Step 1: Assess yourself
Ultimately only person knows what is right for you - that's you. Start by looking at your strengths, weaknesses, interests, values, skills and abilities. Using this information you can evaluate different career options and decide whether they will suit you. You need to consider your:
Interests
What activities or areas really interest you? These are just some ideas. Do you enjoy, or are you interested in:
- Education/training/coaching others
- Interpreting data/disseminating information or results
- Government/political events
- Working with young people or animals
- Designing or producing items or buildings
- Developing IT systems
- Managing resources
- Restoration or conservation
- Advice or legal work
- Writing/journalism/research
- Culture/media/performing arts
- Using scientific or engineering principles to solve problems.
What careers could incorporate these interests?
Lifestyle and values
Think about your values and how you would like to work. How important are these things to you:
- Gaining promotion rapidly
- Being self-employed
- Helping others to cope or succeed with their lives
- Receiving financial rewards
- Having job security
- Working in a team or working independently
- Travelling
- Working in a large global company or working in a small local one
- Working in a creative environment
- Living in a particular location
What type of employer could match these values and lifestyle requirements? For more information see types of employer.
Personality
It is important that your personality or temperament are suitable for the career your choose. This has an impact on:
- how you appear to other people and interact with them
- how you approach and deal with tasks
- how you react and feel in different situations
Look through the list of adjectives below. Make a note of those you feel are characteristic of you and those that do not relate to you. Then make a third list of ones you do not feel strongly about one way or another.
- consistent
- confident
- empathic
- outgoing
- reliable
- professional
- organised
- resilient
- independent
- imaginative
- methodical
- objective
- motivated
- cheerful
- co-operative
- energetic
- decisive
- adaptable
- enthusiastic
- conscientious
- persistent
Now go through your three lists again. Put a star against characteristics that you feel are particularly descriptive of you.
Be honest in your responses. Do not try to portray yourself in a way that you think might impress others. None of these characteristics are superior to any other, but some will relate better to particular jobs. Talk to family members and friends, tutors and fellow students, how would they describe you?
Skills
What are you good at? What practical skills do you already have? What skills could you and do you want to develop? Are you a good communicator, or do you have outstanding organisational skills, for example? Are you a good team leader or good at giving presentations? Do you enjoy doing these things?
Use the Graduate Toolkit to help you identify the skills that you already have and that you enjoy using.
Step 2: Now use what you have learnt about yourself to evaluate your career options and research your career options.