Knowing Yourself and Career Assessments

Alignment with Passions: Your interests often align with your passions and the activities you genuinely enjoy. When you choose a career that aligns with your interests, you're more likely to find your work engaging and fulfilling.

Motivation and Engagement: When you're passionate about your work, you're naturally more motivated and engaged. This motivation can drive you to excel in your field, seek continuous improvement, and take on challenges willingly.

Job Satisfaction: Choosing a career that aligns with your interests tends to result in higher job satisfaction. You'll likely find your work enjoyable, which can lead to a more positive attitude and overall well-being.

Easier Skill Development: People often find it easier to develop and excel in skills related to their interests. If you're genuinely interested in a subject or activity, you're more likely to invest time and effort in improving your skills.

Long-Term Commitment: Careers that align with your interests are more likely to be pursued as long-term commitments. You're less likely to grow tired of your work and more likely to stay dedicated to your chosen profession.

Intrinsic motivation: or the internal desire to do something for its own sake rather than for external rewards, is often higher when you're working in a field that interests you. This can lead to a greater sense of fulfillment.

Creativity and Innovation: Interests can fuel your creativity and innovation. When you're passionate about a subject, you're more likely to come up with creative solutions to problems and contribute fresh ideas to your field.

Networking and Collaboration:Sharing common interests with colleagues and peers can foster strong connections and collaboration. Networking becomes more natural when you have shared interests, potentially opening up new opportunities in your career.

Adaptability: Interests can also guide your career choices as your interests may evolve over time. Being attuned to your evolving interests can help you make informed career transitions or adjustments.

Work-Life Balance: Pursuing a career aligned with your interests can contribute to a healthier work-life balance. When you enjoy your work, it may feel less like a chore, allowing you to better balance your professional and personal life.

One popular framework that explores the connection between Interests and Career is John Holland's RIASEC theory. It proposes six Interest types (REALISTIC, INVESTIGATIVE, ARTISTIC, SOCIAL, ENTERPRISING, CONVENTIONAL) that align with different career environments:

RIASEC Chart

EXERCISE: From these descriptors of the different themes, what do you think are your top 2 - 3 areas of relatable interests? Consider how you engage or express these various interests in your day to day life in work, school, volunteering, and hobbies.

Use the following tool from ONET, an occupation database with extensive information on thousands of occupations, to INPUT YOUR INTEREST THEMES  find occupations that fit with your interest theme and conduct exploration of these occupations accordingly

O*NET online explorer tool

Values are a fundamental aspect of career decision-making and development. Their significance lies in several key areas:

Alignment and Fulfillment: When one's career aligns with their values, it leads to a deeper sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. It creates a meaningful connection between personal beliefs and professional choices.

Motivation: Values serve as a motivational force, driving individuals to pursue careers and work environments that resonate with their deeply held principles. This intrinsic motivation often leads to higher job satisfaction and dedication.

Decision-Making: Values guide career decisions by helping individuals assess whether a particular job or organization aligns with their ethical and moral standards. This can simplify the decision-making process and enhance the quality of choices.

Professional Identity: Values contribute to the development of a strong professional identity. When individuals work in fields that reflect their values, they are more likely to identify with their roles and take pride in their work.

Long-Term Commitment: A career rooted in one's values is more likely to lead to long-term commitment and resilience in the face of challenges. It helps individuals stay dedicated to their chosen path.

Ethical Behavior: Values are closely tied to ethical behavior. A strong alignment of personal values with one's career fosters integrity and ethical decision-making.

In summary, values play a pivotal role in career choices, job satisfaction, and long-term commitment. When individuals work in environments and roles that reflect their values, they are more likely to experience a fulfilling and meaningful professional life. Additionally, values guide ethical behavior and decision-making, enhancing the quality of one's career journey.

Use the following worksheet from UC Berkeley’s Career Center to reflect on your  work and personal values
UCB CAREER CENTER VALUES SHEET

ADDITIONAL Values Assessment from Career OneStop,

Work Values Matcher

Here are some ways in which personality influences career:

• Career Alignment: Individuals with certain personality traits often gravitate towards specific types of careers. For example, those who are outgoing and enjoy interacting with others may be drawn to careers in sales, marketing, or public relations, while individuals who are detail-oriented and analytical might be more suited for careers in accounting, data analysis, or research.
• Job Satisfaction and Performance: When a career aligns with an individual's personality, they are more likely to experience higher job satisfaction and overall happiness in their work.
  
• Work Environment Preferences: Different personalities thrive in different work environments. Some individuals prefer collaborative and team-oriented settings, while others prefer independent work with minimal social interactions.
  
• Stress Management: Personality traits can influence how individuals handle stress and cope with challenges in the workplace. Some people may be okay handling high-pressure environments, while others may prefer a more stable and predictable work setting.
• Leadership Style: Some individuals are naturally more assertive and take charge, making them well-suited for leadership roles. Others may prefer to support and guide from behind the scenes, making them effective as team coordinators or mentors.
• Career Growth and Development: Personality traits can influence an individual's approach to career development. Some personalities may be more open to taking risks and pursuing new opportunities, while others may be more cautious and prefer stability.
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Effective communication is crucial in any career, and certain personality traits can lend themselves to strong interpersonal skills, making individuals more successful in roles that require relationship building or customer service.
• Job Fit and Organizational Culture: Personality plays a vital role in determining job fit and compatibility with an organization's culture. Some workplaces may value collaboration and teamwork, while others may prioritize independence and individual contributions. Employees are more likely to thrive and succeed when their personality aligns with the company's values and working style.
• Career Transitions: Personality can also influence an individual's willingness and ability to navigate career transitions. Some personalities may be more open to change and adaptability, leading them to explore different career paths, while others may prefer stability and longevity in their chosen profession.

Overall, understanding one's personality and how it relates to career choices can be empowering. It allows individuals to make more informed decisions, find work environments where they can excel, and create a sense of fulfillment and purpose in their professional lives.

• Are you introverted or extroverted? Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or your inner world?
• How do you make decisions and use judgments? Do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances?
• How do you  gather and perceive information? Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in, or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning?
• Do you prefer structured or unstructured work environments? In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided, or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options?

These are examples of (but not limited to) dimensions of personality

Consider the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as an assessment that helps define these types

• The 16 MBTI® Personality Types
• How The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Works: 16 Personality Types

IMPORTANT: We don't necessarily remain fixed in a personality type, but it can be seen as a certain preference in how we behave -  it is important to consider the context of the enviroment that influences our behavior

Strengths allows individuals to align their capabilities with job requirements, pursue roles that leverage their strengths, and continuously improve through skill development. A successful career often involves capitalizing on individual strengths to excel in one's chosen field. Regular self-assessment and a commitment to enhancing strengths contribute to ongoing professional growth and adaptability in the dynamic landscape of the workforce. Review the following resources to learn more about Strengths:

• 40 Strengths to Put on a Resume, CV or Mention in a Job Interview
• 36 Strengths To List on Your Resume (With Examples)
• Top 12 Job Skills Employers Look For in Job Candidates

	Eureka Career Program Check out assessments such Inner Heroes, How Do I Learn?, What Are My Values?, MicroSkills, True Colors, and Occ-U-Sort to match your skills, personality and talents to possible careers that may be of interest to you to explore further. Site code for ECC Students: PQINZGF
	Career Cruising Log in using the following username and password. You can create your own account to save any materials on Career Cruising Login username: elcaminocollege Password: career A comprehensive and interactive career guide resource that provides information such as job description, working conditions, earnings, education, sample career path, and more. Assessments featured match your likes and dislikes, skills, and learning styles to find careers that match up with your interests.
	Career Coach Career Coach has information on occupations within various career areas, a resume builder and a simple assessment to find matching occupations that may be of interest to you. Explore occupational information on daily tasks, education, wages, employment projections, actual job postings, and more.
	California Career Zone A career resource program provides comprehensive information for 900+ occupations.  Includes self-assessment modules to help define possible interests, work importance and skills. Suggestion to check out financial literacy tools “Budget your Life” to determine the kind of lifestyle you want, what area, the budget you’ll need and the kinds of occupations with salaries that can lead to sustainable living wages.