Each year, millions of people will begin a new career. This may be because they have just gotten out of college and are starting out in the world, or it could be because our economy has gone downhill very fast, and many people are losing their jobs or being laid off. There are even lots of people out there who have just decided that their current career just isn’t making them happy anymore and they need a change. At some point, you may even find yourself looking for a new career. Perhaps you aren’t as lucky as the rest of these people in knowing what career you want to get started in. So what are you supposed to do if you don’t know what career to choose? It’s simple; you just need to do your own career assessment.
Doing your own assessment
You might be thinking that you couldn’t do your own job assessment, but it’s actually a lot easier than one would think. If you know how to make a list, then you can do your own job assessment. All you have to do is take a while to think about what you like to do and what you are good at. Once you have cleared your mind and thought hard about your skills, you simply begin writing them all down. Once you have a list of your skills, then it will start to become clear to you just what those skills would be good for.
So let’s say that you have a list with such things as being a good writer, liking to work by yourself, being able to easily meet deadlines, and your desire to put out quality work. If your list looks like this, then you would probably be a great freelance writer. Let’s say as another example that you list good phone and people skills, punctuality, great time management skills, and a knack for resolving difficult situations. This kind of list would be perfect for many jobs, maybe even working the billing department for your local cell phone company. The list could go on forever because the sky really is the limit!
The world is your playground
Always remember; don’t limit yourself at all when you are doing your career assessment. Besides, nobody else has to see it other than you. Also, the odds are extremely high that once you begin writing your skills and matching them up with different jobs, you will think of more and more skills, and then match them up with more and more careers. This means that you will find yourself with a big list of careers to choose from that would be perfect for you, and you can really go after your hearts desire.
As long as you are able to keep an open mind and you can also stay positive, then you should easily figure out what you would be really good at and what you would really be happy doing as a career. You may even find out that you are perfect for a career that you have never even thought of getting into, and absolutely love it!
David Couper is a career coach and writer who for the last twenty years has worked in Europe, Asia, and in the USA with major organizations including the BBC, Fuji Television, Mattel, Sony, and Warner Bros.
He has successfully coached individuals at all levels including CEOs of major companies wanting a new challenge, frustrated souls wanting to make their dream come true, and front-line employees laid off and desperate to get a job.
David has published seven books. His works on interpersonal skills, counseling in the workplace, and management issues (published by Connaught, Gower, HRD Press, Longman, Macmillan/Pearson Publishing, Oxford University Press) have been translated into Swedish, Polish, and Danish, and published in the UK and the USA.
David has a degree in Communication, a postgraduate qualification in education, is certified in a number of training technologies, and has a Masters in Psychology. He is a member of the American Society of Training and Development, Society of Human Resources Professional, Writers Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television.
He has dual US/UK citizenship and speaks French and Japanese.
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