Evaluating your interests, values, personality and abilities, is an important step prior to making life altering decisions about career changes, going back to school or accepting job offers.
The Office of Career Services provides the Self-Directed Search, Strong Interest Inventory, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the online version of SIGI-Plus to alumni who are interested in utilizing these tools.
To schedule an appointment with a counselor call (501) 450-1416.
Assessment/Self-Evaluation
Taking the time to evaluate your interests, personality preferences, values, skills, prior work environments and future goals is vital to the assessment process. In addition, doing so prior to using online or paper-based tools can benefit what these resources are able to provide to your decision-making process. Spend some quiet time asking and answering the following questions and creating your own:
- What do I like to do in my spare time?
- Do I like to work as part of a team or independently?
- What are the things I value most for myself and my family?
- What am I good at doing?
- What am I not so good at doing?
- Am I willing to go back to school?
- Am I willing to take a pay cut?
- How much time do I want to spend at work on a weekly basis?
Self-Directed Search
Based on Dr. John L. Holland's RIASEC theory that both people and work environments can be classified according to six basic types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social Enterprising and Conventional, the SDS enables individuals to choose careers and fields of study that best match their self-reported skills and interests. Once type is identified, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and Occupational Outlook Handbook are excellent resource tools.
Strong Interest Inventory
The Strong measures individual interests in a broad range of occupations, work activities, leisure activities, leisure activities, and school subjects to provide an overview of how interests and work can be combined.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The MBTI instrument determines preferences on four dichotomies:
- Extraversion | Introversion
- Sensing | Intution
- Thinking | Feeling
- Judging | Perceiving
Combinations of these preferences result in 16 distinct personality types. Understanding characteristics unique to each personality type provides insight into how they influence an individual's way of communicating and interacting with others and provides an excellent resource for looking at career choices.
Online SIGI Plus
SIGI has been designed to assist anyone in search of career guidance from high school and college age students and beyond and does so by assisting with determining work-related values, interests and skills.
Articles/Books/Magazines
There are numerous articles, books and magazines available to assist in the career guidance process. Here are a few to check out:
- Do What You Are, Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger
- What Color is Your Parachute, Richard Bolles
- Dictionary of Occupational Titles
- Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Fast Company magazine
- Arkansas Business magazine
- Quest magazine
Online Resources