UMass Amherst Alumni Association

Your Career

Career Tips: Stepping Stones to Finding the
Right Job

What was right 10 years ago may not be so now.  The job market has changed and so have you!  How can you start the process of finding the next right position?

• Just as you’d never go into an interview without knowing something about the company, it’s important that you know something about the product you’re selling to a company:  yourself!  Though time consuming, self-analysis can’t be over-emphasized.
• What are your transferable skills? What skills have you picked up along the way that you can transfer to a new position? A document that can help you determine your transferable skills is http://www.jist.com/transfer.pdf.
• Next, assess your self-management skills or personality traits.  An awareness of and ability to express these traits can help a potential employer know how you’d fit into their organization.  A good, though not exhaustive list, can be found at http://www.jobbankusa.com/selfman.html  Think of other saleable traits to add.
• List the tasks and anything else important (types of co-workers, type of management, physical location) you would like in your daily work life.  Don’t be fooled into thinking “any job would suffice”.
• Finally, write down the minimum amount of money you’d need to make in order to live comfortably.
  
  Following these suggestions will help you stay focused as you work to find your next position.