Learning about yourself
Brainstorm the following:
- Your interests - Activities you enjoy doing in your spare time, that you would like to do more of or would like to do in the future.
- Your values – Things that you consider important, that motivate you, that you want from your work and that you believe in.
- Your skills - Skills that you currently have, that you enjoy using or that you hope to gain in the future.
If you’re having difficulties assessing yourself, there are numerous free online resources to help you. These will help you identify your skills, interests and values and will also match them with suggested career options.
- My Guide on the My Future website takes you through your interests, values and skills in a multiple choice questionnaire and links them with possible industries and occupations. As you work through the activities provided your work is saved under your username, so that at any time in your career you can come back to revise your plans.
- Find out about yourself on the Job Guide website allows you to work through activities that investigate your interests and to explore careers that match these.
- The Career Quiz on the JobSearch website is a multiple choice questionnaire which provides career suggestions based on your interests.
Professional Assessments
To get information on the types of careers that suit your personality you can also:
- see a Careers Counsellor to get professional vocational assessments
- complete a fee-for-service online assessment
Interests
By being aware of your interests you can make well-informed choices about which occupations you might enjoy.
Values
Understanding your work values will help you find occupations that will fit the way you want to work. Having a good fit between your values and your work will ensure job satisfaction.
Find Deakin on:
23rd March 2011