Assess Career Possibilities
A. Conduct self-assessment
The most effective way to start this process is to think about where you would like to be at the end of your career. Once you do this, you can begin to plan how to best get there. Remember to be realistic in your vision by considering all aspects of your life from the beginning of your plan.
Once you have a sense of what you are trying to accomplish overall, you then need to look at where you are now in terms of likes/dislikes; strengths/weaknesses; and your current and past job experience.
Conducting a personal inventory can help you do this. Some questions to get you started include:
Consider your current job as well as past positions and ask yourself:
- What components of these positions did I enjoy most?
- What components did I not enjoy?
- What do I consider my greatest job strengths?
- In what areas do I need to improve?
- What specific knowledge do I bring to a job?
- What values do I want to make sure are present at my workplace?
- What career areas am I interested in? (don't limit yourself based on what you have or have not done in the past)
Sometimes these answers aren't so clear to us so using a developed self-assessment tool may be helpful. Such tools identify abilities, interests, and attitudes towards work as well as strengths and weaknesses. Looking for a match between your strengths and the work you are doing or considering doing is the most important step before making any decisions for development planning.
Click on the links below to access various self assessment tools:
| Self Assessments |
Where to find them |
|
Simple skills search
|
http://online.onetcenter.org/gen_skills_page#group2 (matches skills with types of jobs for you) |
|
Transferable Skill Inventory |
|
| ONET Work Interest Profiler |
http://www.onetcenter.org/IP.html (finds occupations that you would like and find exciting) |
| ONET Ability Profiler |
http://www.onetcenter.org/AP.html Identifies occupations that match your strengths |
| ONET Work Importance Locator |
http://www.onetcenter.org/WIL.html Identifies what is important in a job for you |
b. Explore Careers that Interest You:
Once you have conducted your self-assessment, you are ready to begin your research to find out more about the job you are interested in obtaining. You can gain this information through any or all of the following methods.
Information Search
Commonwealth of Virginia's Electronic One-Stop Workforce Development
System: http://www.careerconnect.state.va.us
CareerConnect is a customer service network designed to assist workers,
students, individuals seeking employment, and employers with an abundance
of educational, employment, and career-related information. The focus
is on careers in Virginia.
Virginia View: http://www.vaview.vt.edu/career/index.cfm
Matches interests and skills with 600 occupations. A great way to
begin planning for the future.
ONET Online: http://online.onetcenter.org
ONET, the Occupational Information Network, is a comprehensive database
of worker attributes and job characteristics. As the replacement for
the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), ONET will be the nation's
primary source of occupational information.
RECRUIT: http://jobs.state.va.us/Recruit_Search_Engine.htm
Current job openings in the state as well as at MWC:
MWC Jobs: http://www.umw.edu/hr/employment
Current job openings at Mary Washington College.
State's Career Guide: http://jobs.state.va.us/cc_careerguides.html
Provides specific information on job roles including related fields
and possible career paths.
INFORMATION INTERVIEW:
One of the most effective methods of obtaining more detailed information about a particular career is to conduct an information interview with someone who holds the position that interests you. This allows you to confirm information that you have read and provides you with information not available in written form. You will also receive tips and information about the job and career field that could be of great value in preparing applications for work and in a job interview.
You can do this by contacting the organization that interests you. Ask for the name, job title and phone number of the person doing the job or possessing the skill you wish to investigate.
Be prepared to ask questions. Be concise so as not to waste the person's time. Allow the person an opportunity to provide additional information. Use a paper or electronic diary to keep track of your contacts and to add notes during your meetings. (You can continue to use the same log when you network.) If you have not already seen the work area, ask for a tour.
The purpose of the interview is to collect information that will allow you to make informed career decisions. Do not take the chance of embarrassing yourself or upsetting a potential employer by using the information interview to ask for a job or set up an employment interview.