Assess Yourself: What Are You Bringing on Your Career Journey?
The information in the web resource below is also available as a printable worksheet packet, to help you assess your identities, interests, values, personality traits, and skills all in one place.
Congratulations on reaching this stop on your career journey! If you are reading this, it is likely because you are curious about figuring out the next step in your professional development.
Where do you begin when you don’t know where to begin with your career path? What are new opportunities you could explore once you find a field that fascinates you? How do you prioritize which experiences to pursue when there are a few, several, or many options that interest you?
In Career Education, students come to us with these questions and many more as they explore different pathways for their professional development. We understand that there are multiple factors you may be considering when choosing a class, volunteer activity, internship, or job. Regardless of what options you are weighing, we are here to support you in making informed decisions in your career exploration.
In order to make an informed decision, it is important to assess yourself. What are you bringing on your career journey? What are your identities, interests, values, personality traits, skills, and experiences? How have they impacted your career path? How might they influence your career choices in the future?
Self-assessment allows you to develop your knowledge about yourself. This self-awareness will be a crucial tool as you research career fields and market yourself for new opportunities.
Self-assessment is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process that will last a lifetime. As you gain new experiences, be mindful of taking time to reassess yourself before moving onto other opportunities. As time goes on, you will find that self-assessment will guide you in making more focused and intentional decisions.
Like any other process, self-assessment requires practice. Therefore, block out time to practice it and answer the questions on the following pages.
If you would like to explore additional self-assessment tools like SkillScan, reach out to your Advisor for Career Exploration (ACE).
Identities: The Foundation for Your Career Journey
The first step to self-assessment is to reflect on the core elements of your identity. You may have multiple identities. They may come from various aspects of your life. Some of your identities may be linked to experiences you have had or to communities to which you belong. Others may be connected to to your interests, values, personality, activities, or other parts of your life. Reflect on your core self. What aspects of your identity are fundamental regardless of your social context?
List five identities that describe you at your core. Consider using a variety of descriptors. They may be adjectives, demographic descriptors, or communities to which you have a strong connection. Reflect on why these identities matter most to you.
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Keep these identities in mind as you assess your interests, values, personality traits, skills, and experiences.
Interests: What Piques Your Curiosity?
List 10-20 things that you enjoy learning or like to do. The following questions will guide your brainstorming session.
- What do you like to do for fun? How do you like to spend your free time?
- What books, magazines, or news articles do you like reading?
- If you had time to volunteer on a regular basis, what organization, cause, or population would you serve?
- What local, national, or global issues most interest you?
- What are you favorite courses?
- If you had to teach any any subject, what would it be?
- Think of jobs, internships, or other activities you have done. Which ones have been most interesting to you?
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Review your list. What themes appear most often in your answers? What interests on the list do you find most engaging and why? What experiences have allowed you to explore those interests? What new experiences would allow you to explore those interests?
Values: What Matters to You?
Circle the work values that you find most important. Add any values that you wish.
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Rank your top five values in order of priority. Why do you find those values to be most important? What experiences have allowed you to practice those values? What new experiences would allow you to practice those values?
Personality Traits: How Would You Describe Yourself?
Circle the personality traits that best describe you. Add any traits that you wish.
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Rank your top five traits. What experiences have allowed you to demonstrate those traits effectively? What new experiences would allow you to demonstrate those traits effectively?
Skills: What Do You Do Well?
Circle all of the skills that you know how to use.
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Put a star by the skills you enjoy using.
Rank your top five skills in order of enjoyment. What experiences have allowed you to practice those skills? What new experiences would allow you to develop those skills?
