Step 1. Finding a Career that Suits Your Personality
O*Net Skills Search– Want to take another stab at matching your skills (including those you plan to acquire) with a career? This site provides a simple checklist of skills (divided into six categories like basic skills, social skills, and technical skills). Complete the checklist, click “Go”, and see if any of the resulting careers interest you.
Has anyone ever said to you, “With your personality, you should be a (career name)”? What exactly IS your personality? It might be interesting to gain more insight into this topic as you ponder your future. By registering on this site with your name and email address, you can take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II.
You can complete a similar profile called the Jung Typology Test to learn your specific personality type. Once you know your Jung type you can use is to find additional career information. For example, googling “ENFJ careers”
The Personality Project – This site provides a wealth of information about personality and includes a different type of personality profile called “The Big 5” which is part of a research project at Northwestern University. If you are over 14 and would like to participate in the study (it is anonymous), then click on “Big 5 Personality Test” at the top left.
Step 2. Finding Comprehensive Career Information
Virginia Career View – On this site from the Virginia Department of Education you can do quick search on the main page or go to the “students” page.
Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) – From the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, this site provides up-to-date information on careers, including job outlook and expected earnings. Check the “Sources of Additional Information” section of specific careers to find links to professional organizations in that field.
Career OneStop– A collaborative project from the Departments of Labor and Education, this site provides much of the data from the OOH, but with a more streamlined format and features designed specifically for high school students. Check out the “Hot Careers” section and the link to career videos (videos require Real Player).
Step 3. Create a resume and cover letter to add to your career paper.
Mock Resume Instructions. Sample Resume. Sample Resume 2
Mock Cover Letter Instructions.Sample cover letter.