Choosing a career: step two
by Jess Taylor (April 10, 2006)Last week, I mentioned that one of the most important parts of choosing a career is deciding what’s most important to you in a job. Another important part of the self-evaluation process is determining what you’re good at! Remember, this isn’t always about what you already know – you can always look into furthering your education – but about where your skills lie!
Make a list of 10 of your strongest assets. Are you comfortable with numbers and spreadsheets? Do you like public speaking? Can you write clearly or draw or speak multiple languages? Do you keep your checkbook balanced? Are you good with tools? If you’re currently in a career, focus on the parts you enjoy most and are successful at. If you’re starting out, take a look at your strengths at home or in school.
Once you’ve made a list of some of your strengths, you can start to take a look and see if there’s a strong pattern. You may have a lot of items that involve you working with your hands, with data or numbers, with other people, or with creativity! Not only can this list help you determine your strengths and what kinds of careers to begin looking at, it can also be used as a great resume boosting exercise!