{"id":774721,"date":"2017-09-04T14:19:29","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T14:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodwill.org\/blog\/general\/career-assessment-for-older-job-seekers\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T13:57:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:57:37","slug":"career-assessment-for-older-job-seekers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodwill.org\/blog\/career-and-financial-advice\/career-assessment-for-older-job-seekers\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Assessment for Older Job Seekers"},"content":{"rendered":"\nOne of the first steps to take in any search for a new job is to perform a self-assessment\u2014what are you interested in, what might you be good at, and what fields or job types match with those.\nThis goes even for older workers; if you\u2019re looking for a career, you should do an assessment. Here\u2019s how.\n

Understanding Career Choice<\/h3>\nBeing over 50 doesn\u2019t mean that you need to settle for just any job. In fact, you\u2019ll be more successful and have better results in your employment if you perform an assessment before starting. The reason why is simple: You\u2019ll be more motivated if you\u2019re doing work that you\u2019re good at and care about. You should also continue to assess yourself as you advance.\nHere are a few questions to ask yourself in your assessment:\n
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  1. What job best matches your interests, skills and abilities?<\/li>\n\t
  2. Does the labor market demand indicate that your job choice is a reasonable goal?<\/li>\n\t
  3. What skills does the job seeker need to reach their goals?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIf you\u2019re an older worker, your evidence-based career assessment will have one key difference over that of younger workers: You\u2019ll be able to take advantage of knowledge of your\u00a0transferable\u00a0skills<\/strong>, either from a lifetime of activity or past work history, and those skills can make a big difference in finding the right job for you. What you may lack, on the other hand, are various technology skills that have become essential in the last few decades, but you\u2019ll also be aware of skills that you need to work on and can plan accordingly.\n

    Where and How to Access Yourself<\/h3>\nEvery job requires a variety of different knowledge bases, skills to learn and tasks to do; likewise, every person has a set of interests and skills that correspond to those.\nYour assessment may take on the shape of John Holland\u2019s R-I-A-S-E-C Interest Structure, which measures these dimensions:\n