If you’re an adult 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.
  
• Interests—topics or fields you that interest you or in which you like to participate in a work setting. Interest inventories measure the fit between particular interests and specific jobs.
  
• Personal Characteristics—how you process information, make decisions, and interact with others.
  
• Work preferences—what you think is most important or worthwhile in a job. Values assessments help you decide the type of work environment you prefer.

AARP Foundation First Step Assessment System:

AARP Foundation has developed a comprehensive assessment system specific to your needs.    This system helps you assess your work interests and personal characteristics as well as your workplace and transferable skills.  The system will also help you see what jobs are currently available in your community and link you to the application process.  Click here to learn more about the First Step Assessment System.