1.5 Determine Your Work Preferences

What to Know

In addition to your skills and experience, your personal preferences about what you want to do are critical in your job search. If you think about what kind of work you prefer before beginning your job search, you will have a better idea of which jobs to pursue. You will also be better prepared for interviews, filling out applications, and developing your resume.

Your transition office has resources that can help you investigate these aspects of your job search. Online sources are also available. See the transition website for links to useful information.

This section, once completed, will give you an idea of your interests and personal style. This relates to occupational job titles and the temperament required by those jobs.

When you begin to research jobs and companies, refer back to this section to ensure that your work preferences are consistent with job descriptions.

What to Do

The following questions will help you identify your work preferences. Read each question, circle your choice, and follow the directions at the end.

1. I enjoy working with:
   1. data (information, ideas, words, numbers)
   2. people
   3. things (machines, equipment)
2. I prefer working:
   1. indoors
   2. outdoors
   3. some inside and some outside
3. I want to work for a company:
   1. with less than 100 employees
   2. with 100 to 500 employees
   3. with 500 or more employees
   4. that I own
4. I would like to work in a:
   1. large city
   2. medium size city
   3. town or suburban area
   4. small town or rural area
5. I prefer a job that involves:
   1. a lot of travel
   2. some travel
   3. no travel
6. I want a job that requires:
   1. interacting with a lot of people
   2. some interaction with people
   3. very little interaction with people
   4. no interaction with people
7. I would like work duties that:
   1. frequently change
   2. vary from day to day
   3. are fairly routine
   4. never change
8. I am willing to work overtime:
   1. as much as possible
   2. frequently
   3. occasionally
   4. never
9. For the right job I am:
   1. not willing to relocate
   2. not able to relocate
   3. willing to relocate
   4. eager to relocate
10. I want to work:
    1. full-time
    2. part-time
    3. temporary
11. What are some things you like to do in your spare time?
12. What are your hobbies?
13. Are you more comfortable as a team member or a team leader?
14. Where do you want your career to be in 5 years?
15. Which of your past jobs did you like least? Why?
16. Which jobs did you like best? Why?
17. What kind of job would you do if you could choose any job you wanted?
18. What kind of training would you like to have, if any?
19. Why did you choose your previous field of work?
20. Do you prefer to work day shift or night shift?

Look over your responses on this survey. Write your priority work preferences below. This summary will help you clarify which work preferences are most important to you.

Example

I prefer a job where I: work with people, inside and outside, full-time, day shift, in a small city, and do some traveling. I am willing to relocate, but not out of state.

Next Page > Analyze work-related values