Career Readiness Inventory

Copyright (c) 2002 - Marlowe C. Embree, Ph.D.

Instructions:  Read each item below and rate yourself on a 0-4 scale as follows:

    0 = definitely false

    1 = probably false

    2 = neutral, not sure, can't decide, don't care

    3 = probably true

    4 = definitely true

Leave no blanks.

1.  If my present career were rendered obsolete in six months, I wouldn't panic because I have a fallback plan in place.

2.  I know what my five best skills are and take steps to keep them sharp and current.

3.  My present career plays to my strengths, not to my weaknesses.

4.  I can identify at least three alternative careers that would make good use of my skills, talents, and abilities.

5.  I am a more marketable individual than I was six months ago today.

6.  At least some of my career and professional development activities would be understandable, interpretable, and relevant to people outside my academic discipline or area of specialization.

7.  I network regularly with people outside of my career niche or career specialization.

8.  If I had to get a job using my fifth best skill set, I would have an idea what that was and how to start.

9.  I do at least some reading every month that has nothing to do with my area of career specialization.

10. I have a hobby or a leisure time activity that I have chosen specifically because I am bad at it.

11. I know who my "customers" are and what three things they most want from me as a service provider.

12. I know how to cost-justify my present position, and am certain that the value I provide exceeds the cost of my paycheck.

13. I could easily write my own job description, outlining the three most important priorities I have.

14. I know who my "competitors" are and what differentiates me from them.

15. I am financially solvent enough that I am not spending everything I earn, even if that means only that I accumulate some spare change each month that I throw in a drawer and forget about.

16. I am a person who knows how to bounce back from hard times.

17. I believe that everything that happens to me has a purpose, or that I can find meaning in it.

18. I am more prone to see the possibility side of change than to see the threat side.

19. I pretty much accept myself as I am despite my imperfections.

20. I define my worth as a person more in terms of who I am than in terms of what I have, what I do, or what others say about me.

21. I enjoy my life most of the time.

22. I know what my three highest priorities in life are.

23. A private detective who observed my behavior for a month would be able to correctly guess what my three highest priorities in life are, based on my outward actions.

24. I have written a personal mission statement or other form of looking at what I want my "legacy" in life to be.

25. Although I like my work, it is not the only source of meaning and purpose in my life.

26. I have at least three close friends who know what's really going on in my life.

27. Overall, I'd say that my reputation in the community is a positive one.

28. I belong to at least one organization or group whose meetings I attend once a month or more.

29. When I am wrong, I openly admit it and take personal responsibility for making things right.

30. I try to take the initiative to repair broken or damaged relationships in my life.

Psychometric-Neutral Scoring Zone

Add your scores for:

It's impossible to say what an average score is, but you can at least treat these six scores as relative indicators of where you're strong and where you're weak in these six career self-management traits.  Based on the results, which area needs the most work in your life at this time?  What is one thing you could start doing between now and a month from now to begin making progress in this area?  Remember that having the right concept is of little value unless you implement it in action;  as a wise person once said, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them (not just think about them)."

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