As the season changes, many are looking to put down their sunscreen and pick up their resume. For many of us, fall is the mark of new beginnings and fresh starts. Especially in today's world, with the global pandemic shifting our job market and every day lives, more than ever it is important to look at our skills and see how we can forge new opportunities in this ever-changing world.
As we navigate these changes (both temperature and worldly events), we can also navigate the changes in our professional lives by gaining new insight of the workforce, and finding new paths forward in our careers. So how do we do this? Learning more about what your strengths are and what type of goals you are looking to achieve is a great first step, and a career assessment can help you achieve this.
What is a career assessment? A career assessment is a tool to help individuals determine their interests and personality as well as preferred work styles and environments.
"Many people are overwhelmed when changing careers, and do not know where to start. Career assessments provide a strong foundation to career planning," says Jocelyn McKenna, Centre for Skills Development Employment Specialist.
"Once a client has completed an assessment and narrowed their possible career options to between three to ten options, we can then conduct more in-depth research such as looking into the labour market, salary, educational requirements, daily tasks and see what the room for advancement is like in this career."
Career assessments help clients self-reflect and determine their own likes and dislikes. Once they have determined those, Centre for Skills Employment Specialists can help them make informed decisions and support their short-term and long-term career planning.
"I have used career assessments with clients at any stage of their career," says Jocelyn. "From high school students, to people moving into retirement, to those who are having difficulty finding the right fit, career assessments are a great tool that helps people set realistic goals and determine the steps to take towards reaching their dream job."
Some of the types of career assessments Centre for Skills offers include:
- Interest Inventories: Rating various tasks, work styles and environments
- Career Cruising: Report outlining possible occupations with reasoning for client's matches and example careers.
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Identifies job families and occupations that are a good fit, based on your MBTI type.
- Personality Dimensions: Examines personality traits such as self-motivators, behaviours, and approach to work.
- COPSystem: Assesses clients' interests, values and abilities (an all in one system).
To learn more about career assessments, or to set up an appointment with one of our Employment Specialists, please call 1-888-315-5521 and select '3' when prompted or email employmentservices@centreforskills.ca