Dreaming of a career shake-up in 2024? Maybe a new job, a total shift, or even diving into the world of impact? If so, you're not alone! These are all prime reasons why people consider skills assessments. But are there other motivations? Is it even okay to take one? When's the right time? Let's unpack it all!
What is a skills assessment?
Taking a structured approach with a coach (or coaches!), either in a group setting or one-on-one, a skills assessment helps you hit the pause button and truly assess your professional landscape. It's typically a three-phase process designed to create an objective picture of your situation, propelling you from reflection to action:
- Phase 1: Introspection Deep Dive: Here, you'll take stock of your skills and talents, the experiences you've gained, what you're good at, and what you enjoy doing.
- Phase 2: Finding Your Fit: This phase focuses on figuring out the ideal work environment for you. What industry sparks your interest and where do you see your skills flourishing?
- Phase 3: Projecting Your Future: Now, it's all about defining your professional project – what path will you take moving forward?
The good news? Skills assessments are accessible to everyone!
- Employed individuals: Your company might cover the cost, or you can leverage funds from your Personal Training Account (CPF).
- Job seekers: Pôle Emploi, the French unemployment agency, can help finance your assessment.
- Students: While typically self-funded, some assessments do offer financial aid. So, don't hesitate to explore your options!
The best reasons to take a skills assessment
#1 Your professional life no longer suits you
Do you feel like you've run out of work? Are you bored in your job? Do you want to make a career change?
Maybe it's time for you to start a personal work via the skills assessment to identify what doesn't suit you anymore and understand your professional desires.
#2 You wish to make a professional evolution in your organization
Carrying out an assessment can allow you to specify the acquired skills that you could use as part of a professional evolution, and to identify training to develop those required in your new position.
💡 At the employee's initiative, an assessment can be financed by his or her own means or CPF. However, in the context of a desire for internal evolution, it is possible to make a request to his employer.se to carry it out on his working hours and have it financed by the company.
#3 You have a new professional project in mind
By doing an assessment, you will highlight the skills you have and that you will be able to develop to undertake this new project.
💡If you have been employed for at least 2 years, including 1 year in the same company, you can take time off from your job to undergo an assessment via the Professional Transition Project (formerly Individual Training Leave).
#4 You are a student and you are looking for your professional orientation
To take stock of the skills you have acquired in your school, student and community experiences, and to become aware of possible opportunities, taking stock when you are young can help you clarify your professional orientation.
👉The skills assessment chance is suitable for students, as it allows you to pay the skills assessment in several monthly instalments!
#5 You want to go into a positive impact job
According to a survey conducted by Manpower Singapore and jobs_that_makesense_asia, among employees and students, for 57% of respondents, "The Quest for Meaning at Work" corresponds to the desire to contribute to the challenges of the ecological and/or social transition. To meet this growing demand and help those who want to build a meaningful professional project, you can take a skills assessment with impact. Yes, it exists!
👉 Read more about the report here!
When to do a skills assessment?
Do you feel that you have a good reason to take a skills assessment? But you still have to be in a professional and personal situation that allows you to do so, don't you? To know when to do a skills assessment, here are our 5 recommendations for the best times to do it.
#1 When you have decided to take time for yourself
Ideally, don't start an assessment if you are completely underwater and overworked. The first step in conducting an assessment is to take a break and give yourself time to mature the thoughts that may arise during the skills assessment sessions.
#2 When you are mentally and physically ready
Giving yourself time also means giving yourself the mental availability you need to reflect on your professional life. Indeed, if you are in bore out, brown out or burn out, your motivations may not be the right ones to do one and this could add an additional mental burden. Especially since a professional assessment is bound to touch on your personal life, and sometimes, it can be a bit overwhelming.
#3 When your professional activity allows it
The beauty of skills assessments is their flexibility! No matter your employment status, there are ways to make it work for you.
Discuss taking the assessment during work hours with your employer. They might even be willing to cover the cost through your company's OPCO (training finance organization. If that's not an option, there are always convenient, 100% online assessments you can take on your own time. To further personalize your experience, consider requesting a coaching session that fits your schedule. While typically self-funded for students, both job seekers and students can explore financing options. There's a way to make a skills assessment work for you, regardless of your situation!
💡 Good news, the majority of our partner skills assessments can be done online!.
#4 When your company has a development plan
Formerly called "training plan", the skills development plan is set up at the initiative of the employer and aims to improve the skills of professionals in their jobs through training. With this plan, the company can provide for skills assessment and validation of acquired experience (VAE). If you wish to do so, it is time to ask your employer for a skills assessment!