How well do you know yourself? What are your values, skills and attitudes? Through self-assessment you can better understand how you might embrace or reject certain careers. Isn't it better to discover your interests now, while still in college, than to find out many years later when stuck in a career field that doesn't hold your interest? The Career Development Center can help you assess your skills, personality, interests, and values. Your skills and interests may qualify you for a career, while values indicate qualities and goals one strives for in life. You may have the ability to be the best worker in your field, but will that career path meet your personal goals? Will it give you a sense of satisfaction?


How might your interests play a role in your search for a career? Do you know what your interests are? This piece of the Career Development Model will help you define your interests and find an occupation in which you would be able to use those interests.


Personality tests, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, help identify your preferences. Using your personality type can be helpful in finding a career field and company culture that is most compatible with your style. This is not meant to categorize you, but merely to give you an understanding of where your tendencies lie such as do you tend towards creating a schedule or doing things on the spur of the moment? There are no wrong answers or bad types. It is highly recommended that you make an appointment with a career counselor for assistance interpreting your inventory results.




Often interviewers will ask about an applicant's experience. Have they held a fast-paced job in the past and, if so, for how long? A single year's worth of experience as a short order cook can show commitment within a fast-paced environment, even when applying for a copyediting position with a publishing house.


Your values can make you feel self-worth within your career. A job where not only do you feel valued by the employer, but where you feel that you have made a difference in either the company or community can give you satisfaction about going to work day after day. There are resources that can help you identify your personal values.

Resources for Self-Assessment