Career tests are great. They give insight into your talents and skills, personality type or interests, and that is all important to define your career direction. However, choosing a career is a lot more difficult than taking a simple career test. If you’ve taken a career test and still need help clarifying your direction or, you haven’t, but would like some place to start – these three factors can help you:
Start with you– This step deals with self-awareness. We help our clients to see that they need to find a career that is a mirror image of who they are as a person. Think about who you are as a person- what your values are, what lifestyle you want, and your interests. This is the first step in discovering your career path.
Action tip: Write down what is most important to you in your life to help you define your values. Then determine if you want to use it in your career path. For example, is health and wellness a value, and is this something you would like to use in a career by helping people with theirs? Or is it something you prefer to honor in your personal life?
Discover your skills– To find a long term career that really fits you, you need to make sure you have the skills for it. For example, someone who faints at the sight of blood may decide that a career in nursing wouldn’t be a good fit. Someone who hates math may decide to steer clear of an accounting career.
Action tip: Write down all your skills. Ask a trusted friend to review your list and see what they can realistically add to it since many times others see things we don’t see in ourselves.
Determine your personality type– The office environment or corporate culture of the career path you are considering can have a negative impact on your job satisfaction. Think about your personality type. Are you more introverted or extroverted? An introverted personality may be uncomfortable with lots of group projects and meetings, whereas an extroverted personality may find it too boring to work alone.
Action tip: Take a personality test and research your long term career choices that mesh well with the results. There are some great free quizzes on www.onetcenter.org.
