Career Decision Making Activity Book

JCU Career Development Program

Career

Decision-Making

Activity Book

This Program is adapted from the Career Development Program devised by Queensland University of Technology and is licensed under a

ACTIVITY 1 – THE INTERESTS, VALUES & SKILLS INFLUENCING MY CAREER CHOICES

List your top three interests, values and skills and then describe how you can use these in your career choice.

Interests

Interest How could this be incorporated into my career choice?

1

2

3

Values

Value How will this impact on my career choice?

1

2

3

Skills

Skill How do I see myself using this in my career choice?

1

2

ACTIVITY 2 – MY PREFERRED OPPORTUNITIES

List your top five career opportunities in your chosen profession, and then describe why each one interests you.

Opportunity This opportunity interests me because…

ACTIVITY 3 – DISCOVER YOUR PREFERRED DECISION-MAKING STYLE

Instructions: Rank the four alternatives in each column as either: 1, 2, 4 or 8, with the highest number

indicating your highest degree of preference. Each response in any set of four must be ranked differently, that is, you cannot use a number more than one for each question. At the end, total your scores in each column. Your highest score indicates your preferred decision-making style.

Column A Rank 1, 2, 4, 8

Column B Rank 1, 2, 4, 8

Column C Rank 1, 2, 4, 8

Column D Rank 1, 2, 4, 8

1. My prime objective is to:

Be the best in my field

Feel secure in my job

Achieve

recognition for my work

Have a position with status

2. I enjoy jobs that:

Have considerable variety

Involve people Allow independent action

Are technical and well defined

3. I expect people working for me to be:

Highly capable Receptive to suggestions

Committed and responsive

Productive and fast

4. In my job I look for:

The best solutions

A good working environment New approaches or ideas Practical results 5. I communicate best with others:

In writing In a formal meeting

By having a group discussion

On a direct one-to-one basis

6. In my planning I emphasise: Meeting objectives Developing people’s careers

Future goals Current problems

7. When faced with solving a problem, I:

Apply careful analysis

Rely on my feelings

Look for creative approaches

Rely on proven approaches

8. When using information, I prefer:

Accurate and complete data

Limited data that are easily understood

Broad coverage of many points

Specific facts

9. When I am not sure about what to do, I:

Search for facts Wait before making a decision

Look for a possible compromise

Rely on intuition

10. Whenever possible, I avoid:

Incomplete work Conflict with others

Using numbers or formulas

Long debates

11. I am especially good at: Solving difficult problems Interacting with others Seeing many possibilities Remembering dates and facts

12. When time is important, I:

Follow plans and priorities

Seek guidance or support

Refuse to be pressures

Decide and act quickly

13. In social settings, I

Think about what is being said

Listen to the conversation

Observe what is going on

Column A Rank 1, 2, 4, 8

Column B Rank 1, 2, 4, 8

Column C Rank 1, 2, 4, 8

Column D Rank 1, 2, 4, 8

generally:

14. I am good at remembering:

Places where I met others

People’s personalities

People’s faces People’s names

15. The work I do provides me with: Challenging assignment Acceptance by the group Achieving my personal goals

The power to influence others

16. I work well with those who are:

Self-confident Polite and trusting

Open-minded Energetic and ambitious

17. When under stress, I:

Concentrate on the problem

Am forgetful Become frustrated

Become anxious

18. Others consider me:

Disciplined Supportive Imaginative Aggressive

19. My decisions typically are:

Systematic or abstract

Sensitive to the needs of others

Broad and flexible Realistic and direct

20. I dislike: Boring work Being rejected Following rules Losing control

Total points:

Highest Score in Column A =Analytical Decision Maker

Highest Score in Column B =Behavioural Decision Maker

Highest Score in Column C =Conceptual Decision Maker

Highest Score in Column D =Directive Decision Maker

The table below gives a brief overview of the Decision-Making Styles based on Preferences for Structure, and Human versus Task Orientation. Notice how your decision style relates to or differs from the other styles.

High Tolerance for Ambiguity (low need for structure)

Low Tolerance for Ambiguity (high need for structure)

Oriented to Task and Technical concerns

Analytical Decision-Maker

Solves problems by analysis,

planning, and forecasting

Pros – gathers a wide range of information and makes rational decisions after weighing all the perspective.

Cons – can spend too long obtaining information leading to confusion and an inability to decide.

Strategies – set a time limit on the information gathering process and use a structured decision-making process.

Directive Decision-Maker

Solves problems by applying

operational objectives in a

systematic and efficient way

Pros – uses objective information to make decision. Generally integrates information and makes decisions quickly and in a logical manner.

Cons – can be focused on the short rather than long term. Can be too task-focused and not consider other people’s opinions which can make them seem too authoritative, inflexible and difficult to work with.

Strategies – take time to listen to other people and consider the human cost of the decision. Oriented to Human and Social Concerns

Conceptual

Decision-Maker

Solves problems by exploring new

options, forming new strategies,

being creative and taking risks

Pros – has broad outlook and often focuses on the long term, big picture. Creative thinking identifies alternative options.

Cons – often overlooks short-term solutions and can be impractical.

Strategies – identify key current concerns and incorporate these aspects into the decision to make sure it is achievable.

Behavioural

Decision-Maker

Solves problems through people

Pros – shows concern for others and is interested in their opinion.

Cons – can overlook facts and make decisions which are based on feelings rather than being rational. Can take too long to make decision.

Strategies – carefully evaluate the utility of other’s decisions and adopt a rational process.

Decision-Making Style Summary

My decision-making style is…

This style affects my decision-making as I may tend to…

To improve my decision-making, I could…

Keep these points in mind when making a decision to ensure you make the best choice.

ACTIVITY 4 – IDENTIFY PEOPLE WHO CAN GIVE YOU INFORMATION

Write a list of any people you know who might work in the fields you are interested in. For instance, do any of your parents' friends work in any of the fields you are considering?

Write a list of those people who could give you information about any careers you are considering.

People who work in my preferred career

People who can give me information about potential career choices

Brother’s friend University tutor

ACTIVITY 5 – CAREER DECISION-MAKING MATRIX

Read through the following instructions and supporting documents on Blackboard about how to complete the Career Decision-Making Matrix. Then, complete one of your own.

Stage One:

1. On the top row of the following decision-making matrix insert the names of your most desirable job aspects.

2. Weight the Criteria from 0 (not at all important) to 5 (extremely important)

Stage 2:

1. In the left hand column list all the potential jobs/careers you are considering. Gather and review all the information you have about each job.

2. Give each criterion for each job a rating from 0 - 3 meaning ‘not likely to occur in the job’ and 3 meaning ‘extremely likely to occur in that job.’

3. To complete the matrix, multiply your first row (what you most value in a job) by the left hand column (your most desired job). This gives each graded criterion its ‘weight.’

4. If you need more information to rank an aspect in a job then --- seek more information! If no more information is available, make your choice based on the knowledge you have and what you think is most likely.

Stage Three:

1. Multiply your first row (what you most value in a job) by the left hand column (your most desired job).

2. Once you have weighted and ranked all your alternatives, look to see which one is rated highest and highlight it. This is most likely the best choice given all the information that you have available.

DECISION-MAKING MATRIX

Important criteria

Rate how well each option meets each criterion 0–3

Total 

Weighting 

0 not at all important 5 extremely important

Options 

unweighted

weighted

unweighted

weighted

unweighted

weighted

unweighted

weighted

unweighted weighted

ACTIVITY 6 – MY GOAL STATEMENT

What is your basic goal?

S - Is it specific? (Who? What? Where? When? Why?)

M - Is it measurable? How will I measure progress? (How many? How much?)

A - Is it attainable? (Can this really happen? Attainable with enough effort? What steps are involved

R - Is it realistic? (What knowledge, skills, and abilities are necessary to reach this goal?)