Self Assessment

Neither a stunning résumé nor an expensive interview outfit can compensate for an applicant who doesn’t know what they want, where they are going or why they are interviewing with a particular employer.

As interviewers unfortunately do not possess mind-reading skills, it is important for applicants to understand and succinctly express why they are at an interview and what they have to offer the organisation. Don't be modest; you should be able to present a compelling, reasoned statement about why you and the employer would make a good match.

To do this, you need to have thought about your skills, interests and abilities, and related these to your life experiences. You can then determine what these indicate about your strengths, preferences, values and need for further development.

The process of undertaking a career-related self-assessment is discussed in Module 4 - Career Planning. The La Trobe University Careers Service also offers seminars and personal consultations on self-assessment, including the opportunity to complete exercises such as the Self Directed Search (SDS), and the Strong Interest Inventory (SII).