Self-Assessment and Career Exploration:

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Self-Assessment and Career Exploration

• Keys to Successful Career Planning
• Patricia A. Paolucci
• Associate Director, Career Services
• Graduate and Continuing and Career Education
• Assumption College

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Elements of a Career Plan

• Know Yourself--skills, interests, values,
  abilities, accomplishments
• Know Industry/Field of Interest-- explore fields,
  industries, organizations
• Develop Outreach Campaign--create goals and
  action plan obtain skills, knowledge, and
  education market yourself and manage your
  search

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What is Self Assessment?

• Gathering information about oneself in order to
  make career and other life decisions.

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Career Planning Steps 1. Assess
Yourself
YOURSELF
JOB MARKET

• Interests
• Values
• Personality
• Purpose and rewards
• Skills and knowledge
• Accomplishments
• Preferences and needs
• Ideal Work

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Self-assessment Resources

• Career Services
• Americas Job Bank (http//www.careeronestop.org/E
  xploreCareers/ExploreCareers.aspx)
• Books (list provided in hand-outs)
• Hand-outs (provided)

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What Next? Evaluate Results

• Match assessment results with potential career
  choices
• -assessment suggestions
• -Occupational Information Network
  (www.online.onetcenter.org)
• -Dictionary of Occupational Titles
• (http//www.occupationalinfo.org)
• -Occupational Outlook Handbook
• (http//www.bls.gov/oco/)

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Gain Focus

• What one or two career
• choices representing my
• ideal work do I want to
• focus on?

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Career Planning Steps 2. Assess the Job
Market
YOURSELF
JOB MARKET

• Conduct more research on your career choices
• Understand the job market
• - Industries
• - Employment outlook
• - Local economy and employers
• Informational interviewing
• External Opportunities

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What Should You Research?

• Mission and goals
• Services/programs/products
• Competitors
• Business volume, profitability, stability and
  history
• Salary ranges and rates for various positions
• Recent employment activity (employees, layoffs,
  turnover, hiring trends)
• Titles of positions for which you qualify
• Education or training needed

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More Resources

• Books and publications on various careers or
  fields
• Career/job bank sites Americas Job Bank,
  Vault.com, Wetfeet.com, etc.
• Professional organization sites
• Economic and labor market web and publications
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• (http//www.bls.gov/home.htm)

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More Resources

• Business magazines/newspapers
• Career sites (e.g. RileyGuide, Quintessential
  Careers, Idealist, etc.)
• Professional trade journals
• Annual reports
• Organization web sites/linked sites
• Informational Interviewing
• Grad and CCE Career Services web (in progress)

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Networking and Informational Interviewing

• Contacting people who may be able to
• help you learn more about career
• fields, companies, or opportunities.
• Workshop on Saturday, April 5, at
• 10 am!

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Career Planning Steps 3. Your Next Career Move

External Opportunities
JOB!
Ideal Work
Achieve It With Targeted Outreach Campaign! -
Organize yourself - Manage yourself -
Market yourself - Motivate yourself
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Organize Yourself

• Create a job search space
• -Files
• -Computer/printer
• -Stationery
• Minimize distractions

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Manage Yourself

• Effective time management is essential
• to your job search.
• Techniques to keep on track
• Set goals and objectives
• Partner with fellow other jobseekers
• Use file system/personal organizer
• Spend more time on activities that yield more
  results (e.g., networking)
• Develop a daily or weekly timeline with assigned
  tasks

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Market Yourself

• Effective resumes and cover letters that convey
  your accomplishments (use qualifications summary
  and accomplishment statements)
• Networking
• Broadcasting
• Responding to advertised positions
• It is estimated that 75 of available jobs
• are never advertised!

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Motivate Yourself

• Maintain a positive self-imagedont take
  rejection personally or dwell on negative past
  experiences.
• Engage in enjoyable activities, exercise, and eat
  well to maintain health and positive mental
  outlook. Motivates you to keep an active search
  going.
• Be aware of how you are handling your emotions.

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Summary

• Know your skills
• Have a clear objective
• Know where and how to look for leads
• Spend at least some time every week on your
  search
• Utilize networking and informational interviewing
• Follow up on all contacts