Self-assessment for career planning is multi-faceted in that there are many aspects of that will influence the direction, pace and content of your career plan, such as your Interests, Values, Strengths, Skills, and Personality. By undertaking a self-assessment of each of these aspects of yourself, you can create a personal “career blueprint”, a comprehensive career plan that will provide the direction, self-understanding and sense of purpose to keep moving your career forward in a way that is meaningful and self-motivating. 

Before you get started, here are some guidelines to get the most from your career blueprint: 

• Be generous. Give yourself the time and space needed to complete each self-assessment fully – you’re worth it! (Online self-assessments usually provide the typical duration up-front so that you will know how much time you will need). 
• Be patient – some self-assessments take longer than others and reflection is a process that cannot be rushed. 
• Be honest. Answer each item or question honestly, with the first “gut instinct” response, rather than what you think you “should” answer. There are no “shoulds” in creating a personally, meaningful plan that you will find motivating and rewarding. 
• Be discerning. While we recommend you take all of the assessments provided, feel free to start with and prioritise those that feel the most pertinent to your needs right now. You don’t have to follow the order in which they are presented here. 
• Share for further insights. To get the most from your completed reports and exercises, we recommend that you discuss them with a careers advisor, mentor or other appropriately qualified person. The process of discussing the findings will personalise the feedback so that it fully makes sense to you. It will also help you to explain any insights gained to others such as managers or prospective employers. 
• Rest assured. Please note that your completed self-assessments are for your eyes only, unless you choose to share them with another person. No staff member of UCC is given access to any of your reports, including the licensed reports provided through Team Focus. 
• Combine your self-assessments. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Likewise, storing all of your self-assessments in one online space will help you to see the connections and synergies between them and lead to greater self-knowledge and ease of access. 

Time to get started: