Assess job skills, career skills assessment, assessing job skills - aarp everywhere

If you’re a 50+ job seeker, you might be tempted to rush into action, frantically answering job ads or posting your resume online. Don’t. Your job search has a better chance of succeeding if

you step back and assess yourself first. WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? There are many reasons to do a self-assessment. Here are four: Understanding what you can do and like to do helps you target

jobs and employers. Self-assessment alerts you to skills that need brushing up. Knowing your strengths will help you answer questions calmly and confidently in job interviews. For career

changers, assessments can point to other fields where you can put your skills to work. WHAT TO ASSESS AND HOW: Assessments can be grouped into several broad categories: SKILLS—your ability

to perform a task or to carry out a responsibility. You can either write down your skills yourself or check them off from a list. Skill assessments let you easily match your skills with the

jobs that require them. Try the free Skills Profiler on Career InfoNet. INTERESTS—topics or fields you that interest you or in which you like to participate. Interest inventories measure the

fit between particular interests and specific jobs. Two reliable assessments are the Campbell Interest and Skill Survey and John Holland’s Self-Directed Search. Both are available online

for a fee. PERSONALITY—how you process information, make decisions, and interact with others. For work purposes, one commonly used personality measure is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. To

take the full MBTI, you have to work with a certified counselor. WORK VALUES AND PREFERENCES—what you think is most important or worthwhile in a job. Values assessments help you decide the

type of work environment you prefer. EXPLORE ASSESSMENT TOOLS Jot down notes about yourself. Think about what you have to give the world. Ask friends, coworkers, and family members for their

feedback. Then pick the tools that make the most sense to you. Career books and websites for the mature job seeker are likely to include lists of skills and job descriptions to help you see

how your skills fit. The _Over-40 Job Search Guide_ by Gail Geary, has a helpful chapter on how to transfer your skills to a new job or field. Online career assessments let you match your

skills with different occupations. Some tests are free; others charge for more personalized service. For links to a variety of online assessment tools, see The Riley Guide and the Job

Hunter’s Bible (look under Counseling). Also take a look at reviews of more than 30 online assessments at QuintCareers.com.  Career professionals administer and interpret skills-assessment

tests. Most who work in this field call themselves either career counselors or career coaches.