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INTERNET CAREER CONNECTION
Discover your career direction!
A service of Gonyea & Associates, LLC.
© 1999-2009 Gonyea & Associates, LLC.  All rights reserved.
www.iccweb.com

Step 2 Checklist: Identify possible career options...
Career Selection and Planning Guide
Internet Career Connection

Hopefully, in the previous step, you elected to define all four aspects of your personality style - interests, skills, values and behavioral traits.  The more areas you assess the better you will understand your personality style.
 

If you only defined your interests this program will still work in terms of helping you select a career direction.  However, the program works best if you first define all four aspects of your personality style.  Please give careful consideration to defining all four aspects of your personality style (if you have not done so already) before completing this second step.
 

The objective of this second step is to guide you in creating a list of occupations (job titles) that match the interests you defined in Step 1a - occupations that you now want to evaluate as possible career goals.

Time required to complete...

Approximately 30-45 minutes.

Required form...

Please print a copy of Form 2 and use your printed copy to record your findings as you complete this step.

Directions...

1. Print a copy of this checklist to record your progress as you complete this step.

2. On your printed copy, check off each step as it is completed.

[ ] Identify keywords that define your interests.

Review your interests that you listed on your completed copy of Form 1.  In the space below, list as many words as you can think of that describe all of your interests.  For example, if you have an interest in studying "ancient people and their cultures," all of the following keywords could be used to describe your interest:

• ancient

• culture

• history

• historical

• people

• community

• natives

• civilization

• archeology

• anthropology

Your task is to list as many keywords as you can that describe all of your interests listed on your completed copy of Form 1.  Note above that I have listed two forms of the word "history."  You too should try to list different forms of the same words on your keyword list.  The more variations that you list of a keyword, the more occupations you will be able to identify.

Keywords describing my interests:

Now, to the right list as many keywords as you can think of that describe all of your interests.

[ ] Use your keywords to identify matching occupations.

When instructed to do so below, click on the O*Net Online link to access the O*Net Online website.  This website contains information on nearly 1000 occupations.  Each occupation has been defined in terms of "job tasks" commonly performed by people working in each occupation.  This database will match your keywords to job tasks to help you identify job titles that match your interests.

Read the directions below before visiting the O*Net Online website:

• Enter one of your keywords and click the "Go" button to receive a list of matching occupations.  Click on any job title for detailed information about the occupation.
   

• Identify occupations that you would like to evaluate as possible career goals - occupations that you believe match your interests.  Record your selections on your printed copy of Form 2.
   

• Repeat the above procedure for all your remaining keywords to produce a list of job titles that match all of your interests.  Whenever possible, use different variations of the same word to find all possible matching occupations!  Record your selections on your printed copy of Form 2.

Please visit the O*Net Online website now to complete this step.

[ ] What should you do next?

When you have completed this step, move on to Step 3: Research your career options.