What are your strengths and weaknesses? What skills do you have?

Everyone is good at something, and we are all good at different things. This idea stems from the theory of multiple intelligences, first proposed by Howard Gardner. Gardner developed a series of 8 different intelligences and proposed that everyone has a profile of these intelligences that differs based on our genetics and experiences.

Multiple Intelligences – Career Quiz

Everyone is intelligent in a different way, in fact, there are eight different types of intelligence! Take a 10 minute quiz to learn about which type of intelligence you are the strongest in:

Take the Multiple Intelligences Career Quiz

Understanding your skills

Skills for Success:The Skills for Success, formerly known as Essential Skills, were identified and launched by the Government of Canada in May of 2021, updating the existing framework in response to an evolving labour market. These 9 skills are updated to reflect the rapidly changing skill needs and requirements:

  • numeracy
    Numeracy
  • communication
    Communication
  • collaboration
    Collaboration
  • problem-solving
    Problem Solving
  • writing
    Writing
  • adaptability
    Adaptability
  • reading
    Reading
  • creativity
    Creativity & Innovation
  • digital-skills
    Digital Skills
Consistent with the previous three years, the most in-demand skills in 2022 were all socioemotional (e.g., soft) skills.

ACTIVITY

The Government of Canada has a database of skills assessment resources available. Take some time and work through the quizzes. The Skills for Success Mobile App has an assessment tool that is easily accessible, available on the App Store and Google Play Store.

Exploring Careers

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Career Quiz

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OpportuNext

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Youth Digital Gateway

Researching jobs

After you identify some careers of interest, it would be helpful to get more hands on experience with those careers. You can do this in several ways:

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Informational Interviews

Conduct an informational interview. Here are some tips for conducting efficient and effective informational interviews: How to get the most out of an information interview | Toronto Metropolitan University Alumni Blog

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Community Involvement

Be strategic with your 40 hours of community involvement: This is a great opportunity to get a sense of careers that you are interested in. For example, think you may want to be a dentist? Call your local dentist office and see what it is like day-to-day in a dental office.

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Networking

Talk to people around you about their experiences: this includes parents, family members, teachers, and other adults in your life. If no one in your life has a job you’re interested in, check out this database of career vlogs