How to prepare for an on-campus career assessment

Determining the right career for you is exciting, but can also be a daunting and frustrating process, especially if you don't know where to begin. If you are about to graduate and keen to have a successful start in your career, you should take advantage of the career assessments held on university and college campuses in the Philippines.

By completing the various assessments, you can gain a better understanding of what you do well, the types of work environments you'll enjoy and which careers will be a good match for your preferences. No matter what type of career you will pursue, here is how you can prepare to get the most out of your on-campus career assessment.

Self-evaluation
To find the right career path for your personality, you need to assess both the things you do and don't like. Take some time to reflect on your accomplishments – be it tasks you were excelled at during an internship, academic or leadership achievements, or a volunteer work. Create a list of all the things you enjoyed doing, as well as those activities you'd prefer not to do again. For instance, while your work on an extracurricular project was a great learning experience, you might not have actually enjoyed it. This level of self-assessment will help you to suss out the type of job and activity you really want.

Assess your strength and weaknesses
Knowing your strength and weaknesses is a powerful way to determine your professional interactions and nurture your career. Though it can be hard to acknowledge the things you find difficult or uncomfortable, self-knowledge will go a long way in both your personal and professional life.

Create a list of your strengths and weaknesses, and then revisit it daily for a week. Journaling is a great method to become more reflective and will help you when it comes to identifying your personal desires and strength.

Prepare for group discussions
Career assessments often include group discussion exercises, as they can help recruiters get a better understanding of your listening, social and problem-solving skills. Excelling in group discussions requires practice, but it's a skill that can be developed. While there may be some initial anxiety to overcome, try to engage in as many discussions as you can – be it your debate club at school or discussing current events with your friends and family – so that you can feel confident voicing your opinion in a group setting.

Prepare for personal interviews
During on-campus career fairs, you'll encounter written assessments and have the chance to directly engage with recruiters and company representatives. Don't skip this opportunity, as these are the people who can get you your first job, and consider that there are thousands of other students seeking t the best positions, it's important to make a great first impression. The first step in preparing your personal interview is to have a strong sales pitch for yourself. Make sure you can clearly and concisely articulate your interest in your field, your strengths, and your professional aspirations.

As career fairs tend to be hectic and fast-paced environments, write also a list of questions that you want to ask recruiters and HR managers to have on hand so that if you get flustered, you have a quick reference to get you back on track.

No matter whether you want to break into finance, engineering or a more unconventional career, on-campus career fairs are ideal springboards to launch your career in the right direction.