Do an exercise by preparing the diagonal blanks; fill in ten accomplishments, jobs, or roles you have had. Emphasize parts of your life that you feel good about, regardless of whether they were formally recognized. The examples may be achievements like "I starred in the school play," "I learned to sew a tailored suit," "I tuned an automobile," or "I taught my little niece to tie her shoes." The examples could be paid jobs—babysitting, lawn care, or waiting on tables in a restaurant. Examples of different roles are student, worker, friend and housekeeper. Try to select examples, large or small, of things you have enjoyed doing and you feel good about. Think of some examples of the best you have ever done—the best personal relationship you ever had, the best paper you ever wrote.
Then read the list of skills and mark an X next to each skill you performed while completing your accomplishments. Put an O if you enjoyed performing that skill.
The example is filled out to describe the skills used by a girl working at a fast food franchise. She puts together customer's orders, so there is an X before "assemble." She sometimes sets up the milkshake machine and enjoys doing it. Thus there is an O before "operates tools." Reading, writing, and remembering are all a part of waiting on customers, so these skills are checked too. She has little opportunity to express herself in the work itself, so no items are marked under "freedom to use own ideas." Communicating with people, managing money, calculating figures, working rapidly with numbers, and collecting money are all a part of waiting on people and being a wage earner, so these skills, too, are marked.
Recognizing your skills is important in deciding what career you would like to try. Decide which three areas you are strongest in. Put a check before each skill you possess. Use the Career Finder or your imagination and knowledge of the outside world to detect jobs which would use skills you now have.
Now delve deeper into your memory bank and try to identify other unique experiences that might give you a special background that others have not had. Think of careers experienced by members of your family or friends from which you have learned a great deal or perhaps you have been part of special projects that other people have not experienced. Think of unusual people you have known, books that have taught you special things. Beside each experience that you list, try to define the skill that you feel you have obtained as a result of that experience. List the career, and think it over as you write, noting what is required and whether you can accept the requirements and conditions of the job.
