What Color is Your Parachute Revisited

Don't worry folks, I haven't forgotten about you!
I have finished going through all the exercises in the book, What Color is Your Parachute. I am finding it quite interesting on how some of my answers have changed over the years.  The last time I used the book, I was in the middle of some major career changes. I was getting away from doing accounting type work where I had to do accounts payable and accounts receivable along with collection work and I made the switch to more creative endeavors which included selling and marketing and then getting into the personnel field full time. Later on I made another change to where I ended up in business for myself for about 3 years, where I was able to really get into a lot of creative design work, making gift baskets and the marketing end promoting the business. I even decided to try my hand at a year of substitute teaching after I retired.

Now that I no longer have children to support, being able to pursue my creative endeavors seems to be coming to the forefront. It is time to really do the things that I enjoy doing, be able to make some money while doing it but really enjoy the feeling of fulfillment that comes with following your passion.

I went to the library and picked up a current copy of What Color Is Your Parachute and I am so glad that I did. They have really revised this to the current job hunting market and there are references in there for you to get some of the evaluation tests on the Internet as well as an entire section on how to incorporate the Internet into your job search but also advising you not to limit yourself to that type of job hunting only.  They also advise you on how to use the Internet to gather information about the companies that you are interested in interviewing with. If you are presently unemployed and working with your state unemployment office and they haven't advised you to get this book, they are missing the boat!  Please, beg, borrow or purchase this book!
                                                                                                                                       I can not stress enough the importance of adding this book to your own personal library! Let it guide you as you go through this very new job interviewing and hiring process.

So what have I learned?  I am a creative, detail oriented, organized, self-motivated writer and teacher. I enjoy sharing information with others and seeing them be able to utilize what they have learned in order to be successful. I am at that stage in my life where I don't want to make a lot of money, I just want to live comfortably.

What are your traits, temperament and personality type:

Check out www.personalitypathways.com by Myers-Briggs for your personality type.
Then go to their home page www.myersbriggs.org for their testing resources.
You can go to www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp for some free tests that are loosely based on the Myers-Briggs tests.

Another good free test is the Keirsey Temperament Sorter at www.keirsey.com. This is also similar to the Myers-Briggs test.


Transferable skills tests for you to consider taking:

You can find some good sites to assist you determine what these are and even which job titles these skills will fall under. For a good test that will help you determine your transferable skills and a check list for you, check out the State of Wisconsin's Department workforce website at www.dwd.state.wi.us/dwd/publications/223e_28a.htm.  Now this site will not point you to particular jobs but it is a very good site for you to check your skills at.

If you want something that will point you to particular jobs, try this www.vocrehab.com/webtsa.htm . You will need to register to use the site but the first transferable skills test is free.

Another site that you need to register at is the Career Tests at Hot Jobs but it also is free and very good. http://hotjobs.careerid.com/articles.html.
If you are just out of college or wanting to consider a new career field, I would suggest you take some of these tests. You will probably end up with some "light bulb" moments, pointing you in directions for a new career path that you might not have even considered before.