Self-Exploration

Identify Your Interests, Values, Personality Traits, and Skills

How do you figure out which career is right for you? At CCE, we know that the career exploration process can be daunting. While it may feel intimidating at first, there are steps you can take to start making progress towards self-awareness and understanding career options that may be a fit for you.

Self-assessment is the first step. The more you understand yourself and your motivations, the more informed and productive your career search process will be. Start by reflecting on your interests, values, skills and personality traits, as well as key experiences you have enjoyed. Research shows that people most satisfied in their careers are those who are working in jobs that closely align with these areas. Use the following activities to think about these areas and how they connect to potential career options. Complete them on your own or discuss them with a CCE career counselor. 

Identity

Identity is important to career exploration because it represents you as you define yourself. It is not another’s perception of you or who you should be. Knowing who you are and being confident in that identity will help you stay grounded as you explore the next phase of your life. You may think of yourself in terms of many identities and aspects of yourself that intersect. Some of these identities may be grounded in the communities of which you are a part and the life experiences you have had. Your identities may be closely tied to your values, interests, social contexts and self-image. In the exercise below try to reflect deeply on your core self, that which is part of you regardless of whom you are with.

Describe yourself in the lines below. Try using a mix of demographic descriptors (age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity, etc.), adjectives, or communities in which you consider yourself a member (first-generation college student, military veteran, etc.) in order to paint a full picture of who you are.

At my core, I am…

Keep these aspects of your identity in mind as you move forward with the self-assessment exercises in this section, as they often influence other elements of career exploration such as your interests and values. Jot notes in the chart provided in the Next Steps section.

Interests

Interests represent things you like to learn about or do as hobbies, but may also give clues to the kinds of careers and jobs you would enjoy. In the spaces below, list 10–20 things that you really like to do or enjoy learning about. Use the following questions to brainstorm ideas:

• What have been your favorite courses?
• In your previous jobs, internships, or extracurricular experiences, what tasks did you enjoy most?
• What are the things you find yourself doing and enjoying, even though you don’t have to do them?
• What local, societal, or world problems interest you?
• If you were an excellent writer, what subjects would you want to write about?
• If you could teach a course on any subject, what subjects would you teach?
• What do you do for fun? To relax and unwind? 

Now, scan through your list. What trends or topical themes appear throughout? Use the following theme descriptions to identify patterns and circle or highlight two or three that describe your interests. Note which theme contains activities that are most engaging, not necessarily the highest number of items.

Activities involving: 

• athletic or mechanical ability; working outdoors or with machines, tools, plants, or animals  
• observing, learning, investigating, analyzing, evaluating, or problem solving  
• imagination and creativity;  artistic, innovative, or intuitive abilities; or unstructured environments  
• working with people to enlighten, inform, help, train, or cure; skill with words  
• working with people to influence, persuade, perform, lead, or manage for business goals or economic gain  
• organizing, clerical, or numerical ability; step by step tasks, details and data

Write some keywords from the themes that most describe your interests in column 1 of the chart in the Next Steps section.

Values

Values play an integral role in career satisfaction. Of the following list, prioritize the ten career values that are most important to you now (they may change over time) by circling them, and cross out the ten that are least important. Add any other values that are missing from your list. 

Now, prioritize your top ten values by considering which could be compromised if necessary and which cannot be compromised.  After completing this exercise, write your top five values into the chart provided in the Next Steps section.

Personality

Personality can be defined as a combination of qualities that form an individual’s distinctive character, which influence how you see, experience, and interact with the world. We all have certain innate preferences and personality characteristics that feel more comfortable and natural, such as how we gain energy, perceive information, make decisions, and organize our external environments.

Below are just eight aspects of your personality to consider. For each row, check off the one option that most describes you. While you may relate to both descriptions, think about which is most comfortable, or the option you would choose first.

Of those that you checked, select 3–5 that describe you best or resonate the most with you, and write them in the chart in the Next Steps section.

Skills

Throughout the course of your life, you have gained competencies in many areas. In which of the following do you excel? This list will help you to realize your strong points. Apply them to career decision-making and when transitioning to different fields. Check off the skills that you have demonstrated inside and outside of the classroom. Then, go back and circle those skills you most enjoy using and cross off those that you do not enjoy using.

In the chart provided in the Next Steps section, write down 5–8 of the skills that you feel are your strongest and would most like to use in a career.

According to a 2022 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the top qualities/skills employers seek in hires are:

1. Problem-solving skills
2. Ability to work in a team
3. Strong work ethic
4. Analytical/quantitative skills
5. Communication skills
6. Technical skills

Year after year employers report looking for the same transferable skills, which are listed above. Remember these types of skills are developed both through studies, extracurricular activities, clubs, internships, study abroad, and life experiences unique to you!

Likes and Dislikes

Complete the activity below to reflect on how you have enjoyed or not enjoyed your previous experiences. When listing your likes and dislikes, be sure to think about the job tasks, skills you used, work environment, people you worked with, your boss/supervisor, the company culture and politics, hours, pay, perks, benefits, socialization, friends, resources available to complete the job, commute, professional development/opportunities for growth, travel, etc. Also, consider what was going on in your personal life at the time of each job—do you think that had any influence on the satisfaction of this particular job

Next Steps

After completing all the self-assessment exercises, use the self-knowledge you’ve gained to better inform your career development.

• Use this chart to record the interests, values, personality traits, identities, and skills you have identified through the previous exercises. Also note potential career options you have considered, or any careers that may connect to some of your preferences which you would like to explore further. Next, move to the following step to learn about how to connect the information below to possible careers.

  SELF-ASSESSMENT RESULTS
  Interests	Values	Personality Traits	Identities	Skills	Career Options

• For further exploration, use these research tools. 
• Meet with a CCE career counselor to discuss your results and brainstorm career possibilities.