AM I RIGHT F

OR THIS?

C O O P E R A T I VE E

D U C A T I ON P

R E P L A C E M E N T

PERSONAL ASSESSMENTCooperative Education is a great way to gain experience in an

occupational area that interests you. It’s a chance to try out your skills in a job before making a firm commitment.

Cooperative Education gives you the opportunity to better understand yourself in relation to your long-range career choices.

• What are your interests and natural abilities?• What skills do you have that will help you in the job?• What kind of personality do you have?• What are your values when it comes to work?

JEREMY LINJeremy knew he loved basketball from day one. It took a coach

at Harvard to realize he had the ability to play. By exploring and improving his natural ability and technique, Jeremy achieved outstanding success. He now plays in the NBA.

PERSONAL ASSESSMENTPersonal assessment means you can highlight your strengths

in your cover letter and resume and face-to-face on the job.You can come away with valuable knowledge about yourself.You can use your co-op placement to explore and improve

areas you would like to grow in.

At the end of this course you will have the opportunity to do some further job research. You will have finished your placement and will have an even better sense of who you are and where you are headed.

LET’S GET STARTED!

REVIEW1. What are two benefits of cooperative education?2. What are the advantages of doing a self assessment?3. How does this cartoon illustrate the idea of career fit? What

is the cartoon saying?

START WITH YOUR INTERESTSWhat you are interested in tells people-including employers-a

lot about you. What really interests and excites you?Interests – things that you like, and things that attract you – for

example, specific activities such as woodworking, swimming, books, issues and hobbies.

Activity 1Write down all those activities that you truly enjoy doing at

work, at school. At home, or with your friends. Focus on activities in which you are active, playing sports, or acting in a play, not passive such as watching TV.

WHAT'S YOUR BLISS?

The purpose of this exercise is to help identify what makes you happy.

“Follow your bliss.” - Joseph Campbell

Do the things that give you the highest degree of happiness and satisfaction.

These are usually the things you do well.

1. Read the list that you developed. What do your interests tell you about the kinds of employee you could be? Use “From Interests to Placement” to explore how your interests could help you in your future placement.

2. Take the Learning Styles Self Assessment to identify your interests.

YOUR NATURAL ABILITIESHoward Gardner, a psychologist best know for his theory of

multiple intelligences, was the first person to suggest that people can have more than one kind of intelligence (according to Howard, the ability to problem solve or create in one or more ways that are valued by society.)

Find out which intelligences are your strongones by completing the MI Test on our wiki.

YOUR SKILLSWhat about your skills? These are things you have learned or

studied. Like many people you probably have some skills that you are strong in and others you would like to improve. In the 1990s, Canada identified nine essential on-the-job skills. These skills are called essential because without them , your chances of succeeding in the world of work are very limited.

Complete Essential Skill Power to document your ability to se the nine essential skills. Add the information as you go and note any improvements you make.

YOUR WORK HABITSWork habits are also things you have learned to do. A work

habit is a person’s way of completing a task. The Ontario Government has identified nine work habits necessary in order to be successful at work.

Some of these habits are similar to learning skills – for example, organization and initiative.

Complete “My Work Habits” (1.3) to assess how you are doing in this area. When you are done, identify three work habits you are strong in and three habits ou would like to work on.

THE PERSONALITY FACTOR: INTROVERT OR EXTROVERTUnderstanding which kind of job would be a good fit for you

also depends on your personality (your “self”, which you build over time; the total of your physical, mental, emotional and social characteristics) type.

Introverts can’t be around people all the time – dealing with others drains their energy.

Extroverts are the opposite. Being around people makes them feel happy and energized.

FAST GROWING JOBS FOR INTROVERTS• Tile and marble setters• Animal trainers• Hazardous material removal workers• Landscapers and grounds-keeping workers• Brick masons, block masons, and stonemasons, as well as their

helpers• Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers• Sound engineering technicians• Roofers• Environmental science and protection technicians• Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfittersTake the personality test linked through our wiki.

YOUR VALUESMaybe you have never thought of your values in relation to a

job or co-op placement. However, the values you have around work, combined with the kind of work you will do, will affect your satisfaction level.

One example of a work value is making income a priority. You might be willing to do a more boring or difficult job if the pay were excellent. However if creativity is more important to you than the extra pay would not matter.

Values About WorkList your values about work. (1.4) Share your results with a

partner. File your results in your portfolio.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHERYou have assessed yourself in many different ways. Now its

time to collect the information in one place and figure out what you have learned about yourself. How could you use this information to write a great resume and highlight your strengths on the job? What areas do you need to improve in or work on?

Self-Assessment (1.5) summary to summarize your self-assessment

Information to Use (1.6) to highlight information about yourself you might use in a resume, cover letter or ,interview or, on the job..

CRUISE INTO YOUR CAREERIn the long run, it may take time to settle on the career that is right for you.

Your coop placement will play a big role in this process. It will give you the hands on experience the classroom cannot provide.

1. Log onto Career Cruising to help identify the career field best suited to you.

1. username: connell2. password: 36602.

2. Select the two jobs that most interest you from the list of selected careers. Use a Venn Diagram to compare the two jobs and identify their similarities and differences.3. Use the Job Web to illustrate one of the careers and how it relates to your skills.In the top box write the career you have chosen.Add at least 5 branches describing the skills, tasks, training, or responsibilities associated with that job.Add at least 5 branches describing how and where you have demonstrated those skills in your life.