Self-Assessment
“Start planning your second career while you’re on your first one.” ~ David Brown
In today’s fast-paced work environments you can expect to change your career or at least modify your career direction every 5 or so years. In order to create possibilities for yourself you must have a direction or focus. Effective career planning starts with getting to know your interests, skills, aptitudes, values and personal style. Potential careers need to match these factors. The better the match, the better your chances of finding job satisfaction in your chosen career.
To get you started, here are a few on-line versions that contain self-assessment tests (no charge as well as fee-for-service) that help match your interests, aptitudes and personality with appropriate careers, based on your unique strengths and weaknesses at the testing time.
Web Sites
Career Development eManual
The Career Development eManual has been designed to help you manage your career development process. Including information and tests on Self Assessment - personality, attitudes, skills, achievements, knowledge, learning styles, values, interests, entrepreneurism, Research, Decision Making, Networks and Contacts, Interviews, Work and Life/Work Planning. Free.
The Career Key
This free, short Interest quiz is based on Holland’s Interest Type model (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional) and measures your skills, abilities, talents, values, interests, and personality.
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter
Keirsey Temperament Sorter II, personality quiz that tells you if you're an Artisan, Guardian, Rational or Idealist. Free, login required, receive a free temperament description with the option to purchase a full 10 page report.
Intelligence IQ Test
Intelligence - IQ test.
Free mini report, fee for full report
The Platinum Rule
The Platinum Rule. Personality Style.
Free mini report, fee for full report
Once your job search has ended and you find a job, there are things you can do to
make your working life successful.
Communication skills
Working well with others requires effective communication skills, which can be learned
on the job. Listening well to what is being said and asking for clarification when
necessary are two particularly important skills in the workplace.
People skills
Good people skills are essential in the workplace and take time to develop. Here
are a few pointers to get you started:
Practise patience. In the workplace,
you often have to depend on others to get the job done, just as others may have
to rely on you. The modern workplace relies on teamwork, so you need to stay calm
under pressure and respect your co-workers.
Learn to accept criticism. When your
supervisor hands something back to you for corrections, or suggests a different
way of doing something, don't get upset; constructive criticism is part of the learning
process.
Give others space to do their jobs.
Ask questions if you need to, but learn to trust in your own ability to make decisions.
When first training for a job, everyone will understand if you have questions about
how to do things. After you settle in, try to solve problems on your own before
going to your boss. That will show the employer and the other employees that you
have the resources and initiative to find things out for yourself.
Forgive the mistakes of others as well as your own.
Everyone has days when things don't go the right way. Being able to forgive yourself
and others when mistakes are made will make you a better team member.
Learning styles
When you start a new job, there is a lot to learn about the organization, your employer,
other employees and your position. That’s why it’s important to know
how you learn best. For example:
- Are you more likely to turn a computer on and start playing
with it, or would you read the manual first?
- Do you learn best by hearing about tasks, reading about tasks
or performing tasks?
Let your employer know how you learn best and ask for what you need if necessary.
It’s also important to look at how you can add different techniques
to your learning style, like slowing down before jumping into a task or asking someone
to show you how best to perform a task.
The power of knowledge
Knowledge gives you more choices. The more you learn, the more valuable you become
to employers. You may be able to apply for higher positions within your organization
or to transfer into another job with more responsibility.
