To thine own self be true... -

To thine own self be true... - Its more than just a line from Shakespeare! Wouldnt it be nice if everyone who worked had the luxury of spending their work hours doing something that they enjoyed and was true to their values and skills? If you are considering a new career, have you done any thinking about how that career intersects with who you are (or want to be)? Focusing your your values is one way to help direct your search.   Check out the University of Minnesotas Values Inventory to get you thinking about your values and what you really want in terms of work. Another strategy is to focus on skills.   So many job seekers cant really identify what they have to offer in the way of skills.   This is a real problem when it comes to the self-marketing, self-selling and interviewing aspects of the job search.   Ive said it before:   If you dont know what you have to offer, who does? There are many ways to approach figuring out your skills.   There is a basic one that I advise my clients to consider:   look at a skills list.   Highlight all of the skills youve EVER used or could remotely be related to you.   Then, go back and check off the skills that really resonate and feel like you.   This is a basic, not time consuming and free way to get you thinking about   your skills. Another suggestion is to use an on-line skills profiler tool.   This instrument   allows you to identify and match skills used in a variety of different jobs with specific occupations.   You can search by skills or start with occupations.   This tool may give you some new ways of thinking about how you can use your transferable skills. Personality and occupational tests are tools to help focus your plans.   John Hollands Occupational Test functions on the belief that people who have similar interests may prefer the same types of work environments.   It aims to categorize your interests, abilities and personality into themes that may then be grouped to target careers.   This is one of many personality driven assessments available that may help focus your goals.