Skill Incompatibility

Your work may use skills in which you are competent but not the skills that give you energy and satisfaction when you use them.

• Compare the skills used in your current position with those listed on your Personal Skill Profile and Core Skill Wheel.
• Identify those skills you would prefer using.
• Look for opportunities (assignments, projects etc.) that draw on Major Role skills or those listed in the Core Skill Wheel.
• Use the Skill Development Activities to identify specific skills you would like to develop and explore developmental activities.

Bored - Reached a Plateau

You have reached a high level of effectiveness in your work and see no new challenges where you could develop or enhance your skills.

• Use your Personal Skill Profile to identify skills you would like to play down (Minor Role) and those that would offer a source of challenge and development for you (Core Skill Wheel and Skill Development Plan).
• Identify company and departmental goals that you would like to support.
• Discuss your goals with your manager and negotiate ways to tie in your professional development goals with company/departmental needs.
• Explore cross-functional, lateral and upward moves to enhance your satisfaction and broaden your skill base.

Skill Overuse/Burnout

If you are performing highly repetitious, routine and procedural work for extended periods or doing work that does not offer variety or new skill challenges, you may experience burnout.

• Identify aspects of your work that energize you and seek more of these challenges.
• Determine those skills that are being overused and try to balance out the work by using more preferred skills.
• Evaluate the parts of your work that are routine or repetitious and brainstorm ways to eliminate or reduce.
• If a change is needed, refer to SkillScan's Suggested Career Options to generate new career ideas and activities for skill development.
• Conduct research on positions that promise a greater variety and challenge.

Lack of Proficiency/Experience

Until you develop a level of proficiency in using a skill it is hard to know if you will enjoy using it.

• Identify 3-4 skills and skill development activities from your Skill Development Plan and Skill Development Activities.
• Seek opportunities to practice using these skills in a low risk way such as taking a class, doing volunteer work, teaming up with an experienced person, joining a task force or setting up an internship.

Indifference

You may like using your skills but not with the subject matter of your work.

• Examine your Core Skill Wheel to see if you are using your strengths in an area that you value.
• Investigate other departments in your organization that might be a better match with your interests and skills.
• Review the SkillScan's Suggested Career Options in the explanatory section of Managing Your Career Roadmap for options that excite you. Begin your research.

Low Earnings Potential

Your future earnings growth is below your expectations and needs.

• Compare the skills used in your position with those at higher salary levels.
• Explore opportunities in your organization that that fit your Core Skill Wheel and have greater earning potential.
• Clarify the skills and knowledge you would need to acquire to make a transition to a higher paying position.
• Seek opportunities in your current position including projects or new assignments to begin developing the necessary skill sets.
• Identify training programs and classes to acquire the necessary knowledge-based skills.
• Identify skill development activities from the Skill Development Activities.
• Keep a record of newly developed skills.
• Develop self-promotion skills to assist you in selling yourself in the resume, interviews, performance appraisals and salary negotiations.
• Print out and complete the Individual Development Plan to put your plan in writing.

Decreased Demand

With automation and computers, many jobs with specialized skills are no longer needed: i.e. telephone operators, repair technicians, administrative positions etc.

• Clarify the skills from your Core Skill Wheel and Personal Skill Profile to determine your strongest and most preferred transferable skills.
• Begin researching fields of interest to identify careers/positions that better utilize your transferable skills.
• Conduct Informational Interviews to identify skill gaps that need to be filled in order to make a transition.

Re-entry

In preparing to re-enter the workforce you may not be aware of the transferability of skills gained from non-paid and former work experiences.

• Use the Core Skill Wheel to identify your preferred skills and strengths.
• Identify experiences/accomplishments from work, volunteer activities and family responsibilities that support your core skills. It is important that you recognize and value your skills from all work/life experiences.
• Use SkillScan's Suggested Career Options to gain ideas on possible career options.
• Identify suggested skill development activities from the Skill Development Activities.
• Seek transitional experiences such as volunteer work, internships and coursework to update and reinforce your skills.

Work Injury - Fewer Skills to Offer

You may no longer be able to use skills in which you have a great deal of proficiency and experience.

• Review your Personal Skill Profile and Core Skill Wheel to identify those skills you can no longer use in work.
• Identify skills from the Skill Development Plan and Core Skill Wheel that need development to improve your marketability.
• Use the Skill Development Activities to gain specific skill development suggestions.
• Identify career options of interest from SkillScan's Suggested Career Options
• Begin researching new career areas. Look carefully for options that fit your preferred skills.

Career By Default

You may not have conducted a full assessment of your skills to determine your natural strengths and preferences. You may have fallen into your job/career.

• Evaluate your career/position to see if it utilizes the greatest strengths listed on your Core Skill Wheel.
• Review the Personal Skill Profile to identify how much of your work draws from use of your Minor or Secondary Role skills.
• Identify the skills you would enjoy using more and identify development activities from the Skill Development Activities and take courses to explore and test out your preferences.

Personality/Style Incompatibility

If your work and work environment does not optimize your strongest personality characteristics and style, you may feel out of place, unappreciated and dissatisfied.

• Identify your personality/temperment by taking a personality assessment such as the Keirsey Temperment Sorter. Access this assessment and others through the Assessment Websites.

Values Incompatibility

If your work does not fulfill your core needs and values you will feel unproductive and unfulfilled. Example, you prize creativity, challenge and autonomy but your work primarily meets your need for a paycheck.

• Complete values exercises available on the Assessment Websites.
• Utilize Career Management Books to explore your values and other career preferences.
• Use the results to examine how well your values are met/not met in your work and workplace.
• Clarify the values you want met from work versus from hobbies and after work activities.
• Look for new opportunities in your organization that will meet more of your values.

Interests Incompatibility

You may be working in an industry or field that does not interest you. You find it difficult to stay current in the field, avoid "talking shop" and would rather read and learn about other subjects.

• Pay attention to topics of interest to you when you read the paper, magazines or visit a bookstore.
• Get a college or college extension catalog of courses and circle those topics of interest to you.
• Make time to explore your interests through reading, informational interviewing, taking a class or doing volunteer work.
• Utilize Career Management Books to explore your interests and other career preferences.