Interactive career orientation guide

What is important to me?

Values are important factors in choosing a career. Look at the list below and rate each value on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not at all important and 10 being very important. Then, choose the five values that you consider to be the most important when it comes to your job.

Respecting the rules

Collaborating with others

Community involvement

Free time

Safety

Autonomy

Creativity

Diversity

Challenge

Equality

Social relations

Authority

High income

Opportunity for advancement

Work-life balance

Working alone

Professional recognition

Skill Development

Travel

Low stress

Other:

The most important ones for me are:

Worksheet 2. – What are my preferences?

In the table below, give a score from 1 to 5, showing how much each statement suits you (1 = does not suit me at all, 5 = suits me very well). After you fill in each box, add up each row and transfer it to the first column on the left. Then make a hierarchy of your preferences.

If one of my colleagues makes a mistake, I will tell him.

I like to help my colleagues with certain tasks.

I feel good when I can help someone.

I like to help new hires.

I believe that my family needs new and modern things as soon as they come out on the market.

I need to earn the highest possible income in a given position.

Material things are very important to me.

I always like to drive a new car.

Re

When I do something, I feel the need to do it as well as possible.

I like to learn new tasks regardless of the job I have.

I look for opportunities to enrich my work.

I only stay at a job as long as I feel challenged.

I like jobs where I feel challenged.

When I have a choice, I prefer a job that involves taking a risk.

I like to do things that no one else is doing.

I like taking risks.

I get bored easily.

I like to try new creative ideas.

I look for new challenges in everything I do.

I like to know what my duties are each day.

I like jobs that involve vital tasks.

I like working with different types of people.

I like to change jobs often and move frequently.

Over the past 5 years, I have had a variety of jobs.

It is important to me that most people respect my occupation.

My job title is important to me.

Where I work matters.

I need to be respected in the local community.

I like to take responsibility for everything I do.

I like to plan and carry out activities.

I like to supervise others at work.

At my workplace, I need to be in a leader position.

I like to structure my tasks the way I prefer.

I do not take orders easily from my superiors.

I prefer to work independently, without supervision.

I like to do things my way at my workplace.

I like to work with like-minded people.

I usually complete any task better if I ask for help.

I like working with other people.

Teamwork makes my job easier.

Worksheet – Discover your interests

Answer the questions below and see which field of activity matches your preferences.

Realistic type

Investigative type

Artistic type

Are you...?

Are you...?

Are you...?

a nature lover mechanically-inclined independent curious athletic self-controlled reserved

scientifically-inclined independent good observer logical precise inquisitive academic style

creative brave open to new things independent

Can you...?

Can you...?

Can you...?

play a sport garden pitch a tent fix things operate machinery

solve math problems conduct science experiments interpret formulas work with data

sketch, paint or draw play a musical instrument write stories and poems sing, dance, act in drama

Do you like to...?

Do you like to...?

Do you like to...?

be outdoors take care of animals use your hands be physically active build or fix things

go to the movies, theater or concerts do crafts take photos read fiction

work on computers investigate problems figure out how things work write lab reports

Worksheet – Discover your interests

Answer the questions below and see which field of activity matches your preferences.

Entrepreneu-rial type

Conventional type

Social type

Are you...?

Are you...?

Are you...?

self-confident adventurous sociable talkative enthusiastic

organized practical persistent polite obedient a person who likes a structured day

friendly kind generous persuasive cooperative

Can you...?

Can you...?

Can you...?

start projects from scratch convince people to do things your way sell things give speeches

teach others new things lead a group plan an activity work well with others

use advanced computer skills save money respect rules keep accurate records

Do you like to...?

Do you like to...?

Do you like to...?

work in groups volunteer help people with their problems play team sports

make decisions run for office be a team leader manage projects feel influential

work with numbers organize make sure there are rules that are followed pay attention to details

Worksheet 1 – Discover your transferable skills

Make a list of your skills, starting from the following points. Then, think of an example for each skill you have acquired.

All your work experiences

Your Educational Studies

Write down every responsibility you had and every competency you demonstrated in the jobs you have had so far.

Write down all the skills and knowledge you have demonstrated or developed through your education.

EXAMPLE

ABILITY

EXAMPLE

ABILITY

Interests and Hobbies

Volunteer Experience

Write down all the skills you have demonstrated through your personal interests and hobbies.

List all the skills you have demonstrated through your involvement in the community.

EXAMPLE

ABILITY

EXAMPLE

ABILITY

Worksheet 2 – Job Skills

Think of two possible jobs that are in your field of interest. Fill in the skills list as required.

Job title:

Required skills:

Skills I already have:

Skills I need to acquire:

Job title:

Required skills:

Skills I already have:

Skills I need to acquire:

Personality traits

Personality traits define those characteristics that we show in most contexts and they are relatively stable over time. A certain personality tells us almost nothing about our abilities, but it can tell us a lot about the environment in which we feel most comfortable. And because there are certain contexts in which we are at ease, it is very likely that our performance will be good there. It is very important to remember that if we do not have the right personality traits for a certain profession, we can always develop skills that compensate for our shortcomings. In the following, we will see how we can take personality traits into account in the context of our professional trajectory, and for this we will refer to the Big Five model of personality, namely the 5 traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience.

Emotional stability

Extraverts

tend to be considered by others as friendly, affectionate, fun-loving. This dimension is also associated with the development of social relationships during college, with those who score high making friends much more easily. Extraversion is associated with leadership, interpersonal relationships, effort, initiative, and accepting tasks. In terms of leadership skills, it seems that extraversion is one of the factors that predict assuming the role of leader, but also performance in this role (along with agreeableness and emotional stability). At the same time, it seems that extraverts feel more satisfied at work.But not all of us like to socialize, initiate conversations, and meet new people. In other words, some of us are introverts and prefer deep relationships, having a limited number of friends. In terms of professional activity, introverted people tend to persist longer in an activity until they achieve the desired result. They are more open to introspection, which makes them notice their mistakes more quickly, and they are oriented towards success and performance at work.

(or neuroticism) has been primarily linked to job satisfaction. It is considered that neuroticism is associated with negative affectivity and, therefore, a “neurotic” employee will be dissatisfied with his professional position and will have a negative attitude towards his job. Those with low scores on neuroticism are happier and more satisfied with life in general, and therefore with professional activity. There is a negative correlation between neuroticism and job satisfaction, which means that people with emotional stability feel much better in their professional activity.

Openness to experience

is one of the most difficult factors to describe because it does not correspond to the usual language. It seems that high scores on this factor lead to a greater need for personal development, people who demonstrate this trait having an "outside the box" thinking. This dimension is related to interpersonal relationships, communication skills and job-specific knowledge.

Conscientiousness

is a very common trait in the social environment. People with high scores are seen by their colleagues as organized, punctual and ambitious. Conscientiousness predicts higher job satisfaction and income, so we can talk about competitive and result-oriented people.

Agreeableness

determines reporting fewer conflicts, and when they occur, they manage to reduce the self-esteem of the person in question. People with high scores on this dimension tend to avoid using power as a means of resolving a conflict with another person. High agreeableness is associated with job satisfaction, while low agreeableness can be a good predictor of conflicts.

Each of the personality traits can represent an asset in certain professions, just as it can constitute a disadvantage in other professions. The presence of a trait is not something good or bad in itself, but it acquires a positive or negative connotation depending on our professional interests. That is why it is important to understand which personality traits define us and to identify what role they play in our professional trajectory. To evaluate professional traits, it is best to resort to a specialized evaluation at a counseling office, an evaluation made by a psychologist with tools adapted for the Romanian population

Motivation

Motivation is one of the main factors that helps us progress, to advance on our professional trajectory. Regarding studies on motivation, we know that intrinsic motivation is the one that is associated with greater persistence in the task. People who demonstrate intrinsic motivation tire less easily, give up later (or find resources so as not to give up). However, we do not need to develop intrinsic motivation for every activity. Some activities are useful for the moment and we look for any strategy not to abandon, because we know that they do not represent a major interest for us, in the long term. Therefore, for some activities or for some goals it is enough to resort to extrinsic motivation to keep us engaged. For other activities and professional goals it is preferable for extrinsic motivation to transform into intrinsic motivation to maintain our interest in the long term. Once we have determined what kind of motivation interests us, we can use several strategies to develop the desired motivation. Extrinsic motivation is based exclusively on factors that are external to us, namely rewards, penalties, punishments or negative reinforcements. The fact that a mark of 8 is a reward or a punishment is something we establish subjectively. It is quite possible that for a discipline where we have made constant effort and prepared a lot, a mark of 8 may not be at all satisfactory. On the other hand, for a discipline where we have barely gone through the bibliography, an 8 may become a pretext for joy. Rewards (when we behave a certain way in order to receive something pleasant) and negative reinforcements (when we behave a certain way so as to avoid something unpleasant) will lead to an increase in the frequency and intensity of a behavior. Penalties (withdrawal of something pleasant) or punishments (administration of something unpleasant) decrease the frequency and intensity of a behavior. If we want to take a refresher course that we find useless and boring, we can use rewards and negative reinforcement to keep us focused on the course and engaged in the learning process. If we spend too much time hanging out with friends instead of preparing for work or college, we can use penalties and punishment to reduce the time spent with friends to the detriment of work or college. As mentioned before, extrinsic motivation is suitable for specific, short-term behaviors. When we think about our professional trajectory, respectively the activities we will do daily, it is important to develop intrinsic motivation. For this, we can use one of the 5 elements through which intrinsic motivation can be supported:

Belonging to a certain group

Competition

Challenge

Curiosity

Control

Negative Engagement

Positive Motivation

Each of the elements below can function as a motivating factor. Where do you stand? What motivates you? Identify whether your motivation and commitment are positive. If not, it may only be a matter of time before dropout occurs.

Negative Motivation

Positive Engagement

Resilience

Each of the categories below represents a protective factor in the development of resilience. Analyze each segment and write down as many life experiences ( you have) as possible that can be associated with the domain.

life skills

high expectations

social involvement

opportunities

szervezeti erőforrások

social resources

Worksheet – Balance

Analyze the 8 dimensions in the wheel of life. Identify the level of statisfaction you have regarding each, where 0% is the lack of any satisfaction, and 100% is a maximum level of satisfaction. How pleased are you with each aspect of your life? For the fields whith a high level of satisfaction, list at least 3 reasons that you think might explain your assessment. For the fields with a low level of satisfaction, identify at least 3 strategies tha tyou can apply to rise that level.

professional academic development

financial well-being

100%

physical, mental health

contribution in community

0%

relationships extended family friends

relationships God

relationships with partner

relationships self-respect

Worksheet – Formulating SMART goals

Write your career or academic goal below and then analyze it using the SMART model. Try to rephrase it so that you are clearer about what you need to do to achieve it.

OBJECTIVE:

M (measurable)

A (achievable)

R (relevant)

S (specific)

(time-bound)

- How long will it take me to reach this goal? - What is the date when I will know that I have achieved it?

- Do I have the resources to achieve this goal? - What do I need to do to achieve it?

- Is it worth investing in this objective? - Is it important to my plans?

- How will I measure my progress? - How will I know I have achieved it?

- What exactly do I want to achieve? - Am I clear about the outcome I want?

Once you have formulated your SMART goals, break them down into smaller steps that are easier to put into practice. Write down in the table below which steps you need to take to achieve your goal by the set deadline.

Worksheet – Action planning

By filling in the table below you will be able to integrate your objectives into your strategic career plan.

OPPORTUNITIES(where?)

STRATEGY (how do I achieve it?)

DEADLINE (until when?)

MY OBJECTIVES

SHORT TERM (1-6 MONTHS)

I register for online courses

December 2020

British Council

To get the English language certificate

MID-TERM (6-24 MONTHS)

LONG TERM (2-5 YEARS)

Worksheet – Career decisions

Analyze each of the factors that influence your career decisions. List them in the colored segments, then explain specifically how that factor is relevant to you when you have to make a career or academic decision. Fill in the boxes using keywords to describe each factor.

factors

factors

factors

Factors influencing my career decisions

factors

factors

factors

Worksheet – Table of decisions

We can use this table when we are faced with a decision we are unsure about and haven't yet found a way to deal with it.

Importance (on a scale of 1 to 10)

Situation I faced (specific)

Strategy nr. 1.

Strategy nr. 2.

Strategy nr. 3.

Costs and benefits

Worksheet – check your CV

Worksheet – Preparing for a Job Interview

Before going to an interview, it is necessary to prepare both with information and questions. Fill out the form below to have the information as structured as possible.

From the job description, I know that it involves: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The questions I have about this post are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Analyzing the company's website, I found out: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The questions I have about the company are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Other questions I have: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Worksheet – Uploading your CV to speciality websites

Search for the most popular recruitment websites and fill out your CV. Some give you the option to upload a ready-made CV, others require you to fill out each section separately. Don't forget to fill out your CV in English, too!

Worksheet – Record of sent CVs

When we are looking for opportunities and send our CV to several companies or NGOs, it is good to keep a record of them. Complete the table below to know what stage you are at.

Worksheet – preparing for the informational interview

If you want to set up an informational interview with a certain company, you need to prepare in advance to know which of your questions remained unanswered. At the same time, analyze your strengths to know what specifically recommends you or why you think you would fit in that company. Complete the sheet below to prepare for the informational interview.

Initial list of questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. From the company's official website, I found the following information (you can cut from the initial questions you found answers to): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I am left with the following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I have formulated new questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Final list of questions for the informational interview: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.