Module 4 - Career Planning

Unit 2: Personal Traits

Understanding your personal traits

Everybody has a unique personality, which they then bring to the job search process. By understanding your personal traits, you can make job and career choices more easily.

Research suggests that by identifying your personal traits and then finding employment that allows you to draw upon these traits, you are more likely to lead a rewarding and fulfilling career. Therefore, if your job does not allow you to use these traits, it is important to find other ways to express them (through hobbies or interests, perhaps), or else consider a different type of employment.

For example, if you see yourself as an outdoorsy person, and the types of jobs that you are looking at are mostly indoor and clerical, you could join a bushwalking club outside work hours. This might fulfil your need to be outside and active, but, if it still seems unsatisfactory, you should only explore careers that provide the level of physical activity that you require.

Activity

Begin your own self-assessment process by creating a list of your personal traits. Make a list of as many words as possible to describe yourself. Words like accurate, creative, future orientated, relaxed or structured are just a few examples. In addition, you might ask people who know you well how they would describe you. Of all of the traits you have identified, select the 10 that you believe most accurately represent you. Keep track of these 10 traits.