Career Decisions: Self Assessment

Part 2: Personality and Skills

Personality Inventories

Many personality inventories used in career planning are based on a theory by psychologist Carl Jung. Jung divided people into eight personality types — extroverts, introverts, thinking, feeling, sensing, intuitive, judging, and perceptive. Career counselors often use results from tests based on Jungian Personality Theory to help clients choose careers. Career counselors contend that those of a particular personality type are better suited to certain careers. An obvious example would be that an introvert would not do well in a career that requires public speaking. However, a personality inventory alone shouldn't be used to predict whether you would succeed in a particular career. It should be used in conjunction with other inventories, such as those that look at interests and values.

Career development practitioners frequently administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) for the assessment of personality. It measures differences in traits between individuals. It looks at how one energizes (Extroversion vs. Introversion), perceives information (Sensing vs. iNtuition), makes decisions (Thinking vs. Feeling), and demonstrates his or her lifestyle (Judging vs. Perceiving). When the test is scored, the individual is given a four letter code, i.e. ENFJ (Extroversion Intuitive Feeling Judging), indicating his or her preferences. Each preference is also assigned a number to show how strong that preference is.

Skills Assessment

When deciding what field to enter, you need to determine what skills you have. You should look at what you're good at, as well as what you enjoy doing. You may be very adept at a particular skill, but despise every second you spend using it. Generally speaking, though, you usually enjoy what you do well.

While you're assessing your skills, you should also consider the time you are willing to spend on acquiring more advanced or new skills. A question you could ask yourself is this — if a career holds all the qualities I find appealing but it takes X years to prepare for it, would I be willing and able to make this time commitment?

Computer-Assisted Career Guidance Assessments

There are several computer programs that can help you with self assessment. Programs like SIGI 3 (System of Interactive Guidance and Information) and Discover require users to answer a variety of questions about interests, skills, and values. Based on those answers, the software comes up with a list of career the user may be interested in. There's a component that allows users to gather information about these careers. Computer-Assisted Career Guidance programs are often found in career centers at high schools or colleges. Some job and career centers at public libraries also make these programs available.

Additional Considerations

When going through the self assessment process it's important to take into account other considerations that will influence your career choice. For example, you should consider your family responsibilities and your ability to pay for education or training. You also have to remember that self assessment is the first step in the career planning process, not the last. After completing this phase, you have to go on to the next one, which entails exploring the options you have before you. With your self assessment results in mind, you will have to next evaluate a variety of occupations to see if there's a match. Just because your self assessment indicates that a particular occupation is suitable for someone with your interests, skills, and values, it doesn't mean it is best for you. Similarly, just because your self assessment doesn't indicate that a particular occupation is appropriate for you, it doesn't mean you should discount it entirely. You just need to do some research to learn more about it.

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Part 1: Values and Interests