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Home » Working Women » Career Tips » Importance of self-assessment before choosing a career

The importance of self-assessment while on the threshold of taking that decision about your future cannot be stressed enough. It is so important that you begin by asking yourself "Who am I?" and then creating step by step, a professional identity for yourself. This inward journey helps you in the process of self-evaluation, giving clarity to your thoughts and helping you to define your interests, preferred skills, your preferred work values, your educational aspirations and even helps you to define your work personality. You have to consider various aspects and put together a summary profile of yourself so that you can take informed decisions. Remember that Self-assessment is a process that you should undertake periodically throughout your life.

We will begin by helping you to identify your interests. In general you like:

  1. Working with people, individuals or groups or both? (this includes mentoring, negotiating, instructing, supervising, diverting, persuading, serving, helping, taking instructions, etc.)
  2. Working with things (setting up, precision working, operating-controlling, manipulating, tending, handling, etc.)
  3. Working with data (synthesizing, coordinating, analyzing, compiling, computing, copying, comparing, etc.)
  4. Working with ideas (creating, designing, innovating, developing, self-expressing, etc.)
  5. Working with any combination of the above

Next we go on to analyzing your particular skills. Check if any of the following skills apply to you.

  • Communication Skills: Are you good at negotiating, bargaining, debating issues without being abrasive to others? Do you possess courteous telephone skills? Are you a good listener? Can you report, explain and convey information? Participate in-group discussions and organize and present ideas effectively?

  • Interpersonal Skills:Are you good at maintaining group cooperation and support? Do you interact effectively with peers, superiors and subordinates? Are you capable of expressing your feelings appropriately? Do you make and keep commitments to people? What about group situations - are you able to analyze self and others?

  • Decision-Making Skills: Do you understand the steps involved with effective decision-making? Are you capable of facilitating groups in the decision-making process? Can you implement sound decisions as well as take responsibility for decisions? Are able to evaluate the effects and effectiveness of a decision? Are you capable of taking independent decisions without feeling pressurized? Are you flexible with your decisions? Do you take decisions that will maximize both individual and collective good?

  • Problem-Solving and Conflict Resolution Skills: Are you capable of anticipating problems before they actually occur? Can you define and identify the possible causes of these problems? Are you the kind who can develop plans to implement solutions and to create innovative solutions to complex problems? Do you adapt your concepts and behavior to changing conventions and norms? Are you able to pinpoint critical issues when taking decisions or solving problems?

  • Also important is for you to list all yourcritical thinking skills wherein you are able to identify, co-relate, analyze and apply appropriate criteria to strategies and action plans. Next, you have to analyze your teamwork and team-building skills. Are you able to motivate team members? Do you understand their strengths and weaknesses? Are you able to work effectively in a team?

  • Do you possess organizational skills? Are you able to facilitate brainstorming sessions, identify tasks on hand that need completion, give constructive feedback? Design and planning skills are equally important. Are you effective at conceptualizing, inventing, adapting, refining, designing and visualizing? Are you good in giving ideas, sketching, imagining alternatives, forecasting and perceiving trends, setting goals, making and keeping a schedule, time management and in general acting effectively?

  • What about human services skills? These include empathizing, offering support, caring, encouraging others to perform, teaching, mentoring, counseling etc. Are you good at these or other similar human skills?

  • Artistic or creative expression is another skill you might possess Are you able to present your personal views effectively? Maybe you are an artistic chef good at presenting food attractively. Or, you can critique others' writings. Maybe you are good at ideas, writing or visualizing. If you are a performer, good at interpreting roles and emoting before an audience you will be imaginative, creative, inventive and innovative.

  • Should you possess information management skills you will find that you are good at organizing, systemizing, cataloguing, compiling, detailing, recording etc
  • Financial management skills are very important in any job. If you possess this skill, you can be part of the budgeting process of the company, justify the budget to higher authorities and keep accurate financial records.

  • Withadministrative, managerial / leadership skills you can initiate ideas, plan and analyze tasks as well as organize people, help in achieving goals and in general inspire others to perform.
  • Good at research, mathematics, science? Do you possess investigative skills? You will use logic and scientific thinking to deal with problems. You will be able to gather and interpret data. You will be able to make decisions based on information that can be measured or verified. Your work will be precise and accurate. Insight and observation are your strengths.

  • Next in line are mechanical / technical skills. Building, making, repairing, mechanical dexterity, physical coordination, agility and precision are your forte.
  • Finally there arepe

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