Chapter 1 Assessing Yourself

Introduction

Ways To Assess Yourself

Skills Defined

Types of Skills

Upgrading Skills

NACE Core Competencies

Professionalism

Conclusion

Introduction

Embarking on a professional journey requires a deep understanding of oneself, which is a crucial aspect of identifying the right career path and making informed decisions. This chapter aims to provide you with essential insights on how to evaluate your skills, interests, personality, and competencies, as well as how to utilize this knowledge for personal growth and success. Through various self-assessment techniques, professional guidance, and continuous skill development, you will be better equipped to navigate the dynamic world of work and achieve your career aspirations.

Ways To Assess Yourself

Career & Personality Tests

There are different self-assessments that indicate our personalities, skills and interests. Taking some time to complete these assessments can help you get a better idea of your interests, skills sets, personality type, and best career matches. Here are some examples:

Figure #

FOCUS-2: Online self-assessment

FOCUS-2 is ACC’s online career and education planning system for helping you choose a major, build your career goals, and learn job information.

Create a new account using your official ACCmail account and the Focus 2 access code (Riverbat). Use this Quick Start Guide for account set-up assistance.

ACCESS CODE: Riverbat

Reach out to your network

Engage in deeper conversations with former coworkers, friends, and family members to gain insights into your skills, abilities, and personal qualities. Ask for specific examples of times when you demonstrated particular skills or strengths, and inquire about areas where they believe you could improve. This feedback can help you develop a comprehensive understanding of your capabilities and potential areas of growth.

Figure #

Talk to a Career Counselor

ACC Career Counselors are licensed professionals with expertise and training in career development who hold graduate degrees in various counseling disciplines such as social work, vocational rehabilitation counseling, or counseling psychology.

If you are stuck with your career choice, feeling low or frustrated, or don’t know how to get started, a career counselor can help guide you. You can read more about this free service and book an appointment at ACC Career Counseling.

Skills Defined

Selecting the right career involves being aware of our personal skills, interests, personality, and competencies. Awareness of our personal strengths, competencies, and interests can help us to make the right career move, whether we are looking for a new job, a career transition, or a career enhancement.

Skills

Skills are the abilities that enable you to perform the tasks required for your job. These can include soft, hard, and/or transferable skills.

Soft skills

Soft skills are personal attributes that contribute to your success in your job and are often related to your interactions with others. Some examples of soft skills include interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills. These skills are often harder to quantify in resumes and develop over time through relationships with others.

Figure #: Soft skills include interpersonal communication.

Figure #: Hard skills include computer and analytical skills.

Hard skills

Hard skills are technical skills specific to an industry or field. They can range to include things like basic computer skills, software knowledge, accounting, business analysis, editing, or project management.

Transferable skills

Transferable skills typically are associated with skills and knowledge gained during part-time jobs, volunteering, certifications, training, academic degrees, job-shadowing etc. These jobs may not have a direct link with the field we are in, but there are many transferable skills that can be applied to the field we want to work in.

Types of Skills

Hard Skills

These skills are specific and usually measurable skills that are needed to do a job. You will learn these skills for your future career as you take courses. Hard skills, for example, might include building websites, cooking for fine dining restaurants, performing statistical analysis, learning graphic design, mastering math, or understanding art restoration.

These are also called technical or applied skills. You will learn hard skills in your courses, but you can also teach yourself certain skills.

Hard Skills Example: Teacher

Plan lessons (requires knowledge of a content area)
Know how to create tests and quizzes

Hard Skills Example: Pipe fitter

Understand the mechanics of piping systems
Provide maintenance

Hard Skills Example: Computer Programmer

Write computer programs
Resolve computer software problems

Soft Skills

These skills are also known as transferable skills because you can transfer them to any job you have over the course of your career. You will learn these skills as you interact with professors, course materials, and other students during your courses or through extracurricular activities.

Soft skills, for example, might include listening, reasoning, professionalism, courtesy, punctuality, or public speaking.

Soft Skills Example: Teacher

Be creative in developing activities to engage students
Work with other teachers as a team

Soft Skills Example: Pipe fitter

Be detail-oriented and precise
Ability to problem-solve

Soft Skills Example: Computer Programmer

Collaborate with others to resolve information technology issues

Upgrading Skills

Upgrading skills should be an ongoing activity, regardless of whether or not you are currently employed. Investing time, effort, and money (when needed) toward upgrading relevant skills can make you more competitive as a job applicant. This cycle shows the ongoing nature of upgrading skills, as you may need to do this frequently.

Figure # depicts the "research, assess, strategize then engage" cycle.

NACE Core Competencies

The career readiness of job candidates is an important issue in higher education, in the labor market, and in the public arena. The National Association of Colleges and Employers has identified eight career competencies important for all applicants.

Critical Thinking:

Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.The individual is able to obtain, interpret, and use knowledge, facts, and data in this process, and may demonstrate originality and inventiveness.

Communication:

Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization. The individual has public speaking skills; is able to express ideas to others and can write/edit memos, letters, and complex technical reports clearly and effectively.

Teamwork:

Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities. The individual is able to work within a team structure, and can negotiate and manage conflict.

Technology:

Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals. The individual demonstrates effective adaptability to new and emerging technologies.

Leadership:

Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals. The individual is able to assess and manage his/her emotions and those of others; use empathetic skills to guide and motivate; and organize, prioritize, and delegate work.

Professionalism:

Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace. The individual demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior and is able to learn from his/her mistakes.

Career and self-development:

Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization. The individual is able to navigate and explore job options, understands and can take the steps necessary to pursue opportunities, and understands how to self-advocate for opportunities in the workplace.

Equity and Inclusion:

Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.

Professionalism

It’s important to understand yourself in relation to the culture and expectations of the career field you’d like to join. This is part of your self assessment and can be helpful as you begin your job search.

What Is Professionalism?

Professionalism is the approach that employed people take when dealing with work related situations. Professionalism determines how we talk to others, hold ourselves accountable, and act with integrity in the workplace. It can also include being aware of appropriate choices. How we dress, compose an email, and deal with a work conflict all require professional qualities. The NACE Core Competencies use this definition to describe what a professional does to show professionalis“Demonstrate personal accountability and effective work habits, e.g., punctuality, working productively with others, and time workload management, and understand the impact of non-verbal communication on professional work image. The individual demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior, acts responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind, and is able to learn from his/her mistakes.”

Professional Attire

Knowing what to wear in a professional situation can be tricky. Every industry has its own expectations, and every situation requires different consideration.

Business casual clothing is appropriate and acceptable for most professional situations. Clothing should be neat, wrinkle free, dark or neutral colors. Shoes should be clean and comfortable—especially if you'll be doing a lot of standing and walking. Appropriate attire varies by industry. In some skilled trades, neatly pressed and dark-colored denim may be appropriate. Employers with positions in the business industries (banking, finance, administration) may prefer business professional clothing. Keep jewelry minimal and avoid applying a heavy fragrance. You can always do a little research if you’re unsure of the right attire.

Figure # An example of business casual dress. Clean, neutral colored clothes help your best accessory stand out: your smile!

Professional Writing

One of the first ways candidates can exemplify professionalism is through written communication. From an inquiry email to connect with someone on LinkedIn to the thank you note you send after your interview, there are countless opportunities for a candidate to show professionalism in writing.

In general, candidates should be aware of the expectations of each style of writing used to communicate with your network or potential employers and should make use of software that utilizes proofreading and editing tools. Written communication should use common English standards, including correct punctuation and capitalization, and should use a tone appropriate to the workplace. When communicating with another professional, with the intent a building your network, it's important to be aware that you are attempting to develop a reciprocal relationship through writing. Be conscious of how you open and close your written communication, avoid overuse of exclamation points, and be sure to include polite questions an acknowledgement of your reader.

Each style of professional writing has particular conventions and expectations connected to it. An inquiry letter should be short, to the point, and clear about what you're asking. A cover letter should use keywords and jargon related to your field, and should be professional in tone, but should also convey a sense of your own individual voice. Cover letters should also used language efficiently and follow a fairly specific format. Communication between a candidate and administrative staff attempting to schedule an interview should be polite, professional, and include attempts at flexibility in your schedule. A thank you note should be somewhat formal, but can include more personalized statements directed at your interview committee members. Any professional email should have a clear and relevant subject line, an opening salutation, and a closing salutation. The writing should be in paragraph form, and should follow basic conventions of grammar and punctuation. We'll take a look at more specific examples in future chapters.

Professional Behavior

While this category can be considered quite broad, there are some specific things to consider when thinking about professional behavior. From the moment of your first interaction with another professional, whether you're attempting to build a networking relationship or gather information, you should be considering what your actions say about the quality of your work.

Are you polite?
Are you engaging in active listening?
Are you following instructions, or asking follow-up questions to be clear that you understand?
Have you been given a deadline, and are you doing your best to meet that deadline or communicate any challenges?
Are you engaging with others in a respectful manner?
Are your requests reasonable?
Are you providing enough information?

Figure # Polite and courteous communication is a key to professionalism.

How you interact with others, hold yourself accountable, an act with Integrity makes a difference in how you're viewed professionally. You should be thinking about acting professionally through all stages of a career, but it's especially important when interacting with potential employers. Make sure that any contact between you and a potential employer or anyone related to a company that you're interested in working with exemplifies your understanding of professional expectations.

Think about the last time you interacted with someone who came off as very professional. What qualities or behaviors stood out to you? What was memorable about that person?

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding yourself is vital for choosing the right career and achieving success in your professional journey. This chapter has equipped you with the tools and strategies to assess your skills, interests, personality, and competencies effectively. By leveraging self-assessment techniques, seeking guidance from career counselors, and continuously upgrading your skills, you can make informed decisions about your career path and personal growth. Remember that professionalism, adaptability, and commitment to self-development are crucial aspects of career success. As you progress in your career, continue to reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement to ensure you remain on the path to growth and fulfillment.

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