Step 1 - About You

Self understanding is a key first step to making a suitable job choice, and developing your career.

Useful online resources to help

Online resources can offer you a means of assessing e.g. your skills, interests, values, personality type. Some self assessment exercises may indicate also what jobs might suit you, based on how you complete the questionnaires provided. If you find that jobs suggested do not accord with preferences you may hold, review how you completed the questionnaires to see how your answers affected the outcome, and whether you might wish to change any of these.

Remember too that these self assessment exercises are an aid only to job choice, and should be seen as part of a process that includes e.g. detailed job analysis, relevant work experience, talking to a Careers Advisor (See step 2).  Resources include:

Prospects Planner. Both these programmes, aimed at HE students, have self assessment questionnaires to help you gain a self picture and what jobs might suit. Prospects Planner additionally links these to job descriptions, and is available in both a detailed and shortened version.

Career Directions - Suggests types of jobs that match your interests; contains a database of Irish job descriptions and entry routes into these.

Qualifax - Aimed at people considering entering into or changing their course of study, this has a data base of courses including postgraduate; also has an interest assessment to help you find courses that fit your interests.

Windmills Programme - The “Career Fitness Check” and “Seven Tactics for  Success” are especially useful in helping you to develop your career.

Further Help

‘Student Guide to Career Development and Job Search Guide’; take away copies from the Careers Centre.

What Colour is your Parachute - particularly useful for mature students; reference copy in Careers Information Library.

Attend at relevant talks and workshops.