Use a personality questionnaire
Answer a series of questions designed to help you understand ways in which you differ from other people, by identifying your preferred ways of thinking and acting.
Understanding your personal preferences can help in your career development by helping you learn more about the way you approach your work and your relationships, as well as career areas that you may be well suited for.
It is important, however, not to see the results of a personality test in a limiting way, as there are many jobs you may find satisfying whatever your preferences. Sometimes people like doing things outside of their preferred style, as this offers new challenges.
Personality questionnaires can give you ideas about your style, values, motivations and talents which, combined with your experience and circumstances, can help you to make better short and long-term career decisions. For example, personality questionnaires can help you to better understand:
- Types of work well suited to your personality
- Your style of working and how you approach different situations and people
- How others might see you
- Your main assets
- Areas to consider developing
- Career ideas to explore.
Take a quick and easy personality questionnaire based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator philosophy to help you identify your preferred behaviour styles.
Job matching exercises
- Prospects Planner - use this online resource to review your skills and abilities and relate these to jobs.
Career planning resources
- Mind Tools - An online tool to help you understand various career skills including decision making techniques.
If you've taken one of the above questionnaires why not discuss the results with a careers consultant?
To know what you have to offer employers, it is important to know what skills employers are looking for and to review everything you have been involved in (e.g. volunteer work, sport, internship/placement, casual/part-time work, gap year).
Employers like to see that you have thought about the skills you can offer before completing an application or attending an interview, as you will need to provide evidence demonstrating you have these skills, using examples from any employment and voluntary work you have been involved in.
As stated in the Key Skills Employers Look For career guide, your degree alone will not guarantee employment; employers like to see that you have developed certain skills through paid work experience, community involvement or voluntary work. Visit the Experience City website to find out about opportunities around City to develop your skills.
Working through your CV with a Careers Consultant can assist you with identifying skills you have used. It may also be helpful to assess yourself in terms of what skills you have developed and enjoyed using and what skills you may need to develop further for your future career.