Whether you can find a better job in today’s job market depends on your ability to sell yourself to the employer. To do this effectively, you must get to know yourself completely, package yourself nicely and present yourself properly. Then what should you know about yourself and how to package and present yourself? Read on to find out.

    In order to find the ideal job in today’s job market, a personal self-assessment is essential. Comments from job hunters who have been successful reveal that getting a better job depends on the job seekers’ ability to package their special talents and sell them to potential employers. To do this effectively you must get to know yourself.

What You Must Know and Why

Ask yourself:
     · Do I know all of my personal skills and talents?
     · Can I quickly summarize my background, experience, accomplishments, and strengths?
     · What are my interests, likes, dislikes, and preferences?
     · What are my goals, objectives, and expectations?
     Getting to know yourself is one of the most basic and vital elements of the whole job search process. Your own personal data base provides you with the basic self-assessment information needed to sell yourself to potential employers. In today’s lean market you cannot afford to leave any stone unturned.¹ If you leave any talents and capabilities unmentioned in interviews, you are shortchanging yourself.
     Many job seekers have said that knowing their skills, talents and capabilities was the key that helped unlock the door to a larger world of job opportunities. To learn more about yourself, ask yourself the key question: Do I really know myself, all of my skills and talents? You may say, “Of course.” But think again.
     When was the last time you asked yourself if you like variety or are comfortable with a set routine? If you prefer a set routine, you certainly wouldn’t want to work in a network newsroom. On the other hand, if you like variety, you might well lose your mind if you were to take a job as a telephone operator. If you pass out at the sight of blood, by all means don’t fill out an application to be a paramedic（护理人员）. If you were born with raw nerves, an air traffic controller position is not for you. Are you the curious sort?² By all means, be a researcher, a private investigator, or a diagnostician（诊断专家）. If you prefer not to work with people, you should avoid working in sales or customer service.
     In your effort to find the ideal job, it is very important to make sure that the job you choose matches the kind of person you are — your interests, skills, experience, and abilities. If you choose a job or profession to please someone else, in the end you will likely displease yourself and others as well.
     Knowing who you are allows you to know your:
     · Strengths                                  · Interests
     · Weaknesses                                · Skills and talents
     · Attitude about work                · Personal traits
     · Job preferences                       · Goals and objectives
    · Likes and dislikes                  · Expectations
     Incorporate this information with your:
     · Education                                  · Special training
     · Work history and experience · Accomplishments
     The end result is a knowledgeable focused individual, someone who knows who they are, where they’re going, and how to get there. Most important, they know what skills, experience, abilities, and talents they have to present to a prospective（未来的）employer.
     In some 30 years of dealing with job seekers at all levels, one fact constantly surfaces in comments from successful job hunters: Obtaining the ideal job depends upon the job seekers’ ability to sell their talents and skills to the employer. Ask yourself if you would purchase anything major — an automobile, a home, or a computer, for instance — from a salesperson who was hesitant or unsure about his or her product. If this salesperson was vague about the product’s history and performance, and in general didn’t know its advantages, surely you would be inclined to look elsewhere for this merchandise（商品）.³ There are, of course, the rare exceptions of those so skilled they can bluff their way through any sale, ⁴ whether it be selling iceboxes to North pole residents, or mink coats（貂皮衣）in the Sahara desert.
     Unless you are one of this rare breed, you’ll need to have the right questions and answers prepared for your interviews. Put yourself in your future employer’s position. That employer will want to know what you can do and how well you are capable of performing. The answers to such questions must come from you, your resume, and your interviews, as well as from phone discussions that will occur and references you will provide. Knowing how to communicate and present your talents is essential if you want to get to first base in your search for the ideal job.
     Obtaining the ideal job necessitates communicating to an employer what you are capable of doing and what you have successfully accomplished in the past. You will be judged on how you present this information in:
     · Writing                                   · Telephone conversations
     · Interviews                             · The image you project
     Many job seekers think of the first two points but seem to take their image for granted. This is a mistake, because if the image you project to an employer isn’t a good match for the position and the company, your resume and your interview won’t get you the job. Remember, creating your image starts with your resume and telephone conversation, continues throughout the interview and selection process, and doesn’t end until your follow-up closing discussions.
     If you’re being considered for a position as director of protocol（协议）for the state of California, don’t wear a seersucker（泡泡纱）suit with a flowered tie. If you do, no accomplishment, connection, or skill will be enough to overcome the lackluster（暗淡的）social image you portray.
     In discussions with many job seekers, I find many have been so busy working that they have had little time to spend on questions of self-assessment, such as what kind of job they really want and what their real skills, abilities, and talents have in common with their job preferences. You may want to discuss this subject with close business and professional associates, friends, a spouse, or others who know you well. Should you decide to seek professional counseling in the self-assessment process, be sure to seek a qualified professional.
      While developing your interests, job preferences, and career plans, keep in mind that they will vary as conditions in your life change. If you have been laid off, for instance, your immediate need may be driven by the necessity to find a job ASAP⁴ to support yourself and others who are dependent on you. If you are in this situation, do not lose sight of your long-term goals; do not accept a marginal（边缘的）or lower-level position unless it becomes necessary to do so. The exception, of course, is economic necessity and/or a job that will attain your longer-term goals or one more suitable to your interests. In a lean competitive market it is important to be flexible and, most of all, to know your strengths and how to package and present them.

The Self-Assessment Process: 12 Steps

    To perform your self-assessment, utilize the following 12 steps. The end result will be your own personal evaluation and database of total skills, experience, capabilities, and talents. You will want to identify all of the items described in steps 1 through 8. In step 9 you will complete your assessment outline. In steps 10 and 11, you will test your results and apply them to job market needs. For those who need extra help or assistance in the self-assessment process, step 12 provides for assistance.
     Step 1: Decide what type of job you want; define your interests.
     Step 2: Find job categories that match or relate to your interests.
     Step 3: Identify your personal job satisfaction factors.
     Step 4: Identify your strengths and weaknesses.
     Step 5. Identify your skills and skill levels.
     Step 6: Identify your personal traits.
     Step 7: Recognize your transferable（可转换的）skills.
     Step 8: Identify your accomplishments.
     Step 9: Create your personal assessment outline.
     Step 10: Test your results and apply them to job market needs.
     Step 11: Gather job information (a double check).
     Step 12: Assess your skills and seek career counseling.

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