Career Decision-Making Help
"Until you accept total responsibility — no matter what — you will not be able to put plans in place to accomplish your goals."
--David Cottrell --
Visit the guidance office at any time to check out information on the many career options that await you. If you want to have a chat about your future plans, I am ready to assist you. It's never too early to start thinking about life after high school. Remember, June will be here before you know it!
Career decision making involves the pursuit of self-knowledge.
It is critical to learn what motivates us, what abilities or aptitudes we possess and where we can best apply these skills/competencies. Within this process is confirmation of who we are and what career choice we are passionate about that is a “good fit” for successful entry and/or re-entry to the workforce. Career counsellors can provide consultation, interpretation, and guidance in collaboration with each individual.
Self-Assessment Learning Activity
Put a check (v) mark next to any of the statements that apply to you and an (X) mark next to any of the statements that do not apply to you. Hopefully, this exercise will help you focus on your interests and abilities; please use it as a guide in your career planning.
Verbal Linguistic Intelligence
___ I like to read, write, use words.
___ I enjoy puzzles, word games, rhymes, etc.
___ Spelling is easy for me.
___ My vocabulary is strong.
___ I like to do research about topics I’m interested in.
___ I enjoy stories and storytelling.
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
___ I enjoy numbers, math, and computers.
___ I like strategy games like chess.
___ I like to analyze and solve problems.
___ I like organization, structure, and logical sequences.
___ I enjoy charts, graphs, statistics, data.
___ I like designing and conducting experiments.
Spatial Intelligence
___ I enjoy drawing, doodling.
___ I like colour.
___ I like videos, movies, and books with diagrams and photographs
___ I can close my eyes and “picture in my mind.”
___ I can find my way in new places.
___ I enjoy using maps, blueprints, spreadsheets, graphic organizers.
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
___ I like to move around; I can’t sit still for long.
___ I enjoy doing, not watching.
___ I like to use my hands.
___ I am very coordinated.
___ I enjoy sports and activities.
___ I like to make/build/construct things.
Name: ______________________________
Grade: _____________________________
Career Goal: ________________________
Date: ______________________________
Musical Intelligence
___ I enjoy music.
___ I have a good sense of rhythm.
___ I remember melodies and songs.
___ I play an instrument.
___ I sing.
___ I’m sensitive to noise and sound.
Interpersonal Intelligence
___ I like to be with people.
___ I’m a good leader.
___ I like working in groups.
___ I have a lot of friends.
___ I don’t like working alone.
___ I understand how other people feel in situations.
Intrapersonal Intelligence
___ I set goals for myself.
___ I like to work alone.
___ I know a lot about myself.
___ I have a strong sense of fairness.
___ I am an individual with my own ideas.
___ I have my own personal hobbies.
Naturalist Intelligence
___ I enjoy being in the outdoors.
___ I observe and see patterns.
___ I am sensitive to nature.
___ I enjoy taking care of animals and plants.
___ I appreciate the environment.
___ I like to group and classify things around me.
The "Who Am I" Exercise:
On a sheet of paper write your answer to the “Who Am I” question. It isn’t necessary that this description be written in a sentence or paragraph format, sometimes just single words can help describe who we are. Remember the greatest discovery you’ll possibly ever make, is the discovery of what “self” means to you. See self-assessment guide below for some factors/questions to consider.
Self-Assessment Guide:
Interests:
What am I interested in doing?
What activities have I enjoyed the most?
What kinds of people would I like to work with?
What kind of job settings would I enjoy?
Values:
What satisfactions do I seek in a career?
In what ways must I be challenged and rewarded on the job?
In what type of work environments would I be happy?
Skills:
What can I do best?
What are my strengths and weaknesses?
What are my most prominent skills and abilities?
What skills do I want to use on the job?
What skills do I need to acquire?
Personality:
What personal qualities do I possess that will help me on the job?
How will my personal style influence my career choice?
How will I get along with my supervisor? co-workers?
Personal Visioning Exercise:
Values
What we’re talking about …
• A value is something about which you feel strongly that goes to the core of who you are. Examples are belief in the importance of family, fairness, generosity, honesty, and friendship.
How this applies to you…
• We all try to live according to our values. Values are those beliefs we consider to be important about life, family, work, and the world. Our actions are motivated by our beliefs and values.
• Values can play a greater role in helping us make life and career decisions if we are clear about the values we hold.
• The work you do must be a good fit with your values or there is potential you might be uncomfortable, stressed, bored, or restless.
• Many people value work for its own sake, especially if they work at something they love to do.
Things to do…
1 Make a list of the values that are important to you.
2 Now make a list of different work or career changes you are considering and check each idea with your values list. What do you see?
Interests
What we’re talking about …
• An interest is something you enjoy and are constantly curious to learn more about.
• A passion is something you love to do, explore, or learn about. A passion can absorb your focus and energy and give you joy without it ever feeling like work.
How this applies to you…
• Personal interests and passions can be signposts to lead you to future job, career, or business ideas.
• A career transition is a chance to explore whether there is potential for you to seek work or to create a business based on your interests.
• Take time to explore your new interests. Move beyond past or long-held interests and try things you’ve always been curious about but have never had time for.
Things to do…
1. Make a list of your interests, the ones you have spent time developing and the ones you’ve always hoped you’d have time for someday.
2. Put your interests in order from most important to least important. Just because you know how to do something doesn’t mean you’ll love doing it as a job or business.
3. Take your top three interests and make a list of job or business ideas for each one.
Skills
What we’re talking about …
• A skill is something you do well. We learn many skills through our life experiences.
• Soft skills are things like attitude, work ethic, customer service, or commitment.
• Transferable skills come from all facets of life and can be applied in many job, business, or life situations. The ability to organize and maintain a supplies inventory is a good example. That’s something you could do in a home pantry, a hardware store, or a production plant.
Identify your skills….
Do you have trouble identifying the value of your skills? If you do, you may be taking your skills for granted. That’s a common mistake. Skills sometimes seem like they are just what you know how to do, or what you’ve done for years. You may not see the things you know how to do as skills you can sell to potential employers and may mistakenly believe that only job skills have value. Skills are learned in every area of your life. They can include manual or learned skills (like using tools or technology) and they can also include soft skills, which include things like a good attitude or work ethic, or the ability to think creatively, solve problems effectively, or work well with others.
Things to do…
1. Make a list of all the things you learned (your skills) in your first job. Now make lists of skills for every important job you have had.
2. Make a list of all the things you learned (skills) through a hobby.
3. Ask a friend to make a list of your skills. Sometimes a friend will see your skills more clearly than you can. Discuss this skill list with your friend. How does it compare with the list of skills you thought you had?
4. Next, break down your skills list into categories. When you create atargeted résumé, you can prioritize your skills categories to make a stronger statement about your abilities.
5. Keep an ongoing list of skills you’d like to learn and look for opportunities to learn them. Remember, not all skills need to be learned in a classroom.
Discovering Your Personal Vision
What we’re talking about …
• Personal vision is your unique combination of values, interests, and skills.
How this applies to you…
• Personal vision is imagining what you can do with your particular combination of values, interests, and skills. It is a way to assess job or business opportunities.
• A job or career based on your personal vision is the cornerstone of a satisfying and purposeful life.
Things to think about…
• Your personal vision changes over time as you gain new skills, develop interests, and gain clarity about your values.
• You have a range of skills and interests. You can use them in different ways at different times in your life to create or update your personal vision.
• The more carefully you explore the match between your personal vision and a job or business idea, the better prepared you are to make decisions that are right for you.
• Your life and work have a greater meaning and satisfaction in direct relationship to how well it matches the values, interests, and skills of your personal vision.
Things to do…
1. Using your lists of values, interests, and skills, do some “what if ” thinking. Remember, you’re not making a commitment just by asking questions like “What if I became a…?”
2. Check each idea on your list against your personal vision. If you don’t have enough information about the job, do some research at a career or job resource centre, on the Internet, at your local library, or by talking to people who do the work that interests you.
3. To make a decision about a job or business idea, you need to know if the idea is a good fit. Does it match your important values? Do you have the skills you need or will you require further training? Will the job or business idea keep your interest or will you become bored once you know you can do it?
(Source: The Age Advantage – Dept. of Education - NS, 2005)
My Goal(s) Exercise:
On a sheet of paper write down what your feel your goals are right now. Keep the sheet in your planning kit or personal file/portfolio. Go back to the sheet as you continue your career exploration journey, change and rewrite anything you feel must be changed. Talk to family, friends and peers about how these goals define you and whether or not they are genuine, realistic and attainable. Be aware that in life change is constant and it’s natural for goals to change and/or be redefined much like everything else in life. Think about this exercise and reflect on what you have learned from it, especially as it relates to both your short term and long term planning.
The Lifeline Exercise:
The purpose of the Lifeline is to assist you in examining your past and present, and to make some projections for the future. During this process you will be able to discern themes, patterns, and trends in the lifeline, which should provide additional information about your behavior, thoughts and plans.
See below for ways to start/complete one.
· Draw a Lifeline of yourself. The Lifeline should be how you perceive yourself. Remember that line can take a variety of shapes and forms (i.e., it does not have to be straight).
· Begin somewhere in the past, and project to some point in the future. Start with your earliest memory, and project to at least one year from today.
· Note the significant events that have shaped your life. These events do not have to be earth-shattering but still can represent milestones (i.e., learning to ride a two-wheel bicycle, going on a first date, etc.).
· For clarification, use the following symbols to further illustrate your lifeline:
! = a risk or a chance you took
X = an obstacle – something (or someone) that prevented you from getting or doing what you wanted.
O = a decision made for you by someone else
+ = a positive, satisfying or appropriate decision.
- = a negative, unsatisfying, or inappropriate decision
? = a decision that you anticipate making in the future (i.e., up to two years from now).
Note:
Symbols for “happy and sad faces” may be inserted as well to express your feelings at certain times along your Lifeline. You may use any or all the symbols as often as you like. A particular event could have all six symbols for further clarification. Feel free to create symbols that represent your particular experiences.
Other questions to consider, think about, or write about in your Career Journal:
What careers would you pursue if you thought you could do ANYTHING? (The idea here is to try and determine your “self-imposed limits” on what you feel you can do. Your self-efficacy expectations.)
What courses in high school did you most enjoy? What courses did you least enjoy? Tell me about these experiences.
Talk to me about the books you enjoy reading; talk to me about your favorite TV shows, your favorite pastimes and hobbies. What does this tell you about your interests and preferences?
Tell me a bit about a “person” and/or the “people” you admire now and/or when you were growing up. Think about the attributes/qualities/interests of these people and how you feel they have earned your admiration/respect. What are some ways in which you wish you could be like them? What are some ways in which you feel you are different?
Family Career Tree Exercise:
Take a look at your “family career tree.” Start by drawing a tree on a blank sheet of paper and to the limbs of this tree let’s put the names of both your immediate and extended family. Next attach to the names the jobs/occupations or careers each individual had. Discuss/write about the ones you found interesting and/or disinteresting. Also talk/write about how your past social/family experience may help/aid in your decision making and/or career aspirations.
Talk about environmental factors and how they may facilitate and/or hinder your career decision-making choices.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of growing up in a rural area versus an urban center/locality?
Talk/write about your work history, your occupational likes and dislikes. Think/write about what tomorrow, next month or next year would look like if things were to work out and you had your “preferred choice” of work/career in place.
The Gratitude Exercise:
Let’s consider a Gratitude Activity for possible review and discussion. Start by developing a list of things you are really grateful for, i.e.: your health, your family, living in a peaceful country, etc. Take a blank sheet of paper and use the following two headings to help guide your thoughts.
My Gratitude List: Some things I am really grateful for….
Possible occupations that would help reinforce and nurture my feelings of gratitude….
Solution-Focused Approach:
Let’s consider a Solution-Focused Approach and use something called the Miracle Question (de Shazer, 1985, 1988): So, “If a miracle happened and the problem you have was solved overnight, how would you know it was solved, and what would be different?” Let’s discuss what needs to be done to get to that point and let's try to determine what range of possibilities may exist.
Interest Inventories:
Check out these websites as possible self-assessment resources - (if the sites refuse to open automatically, try copying and pasteing the selected link into Google or the address bar.)
http://www.jobfutures.ca
http://www.LMIworks.nl.ca/
http://www.rileyguide.com/assess.html
http://www.jobsetc.ca/
http://www.typefocus.com/
http://www.careerkey.org/cgi-bin/ck.pl?action=choices
http://www.myfuture.com/toolbox/workinterest.html
http://www.jobsetc.ca/toolbox/quizzes/quizzes_home.do?lang=e
http://tools.monster.com/
http://www.cdli.ca/ (Check out the Guidance Room on this site.)
http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/LocusofControl-intro.html
Other Career Self-Assessment Links and Resources - if the link fails to connect, try a web search for the selected title.
Career Quizzes - Canada - Training and Careers
Work Values Quiz
Work Preference Quiz
Data, People and Things Quiz
Employability Skills 2000+ Quiz
Entrepreneurship Quiz
Abilities Quiz
Learning Style Self-Assessment
Multiple Intelligence Quiz
Innovation Skills Profile
Essential Skills Online Learning Tool
TOWES Essential Skills Test
NOTE: The above sites are intended only to help individuals enhance their self-appraisal knowledge. You are encouraged to exercise caution in the decision making process and formulate your decision based on detailed self-reflection/assessment, along with a host of other data deemed personally relevant.
REMEMBER to always conduct extensive labour market research and detailed review on your career area of interest. Knowledge is Power!!
Career Coaching Tips for Parents
Career decision making is an ongoing process, not an event that occurs at a given time. It’s not like choosing some new clothes or an appliance. Your child’s career will be influenced by events that occur at school, at home and will continue into adult life. You can help your child through this process.
Analyze your children's activities and interests throughout their lives. Have they always preferred being outside? Do they gravitate toward animals? Do they favour being alone? Identify patterns.
Ask your kids to talk about "pride stories" - things they've done that make them proud. Ask them to talk about what they did to make them happen. Again, look for patterns.
When you and your children have identified their skills and interests, develop a list of what qualities your kids want in a career. Analyze the list and consider different occupations that fit those criteria.
Once your children have an idea of what they would like to do, mine your network of friends to find people in similar occupations. Help your teenagers arrange meetings to talk about the ins and outs of that particular career.
· Encourage your child to ask and think about careers. Children, in their formative years, often fantasize about their futures, especially during play. Encourage this behavior: your child is exploring his or her personality. Let them play—enjoy it! Provide toys that promote role –playing in many different jobs.
· Allow your child to explore, aspire to or at least think about various careers. Don’t discourage particular careers. Instead, ask, “Why does this appeal to you?” Until major decisions are required, try not to dissuade your child from a particular career. Control your urge to make decisions for, rather than with, your child.
· Help your child think about career choices. The question, “If for some reason you couldn’t do this, what other career would appeal to you?” is a good one to raise. It will help you know your child better and will help your child choose a career from a larger number of choices.
· Express your view when your child asks, “What do you think I should be when I grow up?” Make it clear to your child that you will be pleased whatever his or her career choice, but outline what you see as your child’s strengths and talents, and describe careers for which these are an asset.
· Tell your child about work. Do so in a positive fashion. You may even want to take your child to work with you. It is important for all children to see that an adult’s work makes a contribution to society.
·Let your child know that leisure time interests are a part of career planning. Help your child to explore a variety of leisure time activities—hobbies, clubs, sports and games. Some leisure activities lead to or enhance careers--; all will give your child a sense of accomplishments.
· Indicate by your interests that schooling is essential to keeping career doors open. Reading, writing, mathematics and communication skills are essential to most jobs. Your expression of interest in school success will promote positive career development.
·Part-time jobs are an excellent way f or your child to explore careers. Such jobs maybe done as volunteers or for pay. Work experience gives children a sense of pride and accomplishment and enables them to explore their abilities and interests.
· Encourage your child to visit their school guidance counselor and discuss their career plans. Most guidance offices provide students with easy access to job-finding information, occupational monographs, as well as calendars for all major universities, colleges, trade and technical institutes.
Parents, too, are encouraged to visit their child’s guidance counselor. Some questions they may wish to ask the counselor are:
·In light of my child’s strengths and talents, what careers should we be considering?
· What post-secondary education or training will be required?
· What is the best way to pursue this field of study?
· What school subjects are prerequisites for entry?
· What financial assistance will be available in the form of scholarships, bursaries, student loans, and training allowances?
· What will tuition and accommodations cost?
· What is the employment outlook for this career?
Remember, a university degree is only one route to occupational success. If your children are in high school, encourage them to investigate all types of education and training beyond high school. All parents are affected by the career choices of their children. You should be involved in discussing opportunities, weighting alternatives and determining the financial implications of decisions. In many ways, your child’s future is also yours. Don’t be a bystander. Get Involved! (Source: NLTA, St. John’s, NL - 2006)
Achieving Life Skills Outcomes through Career Exploration:
Some summary aspects for you to consider and explore….
Self-Knowledge:
Clarification of your interests, aptitudes, personal style and values
Career Knowledge:
Awareness of future education, work and leisure options
Self-Management:
You organizational skills, reliability, initiative, perseverance & adaptability
Decision Making:
Problem solving skills and processes
Research Skills:
Exploration of education, work and leisure options
Job Search Skills:
Abilities to find and secure appropriate employment opportunities
Interpersonal Skills:
Effective communication skills for positive relationships and team work
Attitudes:
Appropriate attitudes towards self, others, learning, work and leisure
More Ideas about Setting Priorities:
Factors to consider in making your career decision:
5 W's and H (Who, What, When, Where, Why & How)
Education
How much do you have? How much are you willing to get?
Interests
What are your interests? Likes/dislikes?
How do you like to spend your free time?
What types of activities do you enjoy/get excited about? Look forward to?
Aptitude
Rating of your ability to learn different skills?
Temperament
Personal qualities (and how they relate to the job/activities).
Way of thinking/acting behaving. How do you describe yourself?
Pay Scale
What is the minimum you are willing to work for?
Job Prospects/Future Outlook
What are the prospects? Labour Market Analysis
Work Site/Environment
Inside/Outside? Home/With Others? Noise/Quiet? Machinery/Data/People
Hours of Work
Nine to Five: Monday - Friday?
Shift Work: Eight hours/twelve hours? Weekends?
Travel
Are you mobile?
What is the maximum time you hope to spend travelling to/from work?
Values
What is most important to you and does it fit with your career choice?
Goals/Wants
What are you short-term and long-term goals?
Why do you want to work?
DO: Read about it; talk to employees in that type of work; visit the work site (job shadow); check out prospects - pay - "perks" - "difficulties". Ask people who know you well what they see you doing; consider related occupations; do an interest inventory/aptitude test; set goals.
The SWOT Analysis:
The SWOT analysis exercise is another good tool for evaluating situations and is especially useful in making comparisons between two choices. So, in career move terms, it helps to weigh up the various merits of different options, which may be similar, such as the choice between two different jobs, or may be quite different, such as, for example, the choice between a job offer and a retraining option.
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Strengths and weaknesses tend to be internal factors. Opportunities and threats tend to be external factors.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
For example:
A strength could be:
·Your specialist expertise in your personal field/sector
·Your experience with a particular product
·Business experience, i.e. supporting a merger, international working
·Flexibility (to relocate, etc.)
·Particular qualifications
A weakness could be:
·Lack of a particular expertise
·Lack of flexibility
·Lack of experience
·Lack of required qualifications
·Unattractive terms of employment
An opportunity could be:
·A move to a developing market
·Moving into a sector which offers scope of promotion
·Possibilities for new learning
A threat could be:
·A job which might turn out to be ‘dead end’
·Lack of knowledge about potential opportunities
·A ‘buyers market’
·Misalignment with your values and those of the recruiting organism
A SWOT analysis can, of course, be very subjective so it should be viewed only as a means of prompting your thinking, rather than as the definitive picture. What often happens is that the exercise highlights gaps in knowledge, so it’s useful as a catalyst for finding out more information. Also, be aware that the option with the greatest number of strengths isn’t necessarily the one which you might go for! Often, in committing your thoughts to paper, you are better able to evaluate what’s entailed and you may well decide that the opportunities of one option, though limited, might be so outstanding that they far outweigh the many strengths of another.
Reference Source: Take Charge! by Claire Coldwell (2006).
The Force Field Analysis:
Force field analysis is a diagnostic technique developed y Kurt Lewin, a pioneer in the field of social sciences. It is a technique which is useful when looking at factors impacting upon change and particularly in identifying the blocks to progression.
Lewin’s model suggests that in any situation there are both driving and restraining forces.
Driving Forces
Driving forces are those forces affecting situations which are pushing in a particular direction; they tend to initiate a change and keep it going.
In terms of career change, examples might be desire for change, drive for improvement, self-belief, support from others, etc.
Restraining Forces
Restraining forces are forces acting to restrain or decrease the driving forces. Examples might be fear of failure, lack of specific skills or experience, loss of status, etc.
The theory goes that equilibrium is reached when the sum of the driving forces equals the sum of the restraining forces, but equilibrium in the career change context can mean inertia!
So the aim is to shift from that inertia state, to one of action. How so we do that?
Force Field Analysis – An Example:
Restraining Forces:
The inhibitors which will prevent me from reaching my goals
Loss of money
Fear of failure
Not sure where to start
Lack of support
Lack of experience
Add all other factors that you feel apply to your personal situation.
Driving Forces:
The forces which will propel me to reach my goals
Desire
Motivation
Discipline
Transferable skills
Support from partner
Add all other factors that you feel apply to your personal situation.
The first thing to do is to evaluate the Restraining Forces. To what extent are they perceived or real barriers? Some, as in the example above, will be tangible and some less so, and you may need someone to challenge you to get an objective perspective.
Then second, consider how you can boost the Driving Forces and diminish the effects of the restraining ones. Put an Action Plan in place to address these.
Reference Source:
Take Charge! by Claire Coldwell (2006).
Learning How My Thoughts Influence My Choices:
Identifying and addressing any barriers to your career decision-making is an important part of your entire career decision-making process. It is difficult to think clearly when negative thoughts, acting as barriers, interfere with your decision making. To identify and overcome your personal barriers it is important to pay attention to your self-talk, become self-aware, and then remain aware of and control your self talk. To do this you may use a process involving identifying, challenging and altering your negative thinking then taking the action needed to implement your career choice.
“Awareness is the first step to positive change.”
-- Leslie C. Aguilar --
Examples of Techniques to Facilitate Career Development
Films
Discussions
Career support groups for women or minorities
Pre-retirement counselling
Developing bulletin boards
Role play
Making occupational role books
Job analyses
Analyzing expectations of work
Debate
Collecting newspaper articles or magazine stories
Gaming
Writing short stories
Test interpretations
Developing games about interests
Making posters
Self-ratings
Career library research
Examinations of want ads
Work samples
Keep personal records for purpose of analysis
Doing follow-up study
Part-time work
Shadowing workers
Mentoring
Profile census data
Individual counselling
Mentoring
Testing
Work study
Group career counselling
Internships
Social modeling
Career guidance curriculum
Computer-assisted career guidance programs
Seminars on career paths/career ladders
Career awareness program
Peer discussion groups for women and minorities
Work simulations
Career path publications
Job search training
In-house career counsellors
Relaxation tapes
Reading biographies
Job training clubs
Formulating a written career development plan
Interview skill training
Defining terms
Career resource center
Committees
Behavioral rehearsal
Assessment centers
Interview skill training
Selected Internet sites
On-the-job training
Workshops on selected career topics
Job rotations
Skills inventory – job matching system
Outplacement
Workshops on selected career topics
School-to-work transition services
Field trips
Resource people
Examination of want ads
Group career counseling
Desensitization
Apprenticeships
Publishing newspaper about career development concerns
Completing genograms of occupations held by extended family members or ancestors
Panels of recent graduates in different work or educational settings
Contrast or compare characteristics of work or education
Creating listings of characteristics of self in relation to educational and occupational alternatives
Interview; workers, employers, employments service counselors, college admissions people, other postsecondary training personnel
Source:
All of above examples taken from Table 6.7, page 322 of following text: Herr, Edwin L., Cramer, Stanley H. & Niles, Spencer G. (2004). Career Guidance and Counseling through the Life Span. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
A Quick Review
10 Steps to Better Decision – Making:
These steps can be used for any type of decision:
1. Define the decision to be made.
2. Gather the necessary information.
3. List all possible choices.
4. Consider possible outcomes for each choice.
5. Check out how you feel about each of the choices.
6. Relate the choices to your values and priorities.
7. From the possible alternatives, choose one.
8. Commit yourself to your chosen decision and disregard the others. Concentrate your energies in one direction.
9. Take steps to turn your decision into positive action.
10. Evaluate your progress from time to time. Change your decision if necessary.
Source: "Common Difficulties in Decision Making" developed by Ontario Women's Directorate and Times Change
Career decision making involves the pursuit of self-knowledge.
It is critical to learn what motivates us, what abilities or aptitudes we possess and where we can best apply these skills/competencies. Within this process is confirmation of who we are and what career choice we are passionate about that is a “good fit” for successful entry and/or re-entry to the workforce. Career counsellors can provide consultation, interpretation, and guidance in collaboration with each individual.
Self-Assessment Learning Activity
Put a check (v) mark next to any of the statements that apply to you and an (X) mark next to any of the statements that do not apply to you. Hopefully, this exercise will help you focus on your interests and abilities; please use it as a guide in your career planning.
Verbal Linguistic Intelligence
___ I like to read, write, use words.
___ I enjoy puzzles, word games, rhymes, etc.
___ Spelling is easy for me.
___ My vocabulary is strong.
___ I like to do research about topics I’m interested in.
___ I enjoy stories and storytelling.
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
___ I enjoy numbers, math, and computers.
___ I like strategy games like chess.
___ I like to analyze and solve problems.
___ I like organization, structure, and logical sequences.
___ I enjoy charts, graphs, statistics, data.
___ I like designing and conducting experiments.
Spatial Intelligence
___ I enjoy drawing, doodling.
___ I like colour.
___ I like videos, movies, and books with diagrams and photographs
___ I can close my eyes and “picture in my mind.”
___ I can find my way in new places.
___ I enjoy using maps, blueprints, spreadsheets, graphic organizers.
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
___ I like to move around; I can’t sit still for long.
___ I enjoy doing, not watching.
___ I like to use my hands.
___ I am very coordinated.
___ I enjoy sports and activities.
___ I like to make/build/construct things.
Name: ______________________________
Grade: _____________________________
Career Goal: ________________________
Date: ______________________________
Musical Intelligence
___ I enjoy music.
___ I have a good sense of rhythm.
___ I remember melodies and songs.
___ I play an instrument.
___ I sing.
___ I’m sensitive to noise and sound.
Interpersonal Intelligence
___ I like to be with people.
___ I’m a good leader.
___ I like working in groups.
___ I have a lot of friends.
___ I don’t like working alone.
___ I understand how other people feel in situations.
Intrapersonal Intelligence
___ I set goals for myself.
___ I like to work alone.
___ I know a lot about myself.
___ I have a strong sense of fairness.
___ I am an individual with my own ideas.
___ I have my own personal hobbies.
Naturalist Intelligence
___ I enjoy being in the outdoors.
___ I observe and see patterns.
___ I am sensitive to nature.
___ I enjoy taking care of animals and plants.
___ I appreciate the environment.
___ I like to group and classify things around me.
The "Who Am I" Exercise:
On a sheet of paper write your answer to the “Who Am I” question. It isn’t necessary that this description be written in a sentence or paragraph format, sometimes just single words can help describe who we are. Remember the greatest discovery you’ll possibly ever make, is the discovery of what “self” means to you. See self-assessment guide below for some factors/questions to consider.
Self-Assessment Guide:
Interests:
What am I interested in doing?
What activities have I enjoyed the most?
What kinds of people would I like to work with?
What kind of job settings would I enjoy?
Values:
What satisfactions do I seek in a career?
In what ways must I be challenged and rewarded on the job?
In what type of work environments would I be happy?
Skills:
What can I do best?
What are my strengths and weaknesses?
What are my most prominent skills and abilities?
What skills do I want to use on the job?
What skills do I need to acquire?
Personality:
What personal qualities do I possess that will help me on the job?
How will my personal style influence my career choice?
How will I get along with my supervisor? co-workers?
Personal Visioning Exercise:
Values
What we’re talking about …
• A value is something about which you feel strongly that goes to the core of who you are. Examples are belief in the importance of family, fairness, generosity, honesty, and friendship.
How this applies to you…
• We all try to live according to our values. Values are those beliefs we consider to be important about life, family, work, and the world. Our actions are motivated by our beliefs and values.
• Values can play a greater role in helping us make life and career decisions if we are clear about the values we hold.
• The work you do must be a good fit with your values or there is potential you might be uncomfortable, stressed, bored, or restless.
• Many people value work for its own sake, especially if they work at something they love to do.
Things to do…
1 Make a list of the values that are important to you.
2 Now make a list of different work or career changes you are considering and check each idea with your values list. What do you see?
Interests
What we’re talking about …
• An interest is something you enjoy and are constantly curious to learn more about.
• A passion is something you love to do, explore, or learn about. A passion can absorb your focus and energy and give you joy without it ever feeling like work.
How this applies to you…
• Personal interests and passions can be signposts to lead you to future job, career, or business ideas.
• A career transition is a chance to explore whether there is potential for you to seek work or to create a business based on your interests.
• Take time to explore your new interests. Move beyond past or long-held interests and try things you’ve always been curious about but have never had time for.
Things to do…
1. Make a list of your interests, the ones you have spent time developing and the ones you’ve always hoped you’d have time for someday.
2. Put your interests in order from most important to least important. Just because you know how to do something doesn’t mean you’ll love doing it as a job or business.
3. Take your top three interests and make a list of job or business ideas for each one.
Skills
What we’re talking about …
• A skill is something you do well. We learn many skills through our life experiences.
• Soft skills are things like attitude, work ethic, customer service, or commitment.
• Transferable skills come from all facets of life and can be applied in many job, business, or life situations. The ability to organize and maintain a supplies inventory is a good example. That’s something you could do in a home pantry, a hardware store, or a production plant.
Identify your skills….
Do you have trouble identifying the value of your skills? If you do, you may be taking your skills for granted. That’s a common mistake. Skills sometimes seem like they are just what you know how to do, or what you’ve done for years. You may not see the things you know how to do as skills you can sell to potential employers and may mistakenly believe that only job skills have value. Skills are learned in every area of your life. They can include manual or learned skills (like using tools or technology) and they can also include soft skills, which include things like a good attitude or work ethic, or the ability to think creatively, solve problems effectively, or work well with others.
Things to do…
1. Make a list of all the things you learned (your skills) in your first job. Now make lists of skills for every important job you have had.
2. Make a list of all the things you learned (skills) through a hobby.
3. Ask a friend to make a list of your skills. Sometimes a friend will see your skills more clearly than you can. Discuss this skill list with your friend. How does it compare with the list of skills you thought you had?
4. Next, break down your skills list into categories. When you create atargeted résumé, you can prioritize your skills categories to make a stronger statement about your abilities.
5. Keep an ongoing list of skills you’d like to learn and look for opportunities to learn them. Remember, not all skills need to be learned in a classroom.
Discovering Your Personal Vision
What we’re talking about …
• Personal vision is your unique combination of values, interests, and skills.
How this applies to you…
• Personal vision is imagining what you can do with your particular combination of values, interests, and skills. It is a way to assess job or business opportunities.
• A job or career based on your personal vision is the cornerstone of a satisfying and purposeful life.
Things to think about…
• Your personal vision changes over time as you gain new skills, develop interests, and gain clarity about your values.
• You have a range of skills and interests. You can use them in different ways at different times in your life to create or update your personal vision.
• The more carefully you explore the match between your personal vision and a job or business idea, the better prepared you are to make decisions that are right for you.
• Your life and work have a greater meaning and satisfaction in direct relationship to how well it matches the values, interests, and skills of your personal vision.
Things to do…
1. Using your lists of values, interests, and skills, do some “what if ” thinking. Remember, you’re not making a commitment just by asking questions like “What if I became a…?”
2. Check each idea on your list against your personal vision. If you don’t have enough information about the job, do some research at a career or job resource centre, on the Internet, at your local library, or by talking to people who do the work that interests you.
3. To make a decision about a job or business idea, you need to know if the idea is a good fit. Does it match your important values? Do you have the skills you need or will you require further training? Will the job or business idea keep your interest or will you become bored once you know you can do it?
(Source: The Age Advantage – Dept. of Education - NS, 2005)
My Goal(s) Exercise:
On a sheet of paper write down what your feel your goals are right now. Keep the sheet in your planning kit or personal file/portfolio. Go back to the sheet as you continue your career exploration journey, change and rewrite anything you feel must be changed. Talk to family, friends and peers about how these goals define you and whether or not they are genuine, realistic and attainable. Be aware that in life change is constant and it’s natural for goals to change and/or be redefined much like everything else in life. Think about this exercise and reflect on what you have learned from it, especially as it relates to both your short term and long term planning.
The Lifeline Exercise:
The purpose of the Lifeline is to assist you in examining your past and present, and to make some projections for the future. During this process you will be able to discern themes, patterns, and trends in the lifeline, which should provide additional information about your behavior, thoughts and plans.
See below for ways to start/complete one.
· Draw a Lifeline of yourself. The Lifeline should be how you perceive yourself. Remember that line can take a variety of shapes and forms (i.e., it does not have to be straight).
· Begin somewhere in the past, and project to some point in the future. Start with your earliest memory, and project to at least one year from today.
· Note the significant events that have shaped your life. These events do not have to be earth-shattering but still can represent milestones (i.e., learning to ride a two-wheel bicycle, going on a first date, etc.).
· For clarification, use the following symbols to further illustrate your lifeline:
! = a risk or a chance you took
X = an obstacle – something (or someone) that prevented you from getting or doing what you wanted.
O = a decision made for you by someone else
+ = a positive, satisfying or appropriate decision.
- = a negative, unsatisfying, or inappropriate decision
? = a decision that you anticipate making in the future (i.e., up to two years from now).
Note:
Symbols for “happy and sad faces” may be inserted as well to express your feelings at certain times along your Lifeline. You may use any or all the symbols as often as you like. A particular event could have all six symbols for further clarification. Feel free to create symbols that represent your particular experiences.
Other questions to consider, think about, or write about in your Career Journal:
What careers would you pursue if you thought you could do ANYTHING? (The idea here is to try and determine your “self-imposed limits” on what you feel you can do. Your self-efficacy expectations.)
What courses in high school did you most enjoy? What courses did you least enjoy? Tell me about these experiences.
Talk to me about the books you enjoy reading; talk to me about your favorite TV shows, your favorite pastimes and hobbies. What does this tell you about your interests and preferences?
Tell me a bit about a “person” and/or the “people” you admire now and/or when you were growing up. Think about the attributes/qualities/interests of these people and how you feel they have earned your admiration/respect. What are some ways in which you wish you could be like them? What are some ways in which you feel you are different?
Family Career Tree Exercise:
Take a look at your “family career tree.” Start by drawing a tree on a blank sheet of paper and to the limbs of this tree let’s put the names of both your immediate and extended family. Next attach to the names the jobs/occupations or careers each individual had. Discuss/write about the ones you found interesting and/or disinteresting. Also talk/write about how your past social/family experience may help/aid in your decision making and/or career aspirations.
Talk about environmental factors and how they may facilitate and/or hinder your career decision-making choices.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of growing up in a rural area versus an urban center/locality?
Talk/write about your work history, your occupational likes and dislikes. Think/write about what tomorrow, next month or next year would look like if things were to work out and you had your “preferred choice” of work/career in place.
The Gratitude Exercise:
Let’s consider a Gratitude Activity for possible review and discussion. Start by developing a list of things you are really grateful for, i.e.: your health, your family, living in a peaceful country, etc. Take a blank sheet of paper and use the following two headings to help guide your thoughts.
My Gratitude List: Some things I am really grateful for….
Possible occupations that would help reinforce and nurture my feelings of gratitude….
Solution-Focused Approach:
Let’s consider a Solution-Focused Approach and use something called the Miracle Question (de Shazer, 1985, 1988): So, “If a miracle happened and the problem you have was solved overnight, how would you know it was solved, and what would be different?” Let’s discuss what needs to be done to get to that point and let's try to determine what range of possibilities may exist.
Interest Inventories:
Check out these websites as possible self-assessment resources - (if the sites refuse to open automatically, try copying and pasteing the selected link into Google or the address bar.)
http://www.jobfutures.ca
http://www.LMIworks.nl.ca/
http://www.rileyguide.com/assess.html
http://www.jobsetc.ca/
http://www.typefocus.com/
http://www.careerkey.org/cgi-bin/ck.pl?action=choices
http://www.myfuture.com/toolbox/workinterest.html
http://www.jobsetc.ca/toolbox/quizzes/quizzes_home.do?lang=e
http://tools.monster.com/
http://www.cdli.ca/ (Check out the Guidance Room on this site.)
http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/LocusofControl-intro.html
Other Career Self-Assessment Links and Resources - if the link fails to connect, try a web search for the selected title.
Career Quizzes - Canada - Training and Careers
Work Values Quiz
Work Preference Quiz
Data, People and Things Quiz
Employability Skills 2000+ Quiz
Entrepreneurship Quiz
Abilities Quiz
Learning Style Self-Assessment
Multiple Intelligence Quiz
Innovation Skills Profile
Essential Skills Online Learning Tool
TOWES Essential Skills Test
NOTE: The above sites are intended only to help individuals enhance their self-appraisal knowledge. You are encouraged to exercise caution in the decision making process and formulate your decision based on detailed self-reflection/assessment, along with a host of other data deemed personally relevant.
REMEMBER to always conduct extensive labour market research and detailed review on your career area of interest. Knowledge is Power!!
Career Coaching Tips for Parents
Career decision making is an ongoing process, not an event that occurs at a given time. It’s not like choosing some new clothes or an appliance. Your child’s career will be influenced by events that occur at school, at home and will continue into adult life. You can help your child through this process.
Analyze your children's activities and interests throughout their lives. Have they always preferred being outside? Do they gravitate toward animals? Do they favour being alone? Identify patterns.
Ask your kids to talk about "pride stories" - things they've done that make them proud. Ask them to talk about what they did to make them happen. Again, look for patterns.
When you and your children have identified their skills and interests, develop a list of what qualities your kids want in a career. Analyze the list and consider different occupations that fit those criteria.
Once your children have an idea of what they would like to do, mine your network of friends to find people in similar occupations. Help your teenagers arrange meetings to talk about the ins and outs of that particular career.
· Encourage your child to ask and think about careers. Children, in their formative years, often fantasize about their futures, especially during play. Encourage this behavior: your child is exploring his or her personality. Let them play—enjoy it! Provide toys that promote role –playing in many different jobs.
· Allow your child to explore, aspire to or at least think about various careers. Don’t discourage particular careers. Instead, ask, “Why does this appeal to you?” Until major decisions are required, try not to dissuade your child from a particular career. Control your urge to make decisions for, rather than with, your child.
· Help your child think about career choices. The question, “If for some reason you couldn’t do this, what other career would appeal to you?” is a good one to raise. It will help you know your child better and will help your child choose a career from a larger number of choices.
· Express your view when your child asks, “What do you think I should be when I grow up?” Make it clear to your child that you will be pleased whatever his or her career choice, but outline what you see as your child’s strengths and talents, and describe careers for which these are an asset.
· Tell your child about work. Do so in a positive fashion. You may even want to take your child to work with you. It is important for all children to see that an adult’s work makes a contribution to society.
·Let your child know that leisure time interests are a part of career planning. Help your child to explore a variety of leisure time activities—hobbies, clubs, sports and games. Some leisure activities lead to or enhance careers--; all will give your child a sense of accomplishments.
· Indicate by your interests that schooling is essential to keeping career doors open. Reading, writing, mathematics and communication skills are essential to most jobs. Your expression of interest in school success will promote positive career development.
·Part-time jobs are an excellent way f or your child to explore careers. Such jobs maybe done as volunteers or for pay. Work experience gives children a sense of pride and accomplishment and enables them to explore their abilities and interests.
· Encourage your child to visit their school guidance counselor and discuss their career plans. Most guidance offices provide students with easy access to job-finding information, occupational monographs, as well as calendars for all major universities, colleges, trade and technical institutes.
Parents, too, are encouraged to visit their child’s guidance counselor. Some questions they may wish to ask the counselor are:
·In light of my child’s strengths and talents, what careers should we be considering?
· What post-secondary education or training will be required?
· What is the best way to pursue this field of study?
· What school subjects are prerequisites for entry?
· What financial assistance will be available in the form of scholarships, bursaries, student loans, and training allowances?
· What will tuition and accommodations cost?
· What is the employment outlook for this career?
Remember, a university degree is only one route to occupational success. If your children are in high school, encourage them to investigate all types of education and training beyond high school. All parents are affected by the career choices of their children. You should be involved in discussing opportunities, weighting alternatives and determining the financial implications of decisions. In many ways, your child’s future is also yours. Don’t be a bystander. Get Involved! (Source: NLTA, St. John’s, NL - 2006)
Achieving Life Skills Outcomes through Career Exploration:
Some summary aspects for you to consider and explore….
Self-Knowledge:
Clarification of your interests, aptitudes, personal style and values
Career Knowledge:
Awareness of future education, work and leisure options
Self-Management:
You organizational skills, reliability, initiative, perseverance & adaptability
Decision Making:
Problem solving skills and processes
Research Skills:
Exploration of education, work and leisure options
Job Search Skills:
Abilities to find and secure appropriate employment opportunities
Interpersonal Skills:
Effective communication skills for positive relationships and team work
Attitudes:
Appropriate attitudes towards self, others, learning, work and leisure
More Ideas about Setting Priorities:
Factors to consider in making your career decision:
5 W's and H (Who, What, When, Where, Why & How)
Education
How much do you have? How much are you willing to get?
Interests
What are your interests? Likes/dislikes?
How do you like to spend your free time?
What types of activities do you enjoy/get excited about? Look forward to?
Aptitude
Rating of your ability to learn different skills?
Temperament
Personal qualities (and how they relate to the job/activities).
Way of thinking/acting behaving. How do you describe yourself?
Pay Scale
What is the minimum you are willing to work for?
Job Prospects/Future Outlook
What are the prospects? Labour Market Analysis
Work Site/Environment
Inside/Outside? Home/With Others? Noise/Quiet? Machinery/Data/People
Hours of Work
Nine to Five: Monday - Friday?
Shift Work: Eight hours/twelve hours? Weekends?
Travel
Are you mobile?
What is the maximum time you hope to spend travelling to/from work?
Values
What is most important to you and does it fit with your career choice?
Goals/Wants
What are you short-term and long-term goals?
Why do you want to work?
DO: Read about it; talk to employees in that type of work; visit the work site (job shadow); check out prospects - pay - "perks" - "difficulties". Ask people who know you well what they see you doing; consider related occupations; do an interest inventory/aptitude test; set goals.
The SWOT Analysis:
The SWOT analysis exercise is another good tool for evaluating situations and is especially useful in making comparisons between two choices. So, in career move terms, it helps to weigh up the various merits of different options, which may be similar, such as the choice between two different jobs, or may be quite different, such as, for example, the choice between a job offer and a retraining option.
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Strengths and weaknesses tend to be internal factors. Opportunities and threats tend to be external factors.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
For example:
A strength could be:
·Your specialist expertise in your personal field/sector
·Your experience with a particular product
·Business experience, i.e. supporting a merger, international working
·Flexibility (to relocate, etc.)
·Particular qualifications
A weakness could be:
·Lack of a particular expertise
·Lack of flexibility
·Lack of experience
·Lack of required qualifications
·Unattractive terms of employment
An opportunity could be:
·A move to a developing market
·Moving into a sector which offers scope of promotion
·Possibilities for new learning
A threat could be:
·A job which might turn out to be ‘dead end’
·Lack of knowledge about potential opportunities
·A ‘buyers market’
·Misalignment with your values and those of the recruiting organism
A SWOT analysis can, of course, be very subjective so it should be viewed only as a means of prompting your thinking, rather than as the definitive picture. What often happens is that the exercise highlights gaps in knowledge, so it’s useful as a catalyst for finding out more information. Also, be aware that the option with the greatest number of strengths isn’t necessarily the one which you might go for! Often, in committing your thoughts to paper, you are better able to evaluate what’s entailed and you may well decide that the opportunities of one option, though limited, might be so outstanding that they far outweigh the many strengths of another.
Reference Source: Take Charge! by Claire Coldwell (2006).
The Force Field Analysis:
Force field analysis is a diagnostic technique developed y Kurt Lewin, a pioneer in the field of social sciences. It is a technique which is useful when looking at factors impacting upon change and particularly in identifying the blocks to progression.
Lewin’s model suggests that in any situation there are both driving and restraining forces.
Driving Forces
Driving forces are those forces affecting situations which are pushing in a particular direction; they tend to initiate a change and keep it going.
In terms of career change, examples might be desire for change, drive for improvement, self-belief, support from others, etc.
Restraining Forces
Restraining forces are forces acting to restrain or decrease the driving forces. Examples might be fear of failure, lack of specific skills or experience, loss of status, etc.
The theory goes that equilibrium is reached when the sum of the driving forces equals the sum of the restraining forces, but equilibrium in the career change context can mean inertia!
So the aim is to shift from that inertia state, to one of action. How so we do that?
Force Field Analysis – An Example:
Restraining Forces:
The inhibitors which will prevent me from reaching my goals
Loss of money
Fear of failure
Not sure where to start
Lack of support
Lack of experience
Add all other factors that you feel apply to your personal situation.
Driving Forces:
The forces which will propel me to reach my goals
Desire
Motivation
Discipline
Transferable skills
Support from partner
Add all other factors that you feel apply to your personal situation.
The first thing to do is to evaluate the Restraining Forces. To what extent are they perceived or real barriers? Some, as in the example above, will be tangible and some less so, and you may need someone to challenge you to get an objective perspective.
Then second, consider how you can boost the Driving Forces and diminish the effects of the restraining ones. Put an Action Plan in place to address these.
Reference Source:
Take Charge! by Claire Coldwell (2006).
Learning How My Thoughts Influence My Choices:
Identifying and addressing any barriers to your career decision-making is an important part of your entire career decision-making process. It is difficult to think clearly when negative thoughts, acting as barriers, interfere with your decision making. To identify and overcome your personal barriers it is important to pay attention to your self-talk, become self-aware, and then remain aware of and control your self talk. To do this you may use a process involving identifying, challenging and altering your negative thinking then taking the action needed to implement your career choice.
“Awareness is the first step to positive change.”
-- Leslie C. Aguilar --
Examples of Techniques to Facilitate Career Development
Films
Discussions
Career support groups for women or minorities
Pre-retirement counselling
Developing bulletin boards
Role play
Making occupational role books
Job analyses
Analyzing expectations of work
Debate
Collecting newspaper articles or magazine stories
Gaming
Writing short stories
Test interpretations
Developing games about interests
Making posters
Self-ratings
Career library research
Examinations of want ads
Work samples
Keep personal records for purpose of analysis
Doing follow-up study
Part-time work
Shadowing workers
Mentoring
Profile census data
Individual counselling
Mentoring
Testing
Work study
Group career counselling
Internships
Social modeling
Career guidance curriculum
Computer-assisted career guidance programs
Seminars on career paths/career ladders
Career awareness program
Peer discussion groups for women and minorities
Work simulations
Career path publications
Job search training
In-house career counsellors
Relaxation tapes
Reading biographies
Job training clubs
Formulating a written career development plan
Interview skill training
Defining terms
Career resource center
Committees
Behavioral rehearsal
Assessment centers
Interview skill training
Selected Internet sites
On-the-job training
Workshops on selected career topics
Job rotations
Skills inventory – job matching system
Outplacement
Workshops on selected career topics
School-to-work transition services
Field trips
Resource people
Examination of want ads
Group career counseling
Desensitization
Apprenticeships
Publishing newspaper about career development concerns
Completing genograms of occupations held by extended family members or ancestors
Panels of recent graduates in different work or educational settings
Contrast or compare characteristics of work or education
Creating listings of characteristics of self in relation to educational and occupational alternatives
Interview; workers, employers, employments service counselors, college admissions people, other postsecondary training personnel
Source:
All of above examples taken from Table 6.7, page 322 of following text: Herr, Edwin L., Cramer, Stanley H. & Niles, Spencer G. (2004). Career Guidance and Counseling through the Life Span. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
A Quick Review
10 Steps to Better Decision – Making:
These steps can be used for any type of decision:
1. Define the decision to be made.
2. Gather the necessary information.
3. List all possible choices.
4. Consider possible outcomes for each choice.
5. Check out how you feel about each of the choices.
6. Relate the choices to your values and priorities.
7. From the possible alternatives, choose one.
8. Commit yourself to your chosen decision and disregard the others. Concentrate your energies in one direction.
9. Take steps to turn your decision into positive action.
10. Evaluate your progress from time to time. Change your decision if necessary.
Source: "Common Difficulties in Decision Making" developed by Ontario Women's Directorate and Times Change