Self-Assessment

Self-Assessment is the starting point in career development. It allows an individual to identify their skills, personality, values, and interests and how they inform career choices. To begin self-assessment, take some time alone and ask yourself and answer these following questions:

• What do you value? What is important to you? Think in broad terms at first. What do you value in your personal life? Your academic/professional life? Spiritual life?
• What are your interests? What are the things are you passionate about in life? What do you enjoy doing? If you could have any job you wanted what would that be? What would that look like? What areas are you interested in exploring?
• What are your skills? What are you good at? Where are your skills, abilities, and talents? What tools are you interested in exploring? Think about skills you may have gained through past jobs, volunteer work, hobbies, school, social activities, etc.
• What is your desired lifestyle? What kind of lifestyle do you want to have? Where do you want to live? How do you want to live? What kind of house and car would you like to own? What size family do you envision having? How will you support this kind of lifestyle?
• What is God’s Will for your life? Is God a factor in your decision? How are you involving him in this process? What choices can you make to ensure that you are following God’s will? What talents has he specifically given you?

Self-Assessment Tools:

What Can I Do With This Major: Learn typical career areas and types of employers that hire in these fields, as well as strategies to make you a more marketable candidate?   

CareerOneStop: Assess your skills, interests, and work values for free.   

MyPlan: Whether you’re deciding on what college to go to, choosing a major, planning ahead for your first career, or thinking about making a career change, MyPlan.com can help you explore options and bring clarity and insight into figuring out what’s right for you.  The Values assessment is free.     

Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionaire: Identify the career decision-making difficulties you may have and get recommended ways to overcome them.   

Test Your Emotional Intelligence            

InSight™ Values / Work Characteristics Inventory: clarify and prioritize your values as they pertain to your working life   

Jung Typology Test: Get an accurate description of who you are and why you do things the way you do.

O*Net Interest Profiler: find out what your interests are and how they relate to the world of work. Also find out what kinds of careers you might want to explore.

Career Key: Explore various education paths, career options and compensation options, and real-world work environments. Narrow down your options with our unique decision tool, and open the door to substantial career and life well-being.

CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsQuest): This assessment measures 34 research-validated talent themes and then guides the development of those talents into strengths with resources tailored for students. CliftonStrengths is available to students in the AU Counseling and Testing Center. To schedule this test, email ctcenter@andrews.edu or call 269.471.3470. 

Strong Interest Inventory: The Strong Interest Inventory® assessment provides robust insight into a person’s interests, so you can help them to consider potential careers, their educational path and the world of work. This assessment is available to students in the AU Counseling and Testing Center. To schedule this test, email ctcenter@andrews.edu or call 269.471.3470. 

Self-Assessment Action Steps:

• Take a free online assessment or visit the  Counseling & Testing Center in Bell Hall, Room 123 to take the CliftonStrengths or Strong Interest Inventory.
• Book an appointment with a Career Coach to develop a career plan based on your assessment results.