 – Sometimes Valued
4 – Seldom Valued
5–Never Valued
List the top values (that is those rated “1 – Always Valued”) in the box provided. There
must be no more than 5 values that are Always Valued.
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MY WORK VALUES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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MOTIVATED SKILLS
In the next page, you will find a list of transferable skills or work‐based activities. For each
skill, choose one of the following categories which best describes how well you enjoy using that skillrecord the corresponding letter to the line to the left of the definition. For this
activity to be most effective, you should have at least five skills in each category.
1‐ Totally Delight in Using
2‐ Enjoy Using Very Much
3‐ Like Using
4‐ Prefer Not to Use
5‐ Strongly Dislike Using.
Now that you have categorized your enjoyment of the various skills, you can look at your
competency, or how well you can perform each skill. Use the following three categories to
rank your competency with each skillput the corresponding number to the right of each
skill. Again, try to have at least five skills in each category:
A. Highly Proficient (I am good!)
B. Competent (I can do it)
C. Lacking (I’m not good at this).
Transfer each skill into the box presented below that corresponds with the number
(enjoyment) and letter (proficiency) that you ranked in the table.
A1 B1 C1
A2 B2 C2
A3 B3 C3
A4 B4 C4
A5 B5 C5
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PERSONALITY
Your basic personal style, or preferences, forms a foundation for how you carry out
leadership, parenting, learning, communication, and more. How you see yourself influences
how you act in all areas of life. The behaviors exhibited by your style will vary slightly
among individuals and situations you encounter. However, they will remain consistent over
time. The general pattern you exhibit is unique to you and distinct from others’ patterns.
Understanding your personal style is important to the job search because it will help you
identify types of careers in which you can be successful. If you are one who is not outgoing
and finds it difficult to meet and speak with unfamiliar people, you will probably not do well
in sales, social services, or other areas where there is a great deal of interaction with others.
Use the questions on the next page to highlight some aspects of your personal preferences
as they relate to your job search. As you think about these questions, jot down three to four
of the most important aspects of your personal style in the box provided.
Use the new information you have learned about your personal style to weigh against any
career decision. How do the jobs or careers listed in the section on Dream Jobs align with
your personal style? What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of your personal style
(to answer this, you may need to take a formal assessment)? Where have you used those
strengths successfully? When have your weaknesses or blind spots prevented you from
getting something you wanted?
MY PERSONAL STYLE SUMMARY
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Preferences
Somewhat related to your personality is other preferences, such as work environment and
geographic location. Consider the following questions to help determine your work
environment preferences: Would you rather work indoors or outdoors?
Would you rather work in an office setting or an industrial or manufacturing setting?
Would you rather have a predictable and structured workday or one with challenging
opportunities?
Would you rather sit or stand while working?
Would you rather have quiet surroundings or busy and hectic surroundings?
Would you rather work in exciting, adventurous conditions or have safe working conditions?
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Throughout this exercise, you have been asked to look at the areas of your passions,
abilities and personality. Summarize the information from throughout this exercise in the
table below.
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION
Motivated Skills Career Values
Personal Style Career Interests
Look at the information you have gathered. If you currently have an occupation (or
occupations) in mind, answer the following questions:
1. How do my personal style, career values, and motivated skills support this career
decision?
2. How do these areas negate or not support this career decision?
3. Are the conflicts between these items and my career decision something I can
accept, or will it make me miserable?
If you do not have specific occupations in mind, this is simply the first step in beginning to
explore the vast number of careers that are open to you.