Professional Values and Skills

Career Development Resources
Professional Values and Skills Assessment
Introduction
Understanding your values, knowing your strengths, skills and interests is key to
helping plan your career within United. It will help you to determine whether your
current job is the right fit, or maybe you want to look for other positions within the
Company which might better fit your values, skills, and interests.
In this section you will have an opportunity to assess your values and skills by
completing the following activities:
• Professional Values Assessment

• Skills Assessment
• Motivation Assessment
• Personality Assessment
• "Who Am I" Assessment
• Resources to Further Assess Your Values and Skills
Copyright © 2004United Airlines 1

Professional Values Assessment
The tool below will help you identify the things that motivate you in the work
environment. Use this tool in your job search to identify the types of things you
are looking for from your potential employer.
• First, review the list of values below, and using a scale from 1-4 (1 for
extremely important 4 for not important), to determine which values match
with your own.
___ 1. Help Others: Be involved in helping other people in a direct way, whether
individually or in small groups.
___ 2. Public Contact: Have a lot of day-to-day contact with people.
___ 3. Work With Others: Have close working relationships with a group; work as a
team toward common goals.
___ 4. Friendships: Develop close personal relationships with people resulting from
work activities.
___ 5. Competition: Engage in activities that pit my abilities against others where
there are clear win and lose outcomes.
___ 6. Make Decisions: Have the power to decide courses of action, policies, etc.
___ 7. Work Under Pressure: Work in situations where time pressure is prevalent
and/or the quality of my work is judged critically by supervisors, customers, or
others.
___ 8. Influence People: Be in a position to change attitudes or opinions of other
people.
___ 9. Work Alone: Do projects by myself, without a significant amount of contact
with others.
___ 10. Knowledge: Engage in the pursuit of knowledge, truth, and understanding.
___ 11. Intellectual Status: Be regarded as a person of high intellectual prowess or as

one who is an acknowledged expert in a given field.

___ 12. Creativity: Engage in creative work; create new ideas, programs,
organizational structures, or anything else, without following a format
previously developed by others.
___ 13. Aesthetics: Be involved in studying or appreciating the beauty of things, ideas,
etc.
___ 14. Supervision: Have a job in which I am directly responsible for the work done
by others.
___ 15. Change and Variety: Have work responsibilities that change in content and
setting.
___ 16. Precision Work: Work in situations where there is very little tolerance for error.
___ 17. Stability: Have a work routine and job duties that are largely predictable and
not likely to change over a long period of time.
___ 18. Security: Be assured of keeping my job, insurance, benefits, and reasonable
financial reward.
___ 19. Fast Pace: Work in circumstances where there is a high pace of activity; work
must be done rapidly.
___ 20. Recognition: Be recognized for the quality of my work in some visible or public
way.
___ 21. Adventure: Have work duties that involve frequent risk-taking.
___ 22. Profit, Gain: Have a strong likelihood of accumulating large amounts of
money.
___ 23. Independence: Be able to determine the nature of my work without significant
direction from others; not have to do what others tell me to.
___ 24. Moral Fulfillment: Feel that my work is contributing significantly to a set of
moral standards, which I feel are very important.
___ 25. Flexible Schedule: Have work responsibilities, which I can work at according
to my own time schedule; no specific working hours required.
___ 26. Location: Be able to work in the geographic area of my choice.
___ 27. Status: Have a position that is considered highly ranked.

___ 28. Travel: Have a job that influences my ability or desire to travel.
___ 29. Free Time: Work the kind of schedule that allows me to pursue other personal
activities.
___ 30. Advancement/Promotability: Have access to opportunities for advancement
and promotion.
___ 31. Self-Development: Have opportunities to advance my skills and abilities.
___ 32. Work Enjoyment: Have a job that gives me pleasure.

Rank Your Values

After you have rated each of the values, identify which values you have rated as
a 1. List all of those values below.
Values
Next, rank these professional values according their priority to you. This list will
indicate which values have to be met by an employer in order for you to feel
satisfied and motivated in your job or career.
Value #1: ________________________________________________________
Value #2: ________________________________________________________
Value #3: ________________________________________________________
Value #4: ________________________________________________________
Value #5: ________________________________________________________
Value #6: ________________________________________________________
Value #7: ________________________________________________________
Value #8: ________________________________________________________
Value #9: ________________________________________________________
Value #10: _______________________________________________________

Skills Assessment
Identifying what skills you possess will help you identify what types of jobs best
suit you. Use the following tool to assess your preferred skills and to what level
you feel confident in performing them.
• First, read through the list of skills, and using a scale from 1-4 (1 for most
preferred and 4 for least preferred), rate each skill according to how they
relate to your work environment.
• After you have rated each of the skills, now identify which of the skills you
are proficient at and have demonstrated in your previous employment
experience. Highlight the skills by using a highlighter or by circling the
skills you feel you can demonstrate proficiently.
• Finally, review the list and identify which of preferred skills you rated a 1 or
2 and are also highlighted as skills you demonstrate proficiently.
After you have completed the assessment you will be able to identify those skills
you want to use more often in your work environment. They are the things you
enjoy doing and are skilled in. Finding a job that requires these skills will make
your job a more pleasant experience.

Most Least
Skill Preferred 2 3 Preferred
1 4
Activate
Administer
Analyze
Appraise
Communicate
Conceptualize
Conduct
Contract
Convince
Coordinate
Counsel
Critique
Delegate
Design
Designate
Develop
Direct
Distribute
Devise
Draw
Educate
Employ
Encourage
Estimate
Evaluate
Execute
Explore

Most Least
1 4
Facilitate
Familiarize
Finance
Focus
Formulate
Gather
Generate
Guide
Handle
Highlight
Hire
Identify
Illustrate
Imagine
Implement
Improve
Inform
Innovate
Launch
Lecture
Lead
Maintain
Manage
Mentor
Monitor
Motivate
Negotiate
Network

Most Least
1 4
Observe
Operate
Organize
Perform
Persuade
Plan
Prescribe
Prevent
Process
Produce
Program
Promote
Purchase
Recommend
Record
Recruit
Refer
Report
Research
Restore
Review
Reward
Sell
Select
Service
Solve
Strategize
Study

Most Least
1 4
Supervise
Teach
Train
Translate
Upgrade
Work on Teams
Work Alone
Write

Motivations Assessment
Motivation plays a part in making career decisions because of built in rewards --

either material or psychological. Knowing what matters to you may help you
decide which interests to pursue in formulating a career.
Use the following tool to assess what is important to you, what you value and
what you need.
• The statements are divided into 13 distinct groups, each of which is a

category of work motivations.
• Read through each of the statements under the category and rate yourself
as thoughtfully as you can. For example, if the statement is "I would like to
have my work seen and admired by others," make it very close to "yes" if
respect and recognition from others are very meaningful to you. Mark it
close to "no" if your own approval of what you do provides you sufficient
satisfaction.
• Add up the scores from each of the statements under each category and
total them.

I. Achievement (Attaining mastery of a field, self-advancement, growth)

Yes No
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I enjoy seeing the results of my efforts.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I like to work toward broad and important goals.
It is important to me that my work lead to better
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
opportunities.
I am most satisfied if I have a chance to learn from
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
what I do.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 When I do something, I like to do it well.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I would not want to waste my time.
Total: _____
II. Challenge (Handling difficult or complex work)

Yes No
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 If there is a difficult problem, I have an urge to tackle it.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Easy work bores me and hard work stimulates me.
The work world seems to offer me the satisfaction of
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
solving tough problems.
Without challenging work, I would feel useless and
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
unfulfilled.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I want some real intellectual challenge.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 When I am challenged, I do my best work.
Total: _____

III. Creativity (Contributing new ideas, being original and innovative)

Yes No
I am proud of my ability to offer ideas in many
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
solutions.
I like to come up with a new way to handle an old
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 problem, or to implement a more efficient approach or
technique.
I like to try out original solutions rather than rely on
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
conventional tactics and established procedures.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I like to tackle problems that others prefer to avoid.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I have creative talents that I want to develop and use.
People tell me that I'm always coming up with ideas
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
and solutions that are new.
Total: _____
IV. Dominance (Exercising leadership, directing, influencing others)

Yes No
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I like to use my leadership abilities.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I enjoy planning and organizing a program or activity.
I will feel good about myself if I am responsible for
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
large enterprises.
I would get a feeling of satisfaction from directing and
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
supervising other people's work.
I know I have good leadership qualities which I could
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
put to use.
I like to see things happen, change, develop as a
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
result of my efforts.
Total: _____

V. Independence (Being free from supervision and restriction)

Yes No
I want the feeling that I can depend on myself for a
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
decent living wage.
I will want to have some part of my life that is
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
independent of others.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I just like the feeling of being independent.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I do not like feeling that someone is dependent on me.
I like to do things on my own, without having a lot of
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
orders or directions.
I welcome the chance to use my capacity for
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
independent thinking and action.
Total: _____
VI. Interest (Finding a stimulating activity)

Yes No
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I want activity outside of my job to keep life interesting.
Having only job responsibilities would leave me
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
unfulfilled.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I enjoy being busy at interesting work.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I want an absorbing career commitment.
I want time for my home and for leisure as well as
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
work.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I would not organize my life just around my job.
Total: _____

VII. Interpersonal Relations (Being with other employees, colleagues)

Yes No
I want the opportunity to be with people who share my
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
interest.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I enjoy the opportunity to meet people.
The isolation of working at home would be depressing
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
to me.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I feel best when I'm with other people.
I think that a career would enrich my life through
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
interaction with interesting people.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I like to be part of a team, to participate with others.
Total: _____
VIII. Money (Gaining in socioeconomic status, meeting material needs)

Yes No
I base my job decisions on the amount of salary and
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
fringe benefits.
I tend to measure my worth as an employee according
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
to my salary.
I have to meet financial needs, sharing this
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
responsibility with my spouse or providing for myself.
It is important to me to have as high an income as
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
possible.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Getting money and material things is important to me.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I need the money a job would provide.
Total: _____

IX. Moral Values (Behaving in a way consistent with some moral code)
Yes No
I would feel ashamed if I failed to use what I have
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
learned.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I believe that work builds character.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 If a person doesn't work hard, s/he is probably lazy.
It is important to do work that helps make a better
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
world.
Everyone should work, to give back to society all s/he
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
takes.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Service gives me pleasure.
Total: _____
X. Recognition (Getting respect, prestige, social approval)

Yes No
I want to have my work recognized and valued by
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
others.
It is important to be acknowledged by others in my
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
field.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I want to work for a well-known institution.
I want a job that is somewhat glamorous in the eyes of
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
others.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 My title is important to me.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Promotions are important to me.
Total: _____

XI. Self-expression (Working in an area suited to the development of one's

abilities)
Yes No
I want to test myself on the job to confirm my sense of
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
who I am.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I would really grow if I got into the right work.
A lot of my natural talent is wasted if I don't have a
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
meaningful job.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Being able to express myself is important to me.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I want the opportunity to try out some of my own ideas.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I want to grow as a person and develop my abilities.
Total: _____
XII. Social Welfare (Doing something that has meaning for others, working for
society or another person's benefit)
Yes No
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I need the feeling of helping someone directly.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I would be happiest working in a service organization.
I would like to do a good and useful job anywhere I am
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
needed.
I want to use my energies and abilities to help make
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
the world a better place to live in.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I like to help others, to be and feel useful.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Looking out for other's welfare is important to me.
Total: _____

XIII. Variety (Preferring diverse activities, "changes of scenery”)
Yes No
I want a career that would permit me to be involved in
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 different activities of the business or professional
world.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I welcome changing activities and changing roles.
I enjoy a variety of challenges rather than just a single
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
area of concentration.
I will need more stimulation and variety than I would
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
get sitting at a desk all day.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 I dislike routine activities and thrive on variety.
I don't like to spend too much time on the same type of
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
activity.
Total: _____

Rank Your Motivations
After you have totaled each of the 13 groups, fill in the 6 with the highest scores.
Motivation #1 ____________________________________________________
Motivation #2 ____________________________________________________
Motivation #3 ____________________________________________________
Motivation #4 ____________________________________________________
Motivation #5 ____________________________________________________
Motivation #6 ____________________________________________________

Personality Strength Assessment
To help you sharpen your focus on who you are, work through this checklist of
personal characteristics. Your strengths are important to know about yourself, but
your weaknesses matter too. Knowing your weak spots will help steer you away
from certain career activities or fields, or may suggest areas which you wish to
change by education, experiences or some kind of "restyling" of yourself.
• As you respond to the list, try to recognize all the qualities you possess --
irrespective of whether they have been expressed until now.
• First, read each word and underline the ones that describe you as you are
now.
• Next, look back over the list and place a check to the left of the words that
are most highly descriptive of you. Check any that you missed at your first
evaluation. Often, people fail to identify their strengths adequately.
• As a final check, ask someone whose opinions you value to read through
the list and check off the strengths that they see in you.

Personality Strengths
Academic Cool Humorous Peaceable

Active Cooperative Idealistic Persevering
Accurate Courageous Imaginative Pleasant
Adaptable Curious Independent Poised
Adventurous Deliberate Individualistic Polite
Affectionate Determined Informal Practical
Aggressive Dignified Intellectual Precise
Alert Discreet Intelligent Progressive
Ambitious Dominant Inventive Prudent
Artistic Eager Kind Purposeful
Attractive Easygoing Leisurely Quick
Bold Efficient Likeable Quiet
Broad-minded Emotional Logical Rational
Businesslike Energetic Loyal Realistic
Calm Fair-minded Mature Reflective
Capable Farsighted Methodical Relaxed
Careful Firm Meticulous Reliable
Caring Flexible Mild Reserved
Cautious Forceful Moderate Resourceful
Charming Formal Modest Responsible
Cheerful Frank Natural Retiring
Clear-thinking Friendly Obliging Robust
Clever Generous Open-minded Self-confident
Competent Gentle Opportunistic Self-controlled
Competitive Good-natured Original Sensible
Confident Healthy Outgoing Serious
Conscientious Helpful Painstaking Sincere
Conservative Honest Patient Sociable

Spontaneous Unaffected
Spunky Unassuming
Steady Understanding
Strong Unexcitable
Sympathetic Uninhibited
Tactful Verbal
Teachable Versatile
Tenacious Warm
Thorough Wholesome
Tolerant Wise
Tough Witty
Trustworthy

"WHO AM I?" Self-Assessment Summary
Using the assessments in this section, summarize the information about yourself as a
way of identifying your career fit.
1. What interests me most is:
2. The skills that I am most confident in are:
3. Skills that I would like to develop are:
4. My most important work motivations are:
5. Personality strengths that best describe me:
6. From this information, I can conclude that I am most interested in working with
People _______, Data _______, Things _______, or Ideas _______.
(Check all that apply)

Resources
Websites
Here are examples of Internet sites that offer additional resources for this topic.
Career Decisions: Self Assessment:

www.careerplanning.about.com/library/weekly/aa110297.htm
Career Assessment:
www.nycareerzone.org/graphic/assessment/index.jsp
Books
What Color is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-
Changers (2001 Edition) by Richard Nelson Bolles
Do What You Are: Discover the perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of
Personality Type by Paul D. Tieger, Barbara Barron-Tieger
Dare to Change Your Job and Your Life by Carole Kancier, PhD.
Career Change: Everything You Need to Know to Meet New Challenges and Take
Control of Your Career
The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for Lifetime of Satisfaction and
Success by Nicholas Lore

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Career Development Resources

Professional Values and Skills Assessment

• Professional Values Assessment

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 1

Professional Values Assessment

___ 11. Intellectual Status: Be regarded as a person of high intellectual prowess or as

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 2

___ 27. Status: Have a position that is considered highly ranked.

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 3

___ 32. Work Enjoyment: Have a job that gives me pleasure.

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 4

Rank Your Values

Value #1: ________________________________________________________

Value #2: ________________________________________________________

Value #3: ________________________________________________________

Value #4: ________________________________________________________

Value #5: ________________________________________________________

Value #6: ________________________________________________________

Value #7: ________________________________________________________

Value #8: ________________________________________________________

Value #9: ________________________________________________________

Value #10: _______________________________________________________

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 5

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 6

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 7

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 8

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 9

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 10

Motivation plays a part in making career decisions because of built in rewards --

• The statements are divided into 13 distinct groups, each of which is a

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 11

I. Achievement (Attaining mastery of a field, self-advancement, growth)

II. Challenge (Handling difficult or complex work)

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 12

III. Creativity (Contributing new ideas, being original and innovative)

IV. Dominance (Exercising leadership, directing, influencing others)

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 13

V. Independence (Being free from supervision and restriction)

VI. Interest (Finding a stimulating activity)

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 14

VII. Interpersonal Relations (Being with other employees, colleagues)

VIII. Money (Gaining in socioeconomic status, meeting material needs)

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 15

X. Recognition (Getting respect, prestige, social approval)

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 16

XI. Self-expression (Working in an area suited to the development of one's

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 17

XIII. Variety (Preferring diverse activities, "changes of scenery”)

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 18

Rank Your Motivations

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 19

Personality Strength Assessment

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 20

Academic Cool Humorous Peaceable

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 21

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 22

"WHO AM I?" Self-Assessment Summary

1. What interests me most is:

2. The skills that I am most confident in are:

3. Skills that I would like to develop are:

4. My most important work motivations are:

5. Personality strengths that best describe me:

Copyright © 2004United Airlines 23

Career Decisions: Self Assessment: