Reading Comprehension Fit for Work 1 Feeling overwhelmed about possible career choices? Not sure what to do next? If you are in the pain of career confusion, you may find yourself using online career assessments to give the “magic bullet” answer. My current client Julie will serve as the case study to clarify this approach. 2 The Four Cornerstones of Career Satisfaction include different aspects about YOU: 1) Motivated Skills and Strengths 3 Motivated skills are the skills you are good (or great) at AND enjoy doing. They are not all your strengths, but rather those you are eager to use. In fact, you may find that “time flies” while you are using your motivated skills! Julie found her motivated skills included showing compassion and empathy, building trust relationships, helping others, researching and organizing information, problem-solving, listening, and writing. 2) Interests and Passions 4 Common sense would indicate that if you are highly interested in (or even passionate about) a career or job, you would probably perform at a higher level and be more satisfied and successful. Your passions and interests could also play a part in which industries and companies you prefer. Julie’s big passion is centered on helping children. She also has clearly defined interests in Public Relations and Marketing (her Bachelor’s Degree is in this major), as well as in fitness, healthy living, and outdoor sports. 3) Personality Type / Personal Style 5 Your preferred personality type characteristics are clues to your behavioral style in the world. These clues may include where you get your energy from, how you incorporate and use data and information, how you make decisions, and how much planning and structure you are comfortable with in your daily life and in your job. Julie’s personality assessment results indicated her focus on the needs of others, as well as harmony and cooperation. Her preference for digging deep to see facts accurately and clearly drives her dedication to excellence and thoroughness. While orderly, conscientious, and highly responsible, Julie is also flexible and supportive of teams and individuals. 4) Values and Goals 6 Values are the motivating factors that make your career or job more satisfying. They go beyond a paycheck to the other elements that make you eager to tackle your job each day. These values are also tied into your short-term and long-term career and life goals. Julie’s top values include personal development, helping others, variety, using her skills and knowledge daily, expressing her ideas, and having a secure job. 7 All of the career assessments that Julie took were self-assessments. She tapped into her own understanding about herself. But Julie also captured feedback about herself from others via the 360 Reach personal branding assessment. The results detailed her memorable brand attributes and strengths, as well as her leadership style. 8 Based on the perceptions of others about her personal brand, Julie found consistency with her self-assessments. Her top brand attributes are: reliable, intelligent, organized, supportive, empathetic, and a diplomatic truth-teller. Relating to and building trust with others, as well as resolving problems, are her merits. 9 With the information from the four cornerstones and the personal branding feedback, you can find that Julie’s overall common thread involves helping and supporting people, especially children. Her empathy, trust-building, and communication skills are essential to that goal. With a penchant for organizing and researching information to solve problems, and her love of expressing ideas through writing, Julie is now considering writing careers within the non-profit sector. In particular, she is drawn to working in non-profits that promote healthy lifestyles for children. 10 The functional roles Julie is considering include marketing, public relations, educational programming, community outreach, and grant writing. She is researching how to grow new competencies in social media and grant writing via certification programs and training. The end result of that training would position her as an up-to-date and highly desirable applicant in the non-profit marketplace.