Career Strategy

Self-Assessment

Know yourself!

The first - and most important - step in planning your career is to assess honestly your own strengths, weaknesses, values, and preferences. Knowing yourself and knowing under what conditions and in what settings you will perform best is critically important to determine where you should market yourself.

You should identify and target work environments that will give you a sense of satisfaction, challenge and reward your unique abilities, reflect your personal values, and "fit" your personality. Taking the time to assess who you are will put you in a much better position to target and persuade suitable employers that you are the best candidate for the job. While it is smart to be flexible and open-minded, it is important to develop a strong sense of who you are and what your career goals presently are. Here are some general factors to consider:

• Priorities and Values

What is important to you? (See the "Core Values" quiz, below). Identify what matters most to you and what sorts of work settings will mesh best with those core values.

• Geography

Is there a specific type of community where you'd like to live and work? Although there is no magic in relocating, many students find that they have more options if they widen their geographical focus to areas where there are more opportunities.

• Work Setting/Environment

Your surroundings will impact you and your work. Do you like working in smaller groups, or do you like being in a larger community? Do you prefer a fast pace during the day, or do you like to be able to focus on one project at a time?

• People

What specific populations would you like to work with? How much client contact do you wish to have? What sorts of colleagues do you want to have?

• Economics

How much do you need to make? It is important to realize that salaries can vary from geographic region to region and in different legal settings. Careful debt management during law school and estimation of your living expenses in the future can increase your employment options.

There is no "magic" to self-assessment. However, Career Strategy can arrange for more detailed skills and self-assessment exercises to help determine your strengths and weaknesses; likes and dislikes; work-style preferences, and other job satisfaction criteria.

You can start on your own, however, by answering the following questions on a separate sheet - and keep the answers handy for future reference -- or revision.

Quiz: What are your core values?

(Adapted from Deborah Arron's "What Can You Do With A Law Degree" and Kimm Alayne Walton's "Guerrilla Tactics for Getting The Legal Job of Your Dreams".)

Step 1: Cross off the values that aren't important to you.

Step 2: Winnow down your remaining list to six.

Step 3: What remains are your current core values. For maximum personal and professional satisfaction and success, your ideal work should reflect (or at least co-exist) with these core values.

• Achievement, Accomplishment
   
• Action, Adventure, Fast-Paced Environment
   
• Aesthetics, Appreciation of Beauty
   
• Autonomy, The Freedom to Make Your Own Choices
   
• Creativity and Self-Expression, Generating New Ideas
   
• Peace of Mind
   
• Being Genuinely Yourself with Others
   
• Sense of Humor, Wit
   
• Intellectual Challenges, Learning New Things
   
• Treating Others Fairly, Wanting Equity for Them
   
• Knowledge, Seeking Truth or Information
   
• Love and Family, Affection, Intimacy
   
• Loyalty, Allegiance to a Person, Group, or Cause
   
• Integrity, Morality, Following Standards of Honor
   
• Nature, Appreciating the Natural World
   
• Pleasure, Fun, Enjoyment
   
• Influence, Power to Get Things Done
   
• Recognition
   
• Religious Conviction Security
   
• Helping Others, Serving a Cause
   
• Skill, Being Good at Something
   
• Tangible Results of Effort
   
• Variety in Terms of Number and Type of Experience
   
• Wealth, Ample Money for Things You Want
   
• Wisdom, Insight, Judgment
   
• Productivity at Work
   
• Leisure, Lots of Time Off
   
• Opportunities to Travel

Quiz: Knowing yourself better.

(Adapted from "Guerilla Tactics" and the George Washington National Law Center handbook.)

Really "think hard" about the answers to these questions. Then, review your answers and look for common themes or links between them. Keep in mind: ideally, your work should comport with your answers!

• When were you the happiest in your life? Why?
   
• Think about any jobs you've had over the last few years. What was it about those jobs that allowed you to shine and to really feel good about yourself and what you were doing?
   
• Think about the classes you've taken over the last few years. What was it in those classes that allowed you to shine and feel good about yourself and your work?
   
• When did you first think about going to law school?
   
• What did you want that made you decide to go to law school?
   
• Reflect on the past several years. What are the jobs, classes, and other work-related activities that you disliked the most?
   
• Why, specifically did you find those activities or experiences unpleasant?
   
• Even though you may hate to admit it, what in life do you really need to feel satisfied?
   
• What kinds of things do you tend to procrastinate to avoid doing?
   
• What three kinds of things have you always done well?
   
• Time flies for when you're doing what kinds of activities?
   
• What do you think will be the most wonderful things about being a lawyer?
   
• What kinds of activities would you most often enjoy in your legal work?
   
• If money and education was no object, and you could have any job you wanted in the world, what would it be?
   
• What are the 5 qualities about that job that most attract you?

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