John is interviewing for a new job. He is asked, "Why do you want to work here?" He looks surprised, then after a thoughtful pause says, "Because I saw the ad in the paper and thought it would be fun." The interviewer later asks, "Where do you see yourself five years from now?" Again, John thinks for a minute, and then hesitantly answers, "With higher pay?"

Later that day Kathleen is interviewing for the same job. When asked her goals, she leans slightly forward, and states, "I have always wanted to work in this industry, which is why I got my degree in a related field. I plan to take the following courses for certification in my field (she briefly lists courses she has taken and is planning to take to increase her credentials). Within five years, I plan to be mentoring others in my area, and to have increased job responsibility at this company because of my credentials and increased skills."

Who do you think will get the job?

The above scenario is not as far-fetched as it sounds. A surprisingly large number of people never define what their personal career goals are, or even investigate what type of work is best suited for them personally.

Define Your Goals

The first step in starting any job search is defining your goals. Simply put this means looking at "What do I want to be?" and "What am I qualified to do?" The closer these two are to each other, the greater the chances of getting the job you want (and being happy at it!). This means doing the necessary research and self-evaluation to understand what type of job is a good fit for both your interests and experience. Having well defined goals will assist you in focusing your job search and not wasting time interviewing for jobs that are unsuitable for you.

Self-Assessment: A Key to Setting Career Goals

A self-assessment can help you determine the type of job that would be a good fit for your talents and personality. The following exercises will help you not only in defining personal goals, but will also help when the company interviewer asks you the standard questions, "Why do you want to work for us?" "Where do you see yourself in five years?" and "How do you plan to reach your goals?"

Skills assessment

Take a piece of paper and make out two columns. In the first, write "skills". Under this heading, you will be listing different skills that you have collected in your lifetime, whether from formal education, college courses, personal interests, or work. Summer jobs, internships, and any jobs that you have held will include skills that should be listed. This is an area to list your greatest strengths and abilities, such as mathematical ability, communication skills, computer expertise, or creative projects completed. Skills can range the gamut from technical to physical, and will vary with a person's individual experiences.

Values/interests assessment

In the second column, write "Personal values/interests". List the values that are important to you personally, including your ideal working conditions and your "dream job". Everyone has different things that are important to him or her. Do you enjoy security, routine, and detail-oriented work? Or are you a restless, creative, independent type? Invite feedback from others who know you well, such as family, friends, and teachers, or those who have worked with you.

Are you a risk taker? Or perhaps you're a people person? How important is money to you? What about personal prestige? Do you enjoy supervising others, or following orders? Do you enjoy teaching others? Are you a team worker, or do you prefer working alone? What locations are acceptable? Is your dream to live and work in a rural setting, or in a major metropolitan center? How many hours of work per week are acceptable? The answers to these questions will help you to define what type of job you should be seeking.

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