Assess Yourself

This step helps you discover, and organize all of your skills, interests, and values so you can find meaningful work. It is a good idea to do this step every year, even if you have a job, since you may have gained new skills, or your interests and values may have changed.

The following assessments are provided:

Starting with identifying your work skills.
What your interests are.

Know Your Work Skills

A skill is the ability to do a certain task well. Skills can be a natural ability and can also be learned over time. You can gain or expand your skills with practice or training. It is important to assess your skills at all phases of your career since you develop new skills at work, school, and through extracurricular activities.

There are different ways to group your skills.

Transferable skills: These are skills that can be used in almost every industry and in a lot of different jobs. These may include your personal skills, such as being organized or creative. There is a short list of common transferable skills below, but you should explore other online skill assessments
Technical skills: These skills are specific to occupations. The descriptions of occupations will list required skills. Ask your library about the Occupational Outlook Handbook for more information about occupations.

Read over these skills and think if you have or need to gain any of them. Start your skill assessment by looking at these groups. Ask people close to you for feedback.

**Common Transferable Skills**
Skill Set	Description	Examples
Basic Skills	These are skills needed by almost all workers. Writing, for example, is a basic skill that gets you into a good job. Not having it can keep you out of a good job.	Able to follow directions Able to learn Able to listen Able to remember Able to write Punctual Honest Math skills Organized Able to remember Critical thinking Decision making Able to sort Proactive Able to work alone
People Skills	These are some of the most needed and wanted skills. They're sometimes called "soft skills." These skills help people to work well with others.	Empathic Coordinate with others Help others Negotiate Persuade Teach others Dependable Cheerful Conscientious Cooperative Patience Diplomatic Tolerant Generous
Management Skills	All workers need these skills, not just managers. Employers hire people who can keep track of projects, money, and their time.	Manage money Observing Flexible Courageous Supervise people Manage things Manage time Take directions Give directions Listening skills Problem solving Communicating Researching Planning
Technical Skills	Technology includes computers and equipment. People in all occupations should know how to work with technology.	Choosing tools Quality control Install equipment Install computer programs Check equipment Operate equipment Repair equipment Troubleshooting Painting Welding Helping patients or clients Caring for a child Playing an instrument Processing X-rays Filing Arranging flowers Cooking Software knowledge Typing

Online Skills Assessments:

Matching your skills to occupations.
Exploring your interests.

Match Your Skills to Occupations

You should know what work-related skills you have and how good you are at each. Find occupations that match the skills you want to use. Know what your skills are so that you can talk about them with co-workers and employers.

How do you know what your skills are?

Use the list of Transferrable and Technical Skills on the Know Your Work Skills page, or use one of the online resources listed below to identify your skills.

Resources for Work Skills:

Career One Stop
iSeek Skills Assessment
My Skills My Future

List Your Skills and Match them with Occupations.

Use Match Your Skills to Occupations (pdf) to write down your skills. Also, write down 5 - 10 occupations that are a good fit with your skills.

Using My Skills My Future to help you identify your skills.
Exploring your Interests.

Match Your Interests to Occupations

Before you choose an occupation or start a job search, you should know which occupations match your interests. Picking the right job increases your chances of future job satisfaction and career success.

The Holland Code Interest Inventory (pdf) exercise is a short interest assessment.

Read each statement. Check the white box next to the activities that you enjoy doing or would enjoy learning how to do.
Then, add the columns at the bottom of the exercise. Write down the number of checked boxes for each letter.
The letters with the highest amount of check marks indicate your interest code. Most people have a 2-3 letter interest code.

Each letter matches an interest group.

R = Realistic people are DOERS.
They are often good at mechanical or athletic jobs. They like to work with things like machines, tools or plants and they like to work with their hands. They are often practical and good at solving problems.
I = Investigative people are THINKERS.
They like to watch, learn, and solve problems. They often like to work by themselves, tend to be good at math and science, and enjoy analyzing data.
A = Artistic people are CREATORS.
They like to use their creativity and come up with new ideas. They usually want to work with less rules or structure. They enjoy performing (theater or music) and visual arts.
S = Social people are HELPERS.
They like to work directly with people rather than things. They enjoy teaching, counseling, or curing others. They are often good public speakers with helpful, kind personalities.
E = Enterprising people are PERSUADERS.
They like to work with other people. They often like to influence, persuade or perform for people. They like to lead. They tend to be assertive and enthusiastic.
C = Conventional people are ORGANIZERS.
They are very detail oriented and like to work with data. They are often organized and good with numbers. They are also good at following instructions. They also like working in structured situations.

Interests Online Resources:

Using the Interest assessment at Texas CARES.
Exploring your work values.

Your Work Values

Job satisfaction comes from having a job that meets your needs and fits your goals. The Match Your Work Values to Occupations (pdf) includes things people often want or value in their job. Not all of these values will be met each day. However, choose an occupation that meets most of your work values and you are more likely to enjoy your job. You will also be more motivated to succeed.

Work Values Resources

Texas CARES

Putting your assessments together.
Exploring careers.

Put Your Assessments Together

Look at the occupations you listed on the worksheets for each assessment. These include:

Match Your Skills to Occupations
Match Your Interests to Occupations, and
Occupations that Match Your Values

These occupations match your skills, interests and work values.

List the occupations that show up on two or three of your assessment lists in Occupations that Best Match All of Your Assessments (pdf). These occupations are a good place to start as you think about your next career goal.

Now that you have a list of occupations that fit your skills, interests, and values you are ready to begin Step 2: Explore Careers.

Exploring careers.
What career changers need to know.