Career Self-Assessments

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Milepost 1:      My Values (Foundation) Assessment

 

At this first stop, let's take a look at your values!

You might be surprised to learn you have two sets of values -- work values and personal values.  Work values are what you view as being important in your work life, such as helping society, leading others, and earning a good salary.  Personal values are what you view as being important in your personal life, such as family, religion, and relationships.

Your personal values -- what you view as being personally important -- are the foundation by which you make decisions every day.  "Will I exercise today?"   "Should I call my ill friend?"   "Will I read to my son?"   "Will I walk my dog?"

Your work values -- what you view as being important in your work life -- should be the foundation by which you base your career and job decisions.  Your job satisfaction and happiness will largely depend on how well your work matches and reflects your values.

 ______________________________________

The following four exercises will help you assess and determine both your work and personal values.  Both sets of values are important when planning a career and making job decisions, as will be explained in the fourth (and last) exercise at this milepost stop.

 

Values Assessment Contents

 

Exercise 1:   My Work Values Assessment

Exercise 2:   My Personal Values Assessment

Exercise 3:   Matching My Values to Careers 

Exercise 4:   Matching My Work Values and Personal Values --
                      Will They Conflict?

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Exercise 1:   My Work Values Assessment

Look over the following list of 42 work values and rate each value by its degree of importance to you.  Use this number scale:

1 =  very important
2 =  somewhat important
3 =  not very important
4 =  not important at all

 

Work Values Important to Me
___________________________

I want to...

____  1.  Help Others -  help people individually or in groups.

____  2.  Help Society -  help the world become a better place.

____  3.  Work with People -  have significant contact with people at work.

____  4.  Work Alone -  work by myself.

____  5.  Have Status -  have a job or responsibilities that gain respect from others.

____  6.  Show Authority -  make decisions;  supervise others.

____  7.  Provide Leadership -  guide and direct others.

____  8.  Influence Others -  be able to change attitudes and opinions of other people.

____  9.  Have Public Contact -  work with and serve the public.

____ 10. Receive Recognition -  receive recognition for the quality of my work and 
                                                            efforts.

____ 11. Be Challenged -  deal with questions and tasks that require problem-solving.

____ 12. Have Independence -  do my work without close supervision.

____ 13. Earn High Income -  earn a high salary to support a high standard of living.

____ 14. Show Affiliation -  be recognized as being a member of an organization.

____ 15. Work with Numbers -  use math and numbers in my work.

____ 16. Work with Words -  use and appreciate written expression at work.

____ 17. Work with Equipment -  use tools, equipment or machinery at work.

____ 18. Work with My Hands -  use my hands to make or operate things.

____ 19. Feel Moral Fulfillment -  feel my work supports ideals that are important to me.

____ 20. Develop Friendships -  make personal friends at work.

____ 21. Gain Knowledge -  be able to acquire new knowledge and understanding.

____ 22. Be Physically Challenged -  keep physically active at work.

____ 23. Make Advancement -  advance quickly as a result of my performance.

____ 24. Feel Security -  live without fear of losing my job and earnings.

____ 25. Be Competitive -  engage in win-lose activities;  try to outperform others.

____ 26. Work Under Pressure -  work under time pressure or have my work be 
                                                              judged.

____ 27. Have Intellectual Status -  be viewed as an expert or person with high 
                                                                 intelligence.

____ 28. Be Innovative -  create and develop new ideas, programs, or inventions.

____ 29. Be Artistic -  create artistic work;  design things.

____ 30. Do Precision Work -  do work that must be done in a precise and exact way.

____ 31. Make Decisions -  be the one who decides actions, procedures, and policies.

____ 32. Have Variety and Change -  do a variety of tasks;  have frequent change of 
                                                                     work.

____ 33. Follow Routine -  have routine job tasks;  do the same tasks on an on-going 
                                                 basis.

____ 34. Be Aesthetic -  have the opportunity to study or appreciate the beauty of things.

____ 35. Work at a Fast Pace -  do work at a rapid rate or have high pace activity.

____ 36. Relocate -  have the opportunity to move to other cities or locations.

____ 37. Travel -  be able to travel places as part of my work.

____ 38. Have Excitement -  experience excitement in my work.

____ 39. Have Time Freedom -  have responsibilities that allow me to set my own 
                                                          schedule.

____ 40. Make Profits -  have the opportunity to make large amounts of money.

____ 41. Feel Community -  work where I feel I'm part of a group.

____ 42. Other:  ________________________________

 

My Work Values

Now, list the work values you rated  number one (#1).  Prioritize them if you can!

My most important work values are:

1.  ______________________________      

2.  ______________________________

3.  ______________________________

4.  ______________________________

5.  ______________________________

6.  ______________________________

7.  ______________________________

8.  ______________________________

 

Next, list the work values you rated  number four (#4).  These are ones you want to avoid!

I want to avoid these:

1.  ______________________________

2.  ______________________________

3.  ______________________________

4.  ______________________________

5.  ______________________________

 

Save these results for the final Assessment Summary.

Now, let's go to Exercise 2 to assess your Personal Values!

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Exercise 2:   My Personal Values Assessment

 

Read through the following list of personal values and rate each value by its degree of importance to you.  Use the following number scale:

1 =  very important
2 =  somewhat important
3 =  not very important
4 =  not important at all

 

Personal Values Important to Me
______________________________

 

___  Family relationships                         ___  Being available to my children

___   Family time                                       ___  Being available to my parents or relatives

___   Romantic relationships                    ___  Being available to others

___  Friendships                                        ___  Companionship

___  Helping others                                    ___  Honesty

___  Loyalty                                                 ___  Financial comfort

___  Self-improvement                              ___  Personal appearance

___  Respect                                              ___  Education and knowledge

___  Recognition                                        ___  Security

___  Sense of control                                 ___  Accomplishment

___  Achievement                                       ___  Adventure

___  Justice                                                 ___  Mental stimulation and challenge

___  Time alone                                          ___  Religion;  spiritual growth

___  Creativity                                             ___ Tolerant attitudes

___  Fame                                                   ___  Neatness;  orderliness

___  Physical challenge                             ___  Material possessions

___  Competitiveness                                ___ Hobbies

___  Leisure time                                        ___  Exercise  

___  Peace of mind                                    ___ Health

___  Independence                                    ___ Ability to influence

___  Power                                                 ___ Flexibility

___  Self-esteem                                       ___ Happiness

___  Ethics                                                 ___ Group or team affiliation

___  Generosity                                         ___ Community involvement

___  Sports                                                ___ Aesthetics (beauty)

___  Music                                                 ___ Travel

___  Social status                                     ___ Financial status

___  Reputation                                        ___ Patriotism for the country

___  Wealth                                               ___ Truth

___  Pets                                                   ___ Volunteering

___  Peace                                                ___ Environmental protection

___  Fairness                                            ___ Sense of belonging

___  Excitement                                        ___ Nature

___  Cooperation                                     ___ Wildlife

___  Consideration of others                  ___  Music

___  Entertainment                                  ___ Art

___  Integrity                                             ___ Humility

___  Originality                                         ___ Innovation

___  Humor                                               ___ Personal expression

___  Comfortable surroundings             ___ Neighbors and neighborhood

 

My Personal Values

Now, list the personal values you rated a number one (#1).  Prioritize them if you can!

My most important personal values are:

1.   ___________________________________

2.   ___________________________________

3.   ___________________________________

4.   ___________________________________

5.   ___________________________________

6.   ___________________________________

7.   ___________________________________

8.   ___________________________________

9.   ___________________________________

10. ___________________________________

 

Save these results for the final Assessment Summary!

Now, let's go to Exercise 3 to see how well your values match sample occupations....

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Exercise 3:   Matching My Values to Careers

Hopefully you now have a fairly good sense of what you value -- or what you feel is important -- in both your work and personal life!  The more aware you become of your fundamental values, the easier it will be for you to make decisions and choices.

When considering career choices or employment offers, you want to be sure the career path or job is consistent with your values.  Your happiness and satisfaction will greatly depend on how well your career, job, and values fit together and match.  For example, if being physically active at work is important to you, you would likely be unhappy sitting at a desk all day.  If working with people is important to you, you'd probably be miserable working off by yourself in seclusion.

Now, let's try the following exercise to see how well your work values match sample jobs!

 

Matching Careers and Values Exercise

 

Just for practice, try this next exercise.  Look at the following three careers and see how well these careers match your work values.  

Next to each job duty listed, check ( ) "Good Match" if the task matches your values, or "Poor Match" if the task does not.  

_________________________________________

 

Sample Career #1

Receptionist and Information Clerk

Job Duties:

 

     Greet the public                                              ___ Good Match         ___ Poor Match

     Greet callers                                                   ___ Good Match         ___ Poor Match

     Reroute incoming calls                                  ___ Good Match         ___ Poor Match

     Assist the public                                             ___ Good Match         ___ Poor Match

     Respond to public inquiries                          ___ Good Match         ___ Poor Match

     Professionally represent the company        ___ Good Match         ___ Poor Match

     Direct visitors                                                 ___ Good Match         ___ Poor Match

     Provide company information                      ___ Good Match         ___ Poor Match

     Monitor visitor access for security                ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Perform other duties as assigned                ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Sit for long periods of time                            ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Work with minimal supervision                     ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

 

How well does this sample career match your work values?

           ___ Very well        ___ Fairly well        ___ Not very well        ___ Not well at all

 

Try the next one!

_________________________________________

 

Sample Career #2

Dental Laboratory Technician

Job Duties:

     Work with hands                                           ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Perform detailed, precision work               ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Demonstrate artistic aptitudes                   ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Make items prescribed by dentists            ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Sit for long periods of time                          ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Meet job order deadlines                            ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Meet high quality standards                        ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Perform tasks independently                      ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Work with minimal supervision                   ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Have little or no public contact                    ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

 

How well does this sample career match your work values?

          ___ Very well        ___ Fairly well        ___ Not very well        ___ Not well at all

 

Let's see how your work values match this last one....

 

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Sample Career #3

Civil Engineer

Job Duties:

     Consult and assist clients                           ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match       

     Design construction projects                      ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Perform detailed, precision work               ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Perform mathematical calculations            ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Supervise construction projects                 ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Travel to construction sites                         ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Occasionally work at construction sites    ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Work independently and with teams         ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Meet client and project deadlines             ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Meet high professional standards            ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Meet strict performance specifications   ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

     Be responsible for the safety and 
     integrity of project designs                        ___ Good Match        ___ Poor Match

 

How well does this sample career match your work values?

        ___ Very well        ___ Fairly well        ___ Not very well        ___ Not well at all

 

Try this exercise with careers you're thinking about.  List the job duties and see how well they match with your work values!

Now, let's move on to Exercise 4, the final exercise, to see how well your work values and personal values match!

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Exercise 4:  Matching My Work Values and Personal Values --
                      Will They Conflict?

As noted earlier, it's important to select a career and job that's consistent with your work values -- what you need to be happy on the job.

The next important step is to make sure your work values and personal values agree!

For example, let's say an important work value for you is being able to travel.  You want to travel frequently around the country to attend meetings, trade shows, conferences, training seminars -- and, well, lounge on warm, sunny beaches.  But  your most important personal value is to be available for your children -- attend their school performances, watch your daughter's soccer games, and help with their homework each night.  Could you do both?  Maybe. Maybe not.  In this case, would you take a job that requires frequent travel?  This is called a work value versus personal value dilemma.

Such value dilemmas are commonplace.  Here are a few more examples.  How would each weigh for you?

Overtime  vs.  family time

Work availability  vs.  family availability

Work social events  vs.  personal plans

Work commitments  vs.  personal commitments

High safety risk  vs.  family security

High stress  vs.  good health

And so on....

If you can, try comparing your list of important work values and personal values to see if you find any potential dilemmas.  What dilemmas might you face?  Would there be a solution?

_________________________________________

 

My Potential Dilemmas

 

Work Value

Personal Value

Solution?

1.   ___________________ vs.  ___________________       __________________   

2.   ___________________ vs.  ___________________       __________________

3,   ___________________ vs.  ___________________       __________________

4.   ___________________ vs.  ___________________       __________________

5.   ___________________ vs.  ___________________       __________________

 

Now, let's move along to Milepost 2 at the Assessment Contents Page and assess your Interests!

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