SCAN Stage 1: Career self-assessment
Sound career planning is underpinned by honest and accurate self-assessment. By constructing a clearer understanding of your abilities and goals, you will be able to make career choices that are both attainable and sustainable. Detailed Self-assessment will also allow you to produce more credible, coherent applications and answers to interview questions.
A thorough self-assessment should consider the following types of questions:
- what are my work values (the core aspects of work that are most important)?
- what are my key strengths, skills and abilities?
- what do I find stressful or challenging in work?
- what are my interests (both in work and outside)?
- who are my role models in a working context – in what manner would I like to be seen to work?
- what type of work best suits my personality?
The information and exercises in this section will allow you to build a picture of what is important to you in your work and career and generate key questions in defining which areas are non-negotiable and which you are willing to compromise on when moving to explore your career options in more detail.
After completion of any self-assessment exercises you have conducted, It is always a good idea to get feedback from your educational supervisor and/or careers consultant on the outcome before moving onto the career exploration stage.
Self Awareness Exercises
Identifying strengths & achievements
Identifying core values and preferences