Self-assessment: interests, skills, values
Career guidance
Updated at August 24th, 2024
Table of Contents
Self-assessment
Guidelines for Self-Assessment
- Allow approximately 15 minutes.
- Complete a list of interests, skills and values.
- When completing the self-assessment, think about your previous jobs, your current role and the possibilities for future positions and opportunities.
INTERESTS |
High interest | Interest occasionally | No interest |
| Using imagination and expressing ideas |
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| Presenting information and ideas in creative ways |
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| Visual arts, music and performance |
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| Design and Style Awards - Decoration and Design |
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| Writing - articles, notes, stories, creative texts |
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| Problem solving |
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| Discovery and investigation, finding solutions |
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| Application of logic and exploration of abstract ideas |
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| Analysis and interpretation of results |
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| Researching and exploring ideas and theories |
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| Implementation of systems and procedures |
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| Process change and development |
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| Administrative tasks and processes |
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| Sorting, processing and searching for data, facts and figures |
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| Writing policies and procedures |
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| Management of physical resources or organization of spaces |
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| Organizing and prioritizing |
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| Planning and monitoring |
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| Negotiation and bargaining |
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| Acceptance of financial and business risks |
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| Sales and Marketing |
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| Focus on customer service and service standards |
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| Leadership, management and people management |
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| Leadership and coaching |
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| Teaching and explaining |
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| Supervision of others |
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| Making a difference in other people's lives |
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| Giving advice |
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| Listening to people's problems |
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| Community services and social care |
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| Social media |
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| Public speaking |
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| Logistics |
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| Building, assembling, repairing and crafting things |
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| Working with things rather than people |
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| Cultivation and care of living organisms |
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| Environmental issues |
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| Strong scientific or technical orientation |
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| Sports and fitness |
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| Be active rather than sedentary |
SKILLS |
I'm good | I want to improve | No interest |
| Mentoring |
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| Coaching |
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| Consulting and providing advice |
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| Providing feedback |
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| Conducting group discussions / group facilitation |
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| Teaching and training / developing others |
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| Supervision of others |
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| Leadership |
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| Building relationships |
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| Representing others |
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| Acting as a clutch |
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| Evaluation and selection of people |
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| Interviews and recruitment |
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| Negotiation and mediation |
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| Persuasion and influencing |
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| Conflict management / problem solving |
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| Cooperation |
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| Team player |
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| Delegation |
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| Money management and budgeting |
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| Accounting - costing and calculations |
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| Administration |
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| Forecasting and estimates |
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| Data analysis – comparing and contrasting |
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| Classification of data and information |
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| Record keeping |
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| Inventory |
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| Website design |
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| Programming and computer technology |
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| Computer skills |
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| Written communication |
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| Verbal communication |
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| Public speaking and presentation skills |
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| Organizing and planning |
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| Strategic planning |
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| Meeting deadlines - time management skills |
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| Critical thinking |
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| Conceptual and analytical ability – working with concepts and complexities |
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| Decisiveness - makes rational and reasonable decisions |
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| Rational and logical |
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| Adaptability to changes in the workplace |
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| Flexibility / Adaptability |
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| Self-Management / Discipline |
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| Reliability – trustworthy and responsible |
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| Innovativeness – creating new processes |
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| Proactive approach / initiative |
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| Intuition – perceptive, sensitive and instinctive |
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| Drive and enthusiasm |
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| Self-confidence / confidence in one's own abilities |
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| Resilience – persistence, calmness under pressure |
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| Auditing |
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| Quality analysis |
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| Evaluation of systems |
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| Problem solving |
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| Service Excellence / Customer Focus |
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| Impartiality and tolerance |
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| Integrity – Dedication, Trustworthiness and Fairness |
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| Attention to detail - notices small details and logical sequence |
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| Willingness to take risks |
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| Using tools or complex equipment |
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| Chairing and coordinating meetings |
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| Policy skills – policy interpretation, application and preparation |
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| Organizational awareness / business knowledge |
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| Change management |
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| Editing and proofreading |
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| Understanding and using social media |
VALUES |
Always | Sometimes | Never |
| Competence – doing the job right |
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| Expertise – demonstrate a high level of skill at work |
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| Work-life balance – reconciling personal interests and work demands |
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| Flexibility – flexible work schedule |
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| Independence – being autonomous and working without supervision |
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| Working alone – working independently with minimal contact with others |
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| Decision making - deciding what to do and how to do it |
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| Leadership – being responsible, leading others, key decision maker |
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| Authority – having control over one's work and the positions of others |
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| Recognition – receiving recognition for a job well done |
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| High earnings - money, wealth |
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| Status and prestige – to impress or gain respect for the level of your work |
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| Advancement - opportunities for growth and promotion |
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| Challenging work – being intellectually stimulated and developing |
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| Personal growth – growing as a person and learning new ideas and skills |
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| Creativity – to come up with new ideas and programs, to think outside the box |
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| Change and variety – different experiences, responsibilities and activities |
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| Working at the cutting edge – working at the frontier of knowledge |
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| Competitiveness – internal and external competition, to perform better than others |
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| Teamwork – working with others towards a common goal |
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| Cooperation - help and support within the team |
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| A sense of belonging – feeling part of a team or community |
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| Social – belonging to a social environment, having regular contact with people |
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| Integrity – trust and respect in the workplace |
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| Loyalty - dedication and commitment |
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| Security - feeling safe at work |
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| Relaxed atmosphere - minimal pressure and avoid the "rat race" |
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| Order - work in an organized and tidy environment with efficient processes |
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| Aesthetics – working in an environment that is physically pleasant |
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| Adventure - the thrill of working with possible risks |
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| Health and well-being |
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| Spirituality |
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| Community - helping society and touching the community |
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| Environmental awareness |
Summary
Summary Guidelines
- Allow approximately 20 minutes.
- Review your answers from the Self-Assessment and select your top 10 interests, your 10 strongest skills, and your 10 most important values.
- List things you'd like to do less, skills you enjoy but aren't currently using, and list 10 skills you'd like to learn.
- List any barriers and obstacles that you think might affect your career opportunities.
| Interests | Skills | Values | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 10 |
| Skills to develop | Things I don't want to do | Unused skills | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 10 |
| Possible obstacles and barriers | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 |