KNOW YOURSELF

Who are you?  What do you enjoy?  What skills would you like to use in your job?  Getting to know yourself and understand your skills will make it easier for you to define your goals and market yourself to employers.  If you can't clearly state to an employer what skills you have and how they relate to the position you want, there's not much chance the employer will do it for you.  In addition, working in an field that matches your interests is a critical step towards obtaining job satisfaction.

There are two main types of skills: technical/specialized (e.g. computer skills), and transferable/personal (also sometimes called soft skills, e.g. communication skills).  Many personal and transferable skills consistently rate as the most important in the eyes of employers, so make sure you spend adequate time identifying yours.  It is worth the time reviewing the Employability Skills 2000+ to see what skills and personal attributes are most valued by employers.

• JobHuntersBible.com - the online supplement to What Color is Your Parachute?
• Keirsey Temperament and Character Web Site  - a popular online personality indicator
• JVIS.com - Discuss the results with a career counsellor.
• Mazemaster - Includes a good self assessment area.
• WorkSearch - From the Government of Canada

Self assessment is not an exact science; the exercises contained in many of these sites are introductory.  Put more emphasis on what you learn about yourself rather than any specific occupations that may be suggested.  In order to get the most out of the exercises contained in these sites, use your findings as a starting point for discussions with friends, family or a professional career counsellor, not as a replacement. 

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