Self Assessment: Finding Your Niche

Finding the career that is perfect for you is not as easy or simple as most of us expect it to be. Some have to switch from one career to another in search of the profession of their choice. Being stuck in a job which is not in accordance with your natural capabilities can lead to a burn out very soon in the professional life.

A person can only perform his tasks well if he is good at the job, which means possessing the skills and natural inclination towards that job. The dilemma in Pakistan is that students are not provided any proper counseling which can help them in finding which career will be right for them. Most youngsters get enrolled into Medical and Engineering because their parents want them to enter the specific field and others get enrolled wherever they can. The limited educational opportunities available in Pakistan do not allow these students the luxury of choosing a vocation of their choice.

Still, it is never too late to get on the right track and self assessment is the most important tool that can help in getting this done.

What Is Self Assessment?

Self assessment is the first step in anyone’s professional career as one cannot lead a successful professional life without choosing the career path that is appropriate for him. Self assessment helps a person in reviewing his capabilities and skills and determines a professional path which suits his personality so that maximum output can be delivered.

Focus Areas:

Self assessment basically focuses on certain aspects which reveal a lot about the person’s orientation in professional life.

These aspects include:

Goals:

What you want from your professional life both in the long term and the short term, helps in determining profession is suitable for you. It can be money, fame, stability, status, or anything else that you feel is the reason you want to enter a profession.

Interests:

Interest and hobbies are important in selecting a professional field as you can work much better if you have an interest in what you are doing. Otherwise, you end up getting stuck in a job that has no attraction.

Personal Traits:

Your personality such as what you like, what motivates you, etc are also important in determining what profession is good for you.

Skills:

During the course of education, the skills that one has acquired such as writing, computer programming, organizing, managing etc., help in choosing a specialized field.

Effective Steps For Self Assessment:

You do not necessarily need a professional career expert to carry out self assessment. Self assessment can be done by anyone and at any time during the educational or professional life. The important thing is to be prepared to handle the challenges of professional life and self assessment prepares you for this.

By following some basic steps, you can carry out the much needed self assessment yourself and benefits from the results. These steps are:

Preparation:

Simply put preparation is the key to success in every sphere of life. You cannot execute any plan or complete any project unless you are well prepared. When you enter the professional life, you must be aware of which steps are necessary to achieve your long term and short term goals. Preparation includes having a list of your priorities, job choices, skills and other important factors that can affect your professional life.  So in essence when you prepare for self assessment, you are actually making a long term career plan as well.

Make A List:

The first step in self assessment is to make a list of all the previous experiences you have, places you have worked at and the positions you have held. This will give you a general sphere of interest as you can highlight the jobs that you liked best. If you are a fresh graduate, you can make a list of the major subject, project completed, achievements and the internships you have done.

Set Your Goal:

The next step involves making a list of your short term and long term goals. The best way to go about it is to think of your long term goal and then make a list of the short term goals or all the steps involved which will help you in achieving the long term goal. The best option is to write the titles or actual positions which you want to be working at in 5 years from now and the position you would love to work at within the next six months or so. You can include two or three alternate positions in this list.

Skills & Achievements:

In the next step, you need to focus on your additional skills and academic achievements which can help in a specific field or at any job in general.

Screen & Select:

Now, you need to evaluate the three lists made under these directions and see which skills match the job title of your choice. By a careful evaluation process you can narrow down the ideal job position that is suitable according to your skills and your interests.

Customize Your Resume:

Keeping in mind the positions you have chosen, modify your resume and add the skills and achievements that cater to a specific job title. A generic resume can never land you the perfect jobs as the employers attention is only caught by specific resumes that are tailored for the job in question.

Conclusion:

Self assessment can help you in finding the perfect job within no time. So if you are languishing in a job where there is no interest, motivation or success, it is time to go through self assessment and see which career suits you best.

If you feel that you are not going to be able to carry out self assessment on your own, you can ask a friend or family member to help you. Otherwise, there are many online self assessment tests which you can take and determine which career or industry suits you better.