Know yourself

Looking for a job: what would really suit you?

What is the best place to start when looking for a job? That would be you!
Take the time to question yourself and reflect on who you are as a person. If you can accurately define ‘who you are’, ‘what your strengths are’ and ‘what you want’ then you will be able to target matching jobs.

Find answers to the following questions

  • Who am I? What do I want?
  • What do I find interesting? What are my talents?
  • What matters to me?
  • What are my strengths? And my weaknesses?
  • In which kind of environment do I feel comfortable?
  • How am I in connection with others?

Tips to view yourself correctly

Reflect on your past experiences. These will show how you function.

  • What role do you usually take in a group? (friends, roommates, fellow students, …)
  • Do you like individual assignments or do you prefer teamwork? What are the pros and cons of both for you?
  • Reflect on previous summer jobs, internships, study experiences abroad, work experiences ... They should help you to find out what your strengths are and how you deal with challenges that come your way. Were there any tasks you took on then, that you would like to do again in the future? What did you find appealing?
  • You can also learn a lot about yourself from disappointing experiences: what was the cause of your failure? How did you deal it at that time?

Keep it simple: talk to people who know you well

You will notice that friends or family will sometimes refer to competencies that you were not aware of. Ask them about your strengths and your weaknesses, so that you can adjust the image you have of yourself.

  • What kind of jobs or tasks would they see you doing?
  • What talents do they attribute to you?
  • In what kind of work context or role do they see you?

Tools: Freya and Marco

Through the Ghent University Career Center, you have free access to the online orientation tools Freya ans Marco:

  • FREYA helps you identify your professional values, ideals and needs.
  • MARCO helps you identify your professional interests and career preferences.

Once you have completed both tests, you will receive a detailed personalised feedback report. This can help you gain an insight into your professional profile.

Take a critical look at your results:

  • Do you recognise yourself?
  • What surprises you?
  • What’s missing?

As a Ghent University student, you are automatically registered with the Ghent University Career Center. Once you have activated your account, you will have immediate access to the career guidance tools on the platform.

Complete Freya and Marco

A selection of the free online offer:

And after that?

Do you have sufficient insight into your interests, talents and skills? Then you are all set to shift your focus to the labour market!