Page 19 - Carlson School GBCC Career Guide

The Case for Career Exploration
Like many students, you may have come to business school without a specific and clearly defined career focus. You might be considering multiple options and aren't sure which path you’d like to take. Alternatively, you could be a career accelerator, where you're looking to move forward in your current function, industry, or company. Early on, it is certainly acceptable if you don't know exactly what career you want to pursue, but the sooner you identify a focus, the more efficiently you can use your time in the job search process.
CAREER EXPLORATION
The Importance of Self-Assessment in Career Exploration
Thoughtfully assessing your fit with future careers can:
• Reveal that you’re well-matched to some careers that you’re not thinking about and don’t know much about.
• Reveal that one career path you think is right for you really isn’t.
• Identify the kind of organizational culture that will suit you.
• Help you succeed! Some people have a personal characteristic
that interferes with their ability to be as successful as they’d like to be. If this describes you, a career assessment can help you identify those potential issues so you can get control of them before they damage your career.
Start with an open mind. Follow the steps of self-assessment, researching, generating options, exploring what it takes to be successful, and evaluating what you’ve learned. Taking the time to do this up front will ensure a productive job search with the best outcome for you.
Self-Assessment: Look Internally First
Your exploration of careers will be most effective and focused if you take the time for thoughtful self-assessment and reflection to find the best fit job for you.
For MBA students, one of the most helpful ways to begin this process is by taking the CareerLeadertm assessment. This tool measures your business-relevant interests, motivators, and abilities. It recommends careers to explore and cultures to seek, and it provides information about careers, organizational fit, industries, and interviewing. All full-time MBA students are required to take the CareerLeadertm assessment prior to the start of the CareerLaunch. All other students are welcome to take the assessment as a helpful part of their job search. If you
are interested in taking this assessment, call the GBCC front desk or send an email to gbccmail@umn.edu and request that an account be set up for you.
ADDITIONAL TIP
In addition to CareerLeadertm, there are other assessments you may wish to take to help you define your strengths, interests “personality type,” and possible career paths. These include:
1 CliftonStrengths: Available at any bookstore, this assessment helps you to understand your strengths and how you can use them in the workplace.
2 Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): This assessment is offered though University’s College of Continuing Education (for a cost). It helps you understand your personality type, and how you might fit in differing work environments.
3 Imperative: Available through our office by emailing gbccmail@umn.edu. This assessment helps you identify your purpose drivers so you can better understand how you find purpose at work to stay motivated, driven, and fulfilled.
There are many other ways to self-assess your career interests. Start by reflecting on what you know about yourself and your goals:
• What are the core values you live by?
• What are your greatest talents, abilities, and interests?
• What kind of atmosphere or culture do you want at work?
• What do you want to be known for that you are not known for now?
• What duties, projects, or daily tasks would you like to be doing that you are not doing now?
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Carlson School of Management