As a job seeker, time and time again you are being advised to understand yourself, identify your motivations along with your skills, interests and values to make a clear career plan.
Of course this is easier said than done.
Job Seeker hard at work
Some of you will be extremely clear about the direction you want to take and what your next steps will be. You recognise how your interests and values impact on your career choice and that the knowledge and skills you possess will influence the roles you apply for.
For others it is a little harder. Your path to date may be a traditional route of education, outside interests and taking the first job that came along. You have never really spent the time to think carefully about yourself. Perhaps you are worried about what you might discover!
As a job seeker your chances of success are raised significantly higher when you are fully prepared and truly understand that the role you are looking for matches not only your aspirations but your skills, interests and values.
As an active job seeker, how do you go about this?
Self-analysis takes time and a little energy. Working with a career coach or using online inventories and specialised assessments go a long way to prompting self-discovery.
Inventories, questionnaires and other analytical tools will not give you the answers but they will give you food for thought and help clarify your decision making.
By understanding what motivates you will also ensure that you only apply to organisations where you can contribute whilst reaching your potential and working to your passion.
So what assessment tools can a job seeker use?
Myers Briggs Type Indicator
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) is a questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. You’ll answer questions related to how you deal with the world, how you gather information, how you make decisions, and what your orientation is to others. At the end, you’ll be given an indicator that describes your personality type and a list of possible career options.
Career Interest Inventory
The Careers Interest Inventory [CII] is at the heart of career exploration. You will be encouraged to widen your personal investigation by looking at how your abilities and work styles relate to your interests, so setting an agenda for potential career development.
Strong Interest Inventory
Strong Interest Inventory seeks to offer insight into a person’s interests that will help inform a career choice. The inventory takes about 30 minutes to complete. After it’s scored, you’ll be provided with a summary of how your interests apply in five areas: vocational (work-related), avocational (activities outside work), types of work environments that best suit you, type of people you are most likely to work well with, and types of work tasks you are most likely to enjoy. It also measures how your interests might be similar to those of others.
Values Card Sort
The Values Card Sort provides a quick and easy way to clarify what you want in a career. You’ll be given a deck of cards and will deal them out into several categories. It allows you to prioritise your values, such as free time, precision work, power, technical competence, and public contact.
Competency Profiler Card Sort
The Competency Profiler Sort is a quick and easy way to identify the competencies you have that are central to your career satisfaction and success. Your selections will involve assessing your proficiency in various competencies, then your motivation to use these skills.
E-mail us for more information and the opportunity to complete one or more of these exercises.
The answers to these exercises are not going to tell you what you should do or be but they will help you in your decision making by clarifying your thoughts and identifying your skills, interests and values. And they’ll ensure you become a most compelling candidate.
photo credit: Board Shanty via photo pin cc
