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Self Assessment:
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Promotion, advancement, or career development is not for everyone. Perhaps you do not want additional responsibility or authority. Maybe you prefer a job that you can forget when you go home. Perhaps you have another interest that involves a strong personal commitment. Career development may be a long-term goal, but not an important one at this particular point in time.
There is often strong social or organizational pressure to "get ahead." But getting ahead is not the answer for everyone, and it may not be the answer for you.
Career planning must consider personal interests, values, and commitments. What you do in your working life should be consistent with what you expect to get out of life.
Confusion about goals, values, and priorities is common. Peer pressure to accept certain values as your own is often difficult to overcome. Some values may seem to be more "socially acceptable."
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Values:
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Values form the basis of career satisfaction. Learning what your personal and work values are and accepting them is an important process if career planning is to be successful. There are no "right" answers. The exercise is only for you to learn more about yourself.
Underline the values that are important to you:
Achievement Honesty Moral Fulfilment
Advancement Independence Pleasure
Challenge Integrity Power
Change/Variety Involvement Public Contact
Competitiveness Job Tranquility Recognition
Cooperation Knowledge Religion
Creativity Leadership Security
Expertise Leisure Self-respect
Family Happiness Loyalty Status
Friendship Money Supervision
Health Personal Development Time Flexibility
Healfulness/Service
Are there others you would like to add?
Rank your top eight values
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Values and Decisions: If you want to receive satisfaction from your work, you have to consider values when accepting assignments.
At work, you are constantly deciding how you will spend your enthusiasm and your energy.
But most jobs -- even within the existing controls and constraints of an organization--provide some leeway in how you do your job.
For example, you may have some control over:
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- Which objectives you will pursue and how you will pursue them.
- Which activities to delegate and which to keep for yourself.
- Which opportunities or new experiences you will accept and those you won't.
- Your career development.
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Needs: Understanding your needs is an important part of assessing values and career planning. Many people have difficulty in understanding why they become intersted in some jobs and not in others. There are many factors in your private life, and in your working life that may be important to you. Some of these factors may be obvious; others may be uinclear or subconscious.
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• MONEY: Is money important to you? Is it your main motivation for working? Do you like the things money can buy? Perhaps you have financial obligations that make a good salary a necessity?
• OTHER BENEFITS: Do you need to be covered by a comprehensive benefits package? Do you want to work for an organization which provides ample opportunities for training and growth?
• PRESTIGE: Do you want a job with status, power, or influence? Is recognition from your peers important to you? Are you simply happy doing a good job?
• ORGANIZATIONAL IMAGE: Do you want to work for an important organization, on whose image you can relate to? Do you want to provide products/services you can relate to?
• FAMILY: Are there family considerations that might influence your choice of work? Do you enjoy family activities? Are there family circumstances that place extra demands on you?
• SPOUSE: Does your spouse have interests for job priorities that are a factor?
• TRAVEL: Are you able to travel? To what extent? Do you enjoy travelling, or are you happiest in one place?
• HOURS OF WORK: Are you prepared and able to work shifts, overtime, or long hours? Are the hours flexible or rigid? Will they be convenient?
• ENVIRONMENT: Is the physiucal lovation and building to your liking? Is it large or small enough to accommodate your needs?
• OTHERS: |
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Rank the five needs most important for your consideration:
Personal Qualities:
Underline those qualities that you think describe you. You may want to make copies of this list and have friends underline the words they think describe you best. Then compare your list with the impressions of others.
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| Accurate
Adaptable
Affectionate
Aggressive
Ambitious
Assertive
Businesslike
Capable
Casual
Cautious
Cheerful
Competent
Competitive
Confident
Conscientious
Conservative
Considerate
Cooperative
Creative
Critical
Curious
Decisive
Dedicated
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| Defensive
Dependable
Detailed
Discreet
Easy Going
Efficient
Enthusiastic
Fast Learner
Fair-minded
Friendly
Firm
Flexible
Forceful
Frank
Generous
Gentle
Hard Working
Helpful
Honest
Humorous
Imaginative
Independent
Intelligent
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| Kind
Leader
Listener
Logical
Loyal
Mature
Methodical
Meticulous
Moody
Negative
Nervous
Non-conformist
Open-minded
Organized
Outgoing
Patient
Preserving
Persuasive
Political
Positive
Practical
Precise
Productive
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| Problem Solver
Quick-tempered
Quiet
Realistic
Reasonable
Reliable
Resourceful
Responsible
Selfish
Self-controlled
Sensitive
Serious
Sincere
Spontaneous
Stable
Strong
Stubborn
Sympathetic
Tactful
Talkative
Team Worker
Thorough
Thoughtful
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Interests:
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• List your main interests under each of the following headings:
• Work and Work-related Activities
• Professional Activities
• Community Activities
• Education/Learning
• Hobbies/Recreation
• Other
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