NAU Career Services
Strategies for your career search
Self-knowledge
With today’s highly competitive job market, it is important to use multiple strategies. A job search is not a simple, straightforward process. It requires self-assessment and research of potential employers. Rather than seek a position that you merely qualify for, try to discover those positions that maximize your strengths and encourage your professional growth.
Steps Toward Self-Discovery
Now is the time to begin working toward finding a career path. Taking these initial steps will enable you to incorporate self-discovery into your career search. Writing down your values, goals, skills, interests and ideal scenarios is an important step in finding a career which is right for you.
- Identifying Your Skills: A skill is “an ability, talent, knowledge, or personal quality that results in effective performance.” If you made a list of all your skills, would it be long or short? Most likely it would be short because people aren’t in the habit of identifying their skills. Everyone has hundreds of skills, from simple to complex. You gain and develop them through work experience, volunteering , hobbies, classroom experience, internships, and life.
- Choosing Your Career Path: With most majors there are numerous paths that you are qualified to explore. Do you want to work at a for-profit company, a non-profit organization, or within an educational setting or a government agency? Have you looked at all the options, not just the “name brand” companies?
- Identify Your Ideal Work Environment and Location:
When thinking about your ideal work environment consider answering the following questions:
- Where do I want to live? Would I work in a big city or small town? What climate do I prefer?
- What activity level do I want from my job? Do I like sitting at a desk most of the time or standing? Do I prefer to be outdoors? Do I like to be inside but not at a desk?
- What kind of interaction do I prefer? Would I like to be alone behind a closed door? Do I work better with people who interact with me frequently?
- What is my ideal work environment? Would I work in an office, factory, medical setting, outdoors? Am I comfortable dressed in a uniform, casual attire, or professionally? Do I prefer the day shift, swing shift, graveyard shift? Will I work Monday through Friday or on weekends?
