STEP 1. Begin with Self-Assessment

The job search process begins with an identification of your values, interests, skills, accomplishments, experience, and goals. How can you seek a position if you don't know what you want from a job and what you have to offer prospective employers? Self-assessment, though a time-consuming process, provides invaluable information to facilitate career decisions and to prepare you to market your background effectively.

Values
An awareness of what you value (qualities that are important and desirable) in a career will aid you in exploring career goals and attaining greater satisfaction in your work.

Review the following list of values and check those most important to you. Then rank your top five values in order of priority.

• Job security
• Working as part of a team
• Working independently with little supervision
• Making a contribution
• Professional status
• Mental challenge
• Pleasant surroundings
• Challenging, stimulating co-workers
• Different tasks to accomplish daily
• Financial rewards
• Creating something
• Ability to advance

Adapted from Training For Life, by Fred Hecklinger & Bernadette Curtin, T 1994. Reprinted with permission from of Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

Interests
Interests (areas that arouse your attention or enthusiasm) are closely related to values and frequently trigger skill development. You can identify interests by looking at enduring themes in your life-activities that persist over time, consistent choices, recurring dreams, or the way you spend your time. Try keeping a time-log or examining your most enjoyable times in-depth. If after doing so, you are still not clear about your interests or cannot rank them, consider meeting with a Career Center consultant or use the vocational guidance and testing services of the University Counseling Center.

Skills
A skill refers to something you do well, including handling problems or tasks. The key to your successful job search is recognizing these skills and communicating their usefulness verbally and in writing to a prospective employer. Use accomplishment statements to do so. They should:

• Describe your skills in concise, unambiguous terms.
• Refer to actual experiences to demonstrate your skill level.
• Connect your skills concisely to the needs of a prospective employer.

Some of the most marketable skills are those which are useful in a wide variety of work environments. These are known as transferable skills. For example, the ability to write effectively, communicate verbally, and use word processing or database software are valued skills in the private as well as public sectors.