Re-evaluating Yourself

Friday, May 11, 2012

Updated: 9/10/2015

Examine all opportunities that you are given before saying no. Sometimes an opportunity presents its self that you think is a step back, but it could be a valuable stepping stone to future opportunities and the future you want.

Today on Let's Get Working we'll discuss assessing your options when you have been out of work for some time. Here are 4 steps to evaluate yourself and your situation to help you get back on the right track to the future you want.

STEP 1: Evaluate Yourself

Do you actually know what you want to do, or are you currently unsure?
What are your interests? - Are they still the same or have they changed?
What are your values? - respect, honesty, doing a job well
What do you want from your job? money, occupy your time, build a career
What skills do you have? maths, sciences, working with your hands

What do you enjoy doing? - writing, reading, being outdoors

What are your strengths? - fast worker, accurate typist, good communicator

What kind of environment do you want to work in? - Indoors, outdoors, in a team, by yourself

Do you want to study? - Full time, part time, not at all

What are your needs? - ramps, disabled toilet, instructions in a certain format

STEP 2: The options available to you

Work - You can explore a wide range of occupations that may interest you in the 2015 Job Guide. Once you have found a job type that you are interested in, you should start looking around and contacting companies to check if they have any vacancies.

Further Education - You can pursue further education to get the skills you need for the job. You can explore your education options at any educational institution's website. This could be TAFE, Universities or any number of online courses.

Before you decided to undertake any education you need to check the following things:

What are the entry requirements?
What are the course costs?
How you will get to and from the course campus?
What types of support do they offer people with disabilities?
What are the expected employment opportunities once you finish the course?

Training - You can undertake an apprenticeship, cadetship, traineeship, or on-the-job training. This gives you a combination of the benefits of working, with the benefits of studying. To find out more about these training opportunities, go to the resource page of this blog and follow the links under the, What career do you want? heading.

STEP 3: Set some goals, Make a decision

Now you have to take all the information that you've gained from Step 1 and 2 and decide what you think is the best thing to do. What will help you to reach the goals you have set for yourself?

To help you through this process answer these questions.

What are your short and long term goals?
What are the steps required to help you reach those goals?
What are the implications of your chosen next step on your life?
What are the costs of your chosen next step, how will you pay for things?

STEP 4: Do it!

Once you have made a decision, do it. Don't sit around waiting for something to happen. The longer you wait the harder it may become to carry out your plans, that course you want to do is now full, that job you were going to apply for is no longer available.

Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can do today

Finding a Job

Start networking and looking for a job.
Edit your resume and cover letter to match the job, and then apply for it.
If you have been offered an interview, prepare for it.

Further education & training

Investigate the courses available to you by going to the organisation's website.
Fill out your application and submit it.

You are not alone. It is important to remember that most people have questioned what they wanted to do with their life at some point in time. When you are in doubt or feel lost, it is helpful to talk through your situation and options with other people that you trust.

Until Next Time,
Steven

Re-evaluating Yourself

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